Skipper Anil Kumble led the way with a spirited 87 after overnight centurion Sachin Tendulkar had fallen for a splendid 153 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (16) also perished cheaply in the pre-lunch session, which threatened to derail the innings.

The Australians, leading the four-match series 2-1, laid the foundation for the run chase by negotiating the 21 overs before close on the second day with Matthew Hayden (36) and Phil Jacques (21) at the crease. They still trail India by 464 runs.

It was Kumble who frustrated the home team the most as he put up 107 runs for the eighth wicket with Harbhajan Singh (63) and then teamed up with young Ishant Sharma to add 58 more runs for the last wicket on a good batting track at the Adelaide Oval.

Kumble was the last man out, caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off the bowling of Mitchell Johnson, but not before giving his team a big total to push for a series-levelling victory.