Stephen Waugh couldn't summon a trademark salvage job for his international finale, seeing off major wrecker Anil Kumble before falling for 40 as Australia ended yesterday at 342 for six and India moved into a series-winning position in the fourth test.
Simon Katich was batting on 51 and Brett Lee survived four balls without scoring at stumps. Australia still required 164 runs to reach the follow-on target (506) with two days remaining.
Sachin Tendulkar's career-high 241 not out inspired India to its highest ever test innings of 705 for seven, the biggest total the Australians have ever conceded at home, before Sourav Ganguly declared the innings closed 40 minutes into the third day.
Justin Langer (117) and Matthew Hayden (67) started aggressively, scoring 147 for the first wicket before Kumble took four top-order wickets and Irfan Pathan dismissed Waugh and Adam Gilchrist in a late spell.
The series is level at 1-1 and India needs only a draw in the last test here to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy it secured in 2001. However, an Indian win is emerging as the more likely scenario at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Kumble had Hayden and Langer caught out on either side of the tea interval, trapped No. 3 Ricky Ponting (25) lbw and caught-and-bowled Damien Martyn (7) to have Australia in trouble at 261 for four. He finished with figures of 4-103 off 31 overs, including 3-54 in the evening session.
Waugh shared a 50-run rearguard stand with Katich and stubbornly defended against Kumble before he was out prodding at Pathan, who had reverse swing working in his new spell, making the score 311 for five.
Gilchrist batted for 35 minutes for six runs before Pathan bowled him with an inswinging yorker in the penultimate over. Pathan, after an innocuous opening spell, returned 2-46.
After reaching the tea interval at 210 for one, with Langer in good touch on 115, the Australians lost five wickets for 132 runs in the last 38 overs.
Hayden miscued a drive and was caught at mid-on. Langer, who reached his 17th test century with a reverse sweep to the boundary off Murali Kartik, got a top edge and 'keeper Parthiv Patel ran square of the wicket to complete the catch.
Ponting was out soon after, trapped lbw by a faster, flatter leg-break to make the total 229 for three and bring Waugh to the crease on his home ground.
He took charge of a 32-run stand with Martyn before the No. 4 was deceived with flight and lobbed a simple return catch to Kumble. Australia had recovered from 261 for four to 311 when Pathan dismissed Waugh.
The Indians resumed Sunday at 650 for five and added 55 for the loss of Patel (62) and Ajit Agarkar in 40 minutes before Ganguly declared. Tendulkar added 21 to his overnight 220 and posted the highest individual test innings by an Indian abroad.
Australia hasn't lost a series at home since the West Indies triumphed 2-1 in a five-test series in 1992-1993, but Tendulkar's long overdue innings and Kumble's bowling put India into a position to end that stretch. What shaped as Waugh's grand farewell to international cricket is fast turning against Australia.
Tendulkar faced 436 balls in a 10-hour batting stint that spanned three days and ended a 14-month stretch between centuries.
Lee, who took both wickets in the morning session, finished 4-201 in 39.3 overs -- becoming only the second Australian bowler to concede 200 runs or more in one test innings. Fast bowler Jason Gillespie had 3-135 from 45 overs for Australia.
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