Day Three photos

Anil Kumble took four priceless Australian wickets as India went on the victory trail in the deciding Test of a scintillating series.

The Indian leg-spinner's efforts eclipsed a vital Justin Langer century for the home side on Sunday.

Langer (117) took Australia to 214-1 before India grabbed five wickets in the final session of the day.

Steve Waugh, in his final Test, was brilliantly dismissed by the young left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan for 40.

India began the third day on 650-5 and added a further 55 runs with Parthiv Patel finally out for a rapid 62 and Sachin Tendulkar 241 not out

Both men registered their best scores in Test cricket, with Patel's runs coming off just 50 deliveries. The 18-year-old demonstrated an excellent attacking technique.

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Tendulkar's score was the second-highest by an Indian in Tests and it was the first time India had ever reached 700.

The declaration came after Lee had dismissed Patel and Ajit Agarkar to finish with 4-201.

But India had to wait a long time before taking their first wicket in spite of the first signs of wear on an otherwise excellent deck at the SCG.

Langer put on 147 with fellow left-handed opener Matthew Hayden (67).

Usually a slower scorer than his partner, Langer was the first of the pair to his fifty after playing a series of fine off-side drives off the seamers.

Langer was in supreme form against India

He really shone against the spinners, using his feet to play drives over mid-wicket and going to his century with an outrageous reverse sweep for four.

By then, Kumble had taken his first wicket when Hayden skied a drive he was aiming leg-side to mid-off.

Langer himself went in similar fashion, though it was Patel who claimed the catch, sprinting 20 yards from his wicket-keeping position and diving across the turf.

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Ricky Ponting was the most prolific Test batsman in 2003, but fell lbw to Kumble's top-spinner for 25 and it was a slower top-spinner that had Damien Martyn caught and bowled for seven.

Waugh and Simon Katich (51 not out) added 50 runs for the fifth wicket before Pathan, utilising reverse swing with the old ball, had the Aussie captain caught behind.

Waugh had played some fine shots through the covers but when he was out, hundreds of fans headed to the exits.

They missed one further wicket. In the penultimate over of the day Pathan bowled the dangerous Adam Gilchrist for six with a fast yorker.

The series is level at 1-1 after India won the second Test in Adelaide and Australia win the third match in Melbourne.

Australia: Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Steve Waugh (captain), Simon Katich, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Nathan Bracken, Stuart MacGill.

India: Akash Chopra, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly (captain), V.V.S. Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Irfan Pathan, Murali Kartik.