MELBOURNE: Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli scored centuries as India whittled Australia's lead to 194 runs by tea on the third day of the third Test in Melbourne on Sunday.
Rahane raised his third Test ton with a slash over gully off Shane Watson for four and raised both arms into the air in celebration.
Kohli joined him just before tea with a cracking cover drive to the boundary off Nathan Lyon for his third ton of the series after twin centuries in the first Adelaide Test.
At tea, India were 336 for three with Rahane unbeaten on 111 off 142 balls with Kohli not out 104 from 171 balls, with the pair putting on an unbroken 189-run stand.
Australia paid for two costly dropped chances off both Kohli and Rahane during the middle session.
Lyon bungled a regulation two-handed head high chance off his own bowling when Rahane was on 70.
Watson put down a chance off Kohli (88) at first slip which didn't amuse the bowler Mitchell Johnson.
Johnson was also involved in a flash point when he hurled the ball back at Kohli, striking the batsman on his back and sending Kohli to the ground.
Johnson quickly apologised but the mood soured with the umpires intervening to soothe tensions between Kohli and Johnson.
The ragged Australian fielding was in contrast to the morning session when Brad Haddin took a stunning catch to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara on the second ball of the third day.
- Stunning catch -
The veteran wicketkeeper, who missed a far easier chance off Pujara late on Saturday, pulled off one of the catches of the series to dismiss the same batsman.
Haddin flung himself to his right to take a spectacular acrobatic catch to dismiss Pujara on his overnight score of 25.
Pujara attempted to cut Ryan Harris only to get a thick edge for Haddin to dive across in front of Shane Watson at first slip to take a stunning catch.
There was a chilling moment as Murali Vijay on 63 turned his head to avoid a searing Johnson bouncer and took a blow on the side of his helmet.
It was eerily reminiscent of the blow Australian batsman Phillip Hughes took when he was fatally struck by a similar delivery in a domestic game last month.
Vijay batted on but was out five runs later when he played an almost identical shot that led to Pujara's dismissal and was well caught by Shaun Marsh at first slip off Watson.
It was the fourth time in five innings that Vijay had passed 50 in the series.
Rahane gave a tough chance on eight when he got an outside edge off spinner Lyon that flew between the keeper and first slip to the boundary rope.
India are striving to win the Melbourne Test to stay alive in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
M.S. Dhoni's tourists trail 2-0 in the four-match series after defeats in Adelaide and Brisbane, and have not won at the MCG for 33 years.
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