The Australian vice-captain top-scored with 112 before the visitors were 577 all out, conceding a meagre 36-run lead in reply to India's 613 for seven declared.

Australian bowlers then reduced India to 43 for two at close, 79 runs ahead. Brett Lee removed opener Virender Sehwag (16) and fellow paceman Stuart Clark outwitted nightwatchman Ishant Sharma (1).

Gautam Gambhir, who made 206 in the first innings, was 21 not out with Rahul Dravid on five at stumps.

Clarke, dropped on 21, 90 and 94, steered the touring side towards safety with an innings of great application on a slow pitch.

Indian bowlers, made to toil for success, took the last three wickets to end the innings over an hour after tea.

Australia, down 1-0 in the four-match series, rebounded superbly from their 320-run second Test thrashing.

Clarke, who hit a match-winning 151 on Test debut in India in 2004, struck six fours and a six in his six-hour knock before tiredly holing out leg spinner Amit Mishra to long off.

Occasional off spinner Sehwag took five for 104 to claim his maiden five-wicket Test haul, while skipper Anil Kumble overcame a bad left hand injury to take three wickets.

Clarke, 27, dug in to build on the solid foundation laid by fifties from the top four batsmen and added 73 runs for the fifth wicket with Shane Watson (36).

He then shared a partnership of 106 runs for the seventh wicket with Cameron White (44).

India dropped five catches to dent their victory hopes.

Clarke was first dropped on his overnight score by Sharma and then in successive overs off Sehwag, VVS Laxman spilling a running attempt at midwicket before Mishra grassed a simple chance on the mid-wicket boundary.

The fourth and final Test starts in Nagpur on Nov. 6.