Updated March 19, 2017 23:05:04

Photo: Australia has a mountain to climb to eke out a draw from the third Test. (AP: Aijaz Rahi)

Australia has to bat through day five of the third Test with just eight wickets intact to manage a draw after India spent almost all of day four at the crease.

India is well and truly in the box seat to win in Ranchi, leading by 129 runs with Australia already 2-23 heading into the final day.

A declaration at 9-603 gave Australia openers Matt Renshaw and David Warner an awkward eight overs to negotiate in fading light and it went about as badly as possible.

India opened with spin at both ends on the bone-dry deck and Warner was lucky a leading edge carried mid-off in the third over of the innings.

But he did not last much longer, bowled through the gate by Ravindra Jadeja for 14.

Photo: Virat Kohli was clearly very excited to see the back of David Warner. (AP: Aijaz Rahi)

After the wicket, Virat Kohli went streaming away from his celebrating team-mates, grabbing his shoulder in faux pain.

India's skipper was fielding for the first time since day one, when he injured his right arm on the boundary.

His celebration was a pointed reference to day three, when a grinning Glenn Maxwell clutched his shoulder after making a diving save in the field.

Warner's dismissal brought night watchman Nathan Lyon (2) to the crease, but he too lasted just seven balls before Jadeja found the rough and uprooted his off stump.

Aussie skipper Steve Smith will join Renshaw (7 not out) at the crease on day five and one expects that partnership will have to be a long one if Australia is to save itself.

Photo: Cheteshwar Pujara (left) and Wriddhiman Saha spent almost 80 overs together. (AP: Aijaz Rahi)

Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 202 off 525 deliveries — a record for balls faced by an Indian batsman in a Test innings.

He batted for the best part of two days, ably supported by Wriddhiman Saha (117), with whom he shared a 199-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

It, along with a quickfire half-century by Jadeja (54 not out), drove the hosts on an agonisingly slow day of Test cricket that saw India's run rate spent most of the day well under three runs per over.

Topics: cricket, sport, india, australia

First posted March 19, 2017 22:23:29