Melbourne, December 28:

India will have to do what no other Test team has done before to come from behind and win the first Test after Australia set them a historic run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The Australians offered the Indians 499 runs to win with two days left after declaring their second innings at 351-7 late on the third day. India reached stumps at six without loss, with Rahul Dravid on three and Wasim Jaffer on two.

Only three teams in Test history have scored 400 or more in the fourth innings for victory. The West Indies hold the Test record of 418-7 when they beat Australia in 2003, while India amassed 406-4 to down the West Indies in 1976 and Australia hit 404-3 to defeat England in 1948. The highest run chase in the fourth innings at the MCG is England’s 332-7 set 79 years ago.

The hosts ticked along at almost four runs an over in their innings to rachet up the pressure on the Indians. Before lunch India claimed the wickets of Matthew Hayden and skipper Ricky Ponting, followed by the dismissals of Phil Jaques, Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds in the middle session, with Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist sent on their way after tea.

Opener Jaques (51) scored his sixth consecutive Test half-century and was out next ball to a return catch by Anil Kumble shortly after lunch. Hussey wrestled for 36 before he was snapped up by Sachin Tendulkar off RP Singh.

Symonds (44) was adjudged LBW to Zaheer Khan while Clarke (73) looked set for his sixth Test century before he danced down the pitch to Kumble and was well stranded by the turn to be stumped by Mahendra Dhoni. Gilchrist (35) was caught in the deep off Harbhajan.

Ponting declared their innings, with Brad Hogg (35) and Brett Lee (11) at the crease. Harbhajan picked up the wickets of Hayden and Ponting in four balls in the only road hump in Australia’s steady accumulation of runs in morning.

Hayden (47) had just passed 8,000 Test runs when he skied Harbhajan to Sourav Ganguly at long-off. Ponting (3) was caught by Rahul Dravid in Harbhajan’s next over. Harbhajan finished with 3-101.

SCOREBOARD

Australia —1st Innings: 343

India — 1st Innings: 196

Australia — 2nd Innings (Overnight: 32-0)

P Jaques c & b Kumble 51

M Hayden c Ganguly b Harbhajan 47

R Ponting c Dravid b Harbhajan 3

M Hussey c Tendulkar b RP Singh 36

M Clarke st Dhoni b Kumble 73

A Symonds lbw b Khan 44

A Gilchrist c RP Singh b Harbhajan 35

B Hogg not out 35

B Lee not out 11

Extras: 16 (3lb,13nb)

Total: 351/7 (declared)

FoW: 1-83, 2-89, 3-139, 4-161, 5-243,

6-288, 7-316

India bowling: Khan 20-2-93-1,

RP Singh 16-1-50-1, Kumble 25-2-102-2,

Harbhajan 26-0-101-3, Tendulkar 1-0-2-0

India — 2nd Innings

R Dravid not out 3

W Jaffer not out 2

Extras: 1 (1nb)

Total: 6/0

Australia bowling: Lee 3-1-4-0,

Johnson 2-1-2-0, Clark 2-2-0-0, Hogg 1-1-0-0