NEW DELHI: Michael Hussey top-scored with an unbeaten 81 as Australia posted 229-5 in the third one-day international against India here on Saturday.

Hussey, 34, hit his third half-century of the series and shared 56 runs with captain Ricky Ponting (59) after the world champions won the toss and elected to bat on a slow track at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium.

Opener Shane Watson made up for his disappointing batting in the first two matches, making a fine 41 off 59 balls with five fours in the day-night encounter.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja impressed the most among the bowlers on the tricky track, picking 2-41 off nine overs.

The seven-match series is tied 1-1 after India won the second match at Nagpur by 99 runs. Australia had clinched the opener at Vadodara by four runs. The visitors were off to a steady start with Ponting -- opening the innings in the absence of the injured Tim Paine -- putting on 72 runs with Watson off 98 balls.

The Australian captain, taking the opener's role for only the second time in his 327-match one-day cricket career, completed his 72nd one-day half-century off 74 balls before falling to Jadeja.

Ponting tried to clip the spinner across the line but the ball hit the base of the pads right in front of the stumps. He hit four fours in his measured 92-ball knock.

Hussey, who scored 73 at Vadodara and followed it up with a 53-run knock at Nagpur, accumulated his runs through some hard running between the wickets. He hit just three fours and one six, that too in the 50th over.

India need to score at 4.6 runs an over if they are to win the match and go 2-1 up in the series.

Australia, the top-ranked one-day team, brought in Doug Bollinger and Moises Henriques in place of Ben Hilfenhaus and Shaun Marsh.