1. Tossed Out?
Without doubt, those who witnessed today's play enjoyed one of the best days of Test cricket seen this year as the match ebbed and flowed and eventually ended with all three results still a possibility.

At one stage India's chances of victory seemed all but over with their top seven batsmen all back in the hut and just 232 runs on the board, and while their hopes remain slim a home win is still not completely out of the equation.

When the day began the question on my mind was whether 25-30 wickets (the exact number depending on how well Australia bat in their second innings) could fall in three days on this pitch. With eight going down today that remains a distinct possibility as the pitch continues to wear.

Should Australia win the role of the toss will have had an impact, but Rahul Dravid played down its significance after play today. The Bangalore local did admit that historically matches in India can be 'toss orientated' due to the deteriorating pitches but also said that Australia deserved credit for batting so well in the first innings.

2. Dada's Big Chance
The crowd's welcome for Sachin Tendulkar was, as anticipated, quite special. But the reaction when Sourav Ganguly came out to bat was not far from it.

For all his arrogant ways, Ganguly is genuinely loved by Indian fans who are clearly willing to put his faults to one side and enjoy his talent for one last series.

Coming in at 106 for four, the stage was perfectly set for 'Dada' to perform a rescue act and lend credence to some of his outrageous quotes from two days ago, in which he slammed the selectors and the Indian set-up as a whole.

Shortly before Ganguly came in, the Indian media liaison made a rare appearance in the press box to claim that the batsman had been misquoted by a Kolkata daily and insist that in future all such quotes should go through India's media management.

Tuts and guffaws put to one side, Ganguly set to work. After taking his time to find the pace of the wicket in the morning he began to find his timing in the afternoon to exhibit some of his trademark shots.

His determination to make a point in his final series was clear, and we can surely expect many more such innings before Dada bows out in Nagpur.

3. Australia Feel The Heat
With the weekend arriving and India up to bat, day three saw 80 per cent of the stadium's seats filled with a typically vocal crowd.

While the noise which greeted the local heroes was hair-raising the silence which resulted from the top order's swift demise was in itself quite chilling, the stillness giving one the feeling of having suddenly been plonked into a vaccuum.

But the fans' role in the Indian fightback, led by Harbhajan Singh and brilliantly supported by Zaheer Khan, was unmistakable.

With the Australian rhythm upset by a 28-minute rain delay the duo managed to frustrate the tourists by digging in and then producing some streaky boundaries. Boundaries which might not have ruffled the Aussies quite so much had the crowd not responded so vociferously.

The effect on the visitors was clear as even Brett Lee lost his cool, and Mitchell Johnson admitted afterwards that the crowd had got to them.

Given that many Indians work on a Saturday but not on a Sunday, it's quite feasible that the remaining 20 per cent will be filled up tomorrow for a crucial day's action. The home side will desperately need it.

4. Ponting's Tough Punt
When Australia came back out into the field after the rain delay the new ball was available immediately, but Ricky Ponting decided not to take it for six more overs.

It was a difficult call because while the new ball had been long anticipated by the Aussies, at the time it became available the old one was just starting to do something. In the end the decision was made that Harbhajan and Zaheer were finding it too easy to face the old ball, and so Lee was handed the new one.

Given the pitch's state the assumption from most sections was that the new cherry would wrap the Indian innings up pretty quickly, but instead it backfired spectacularly as the hard nut flew off the bat to all corners of the ground.

Johnson later revealed that, like most of us, the Australians thought the new ball would go through the surface. In fairness it was a chance that Ponting had to take, but the fact that Michael Clarke's spin was recalled so soon led one to reflect that perhaps it would have paid to have more patience with the old ball.

5. Limitations Exposed
While the Indian crowd got to Lee, the effect on international rookie Brad Haddin was even greater as the wicketkeeper had a poor last session behind the stumps.

Having dealt with the awkward, uneven bounce fairly well for his first three sessions in the field in India, the combination of the new ball and the crowd pressure got the better of him as his bye tally rose to 24 by the end of play.

It certainly wasn't easy out there for the keeper, but those are 24 runs which could make a big difference in a potentially tight game.

His 33 in Australia's innings were invaluable as he shared a 91-run stand with Mike Hussey, but the 30-year-old will be hoping for a better morning behind the stumps on day four as he does his best to fill the massive boots of Adam Gilchrist.

Tristan Holme