Cricket is a ridiculous game.

Fortunately it is our ridiculous game. And on day three of the Boxing Day Test its ridiculousness was turned up to 11, in all its cable-knitted heavy-rollered glory.

Resuming on 3/214 in reply to Australia's 333, India collapsed like an undercooked Yorkshire pudding to be all out for 282 at lunch.

Similarly implausibly, Australia staggered to a panic inducing 4/27 midway through the afternoon, with three of its batsmen contriving to deflect the ball onto their own stumps. Perhaps most unexpectedly of all, the day's proceedings changed course with the arrival of Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting to the crease. The under-fire veterans, fighting to save their careers, put on 115 for the fifth wicket to drag Australia back into a position of strength.

By the close, the home side had moved on to 8/179, a lead of 230 with two days remaining.

15 wickets fell in the day - seven Indian and eight Australian. This would normally conjure images of canyon-wide cracks, moist greentops or dustbowls with deliveries spinning around corners. No such assistance was needed here. The straw coloured wicket was benign and the ball deviated only fractionally in the clear warm air. The bowling was competent, at times inspired, but the ineptitude that was the batting made a mockery of the reputations on show.

There was a sniff of the surreal when Rahul Dravid (68) was bowled by the second ball of the day. Ben Hilfenhaus sent down a beauty that swung in, seamed away, knocked off-stump and jolted the MCG into realising there was a match taking place, not a farewell tour.

Inside the next two hours Dravid would be joined in the pavilion by VVS Laxman (2), Virat Kohli (11), Ishant Sharma (11) and Ravichandran Ashwin (31); all guilty of edging deliveries into Brad Haddin's gloves. This was a consequence of Australia's full length, off-stump line and ability to extract the merest hint of away swing.

MS Dhoni (6) joined his routed troops after slashing a loose drive to gully, while Zaheer Khan (4) had his stumps rearranged while aiming a drive towards the moon.

Ben Hilfenhaus (5/75) was Australia's star. He took four wickets in the morning session to complete his first Test five-wicket haul. In support, Peter Siddle (3/63) bagged three and James Pattinson (2/55) two as the decision to select just four bowlers was vindicated. Michael Clarke, who continues to display an impressive instinct for captaincy, smartly rotated all seamers.

On Tuesday evening, at the start of the final over of the day (India's 65th), the scene was set for Sachin Wednesday and his century of centuries coronation. One ball into the 95th over India was all out for 282, conceding a first-innings deficit of 51.

Australia's second innings began badly. And proceeded to get worse.

David Warner (5) and Shaun Marsh (3) chopped expansive drives onto their own stumps. Michael Clarke (1) prodded a checked drive onto his. Ed Cowan (8) offered no shot to a delivery pitching on middle stump.

At 4/27 comparisons to the recent carnage of Cape Town were inevitable.

A comparable ignominy was spared by a match-saving partnership between Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.

Both looked primed from the off: stealing singles, turning ones into twos and extending robust defensive pushes into elegant drives. It was as if both men's recent travails had not taken place and the 40,000 inside the MCG had been transported back to the mid-2000s with a partnership of purpose and presence.

That nostalgic bubble was burst when Ponting fell for 60, caught in the gully thanks to Khan's left-arm slanters, ending his 115-run stand with Hussey and his chance of a first Test century in two years.

The former skipper's dismissal prompted another flurry of wickets. Brad Haddin (6) was next to go and if the Australian selectors have the bit between their teeth Haddin should also be the next to go out of the side. Considering the nature of his dismissals and his dismal batting average he would need to be an expert gloveman to warrant continued selection in a rebuilding side.

Peter Siddle nudged six but Nathan Lyon failed to trouble the scorers as wickets continued to tumble in the fading evening light. Hussey eventually found a stable ally in James Pattinson and that pair remain at the crease, Hussey on 79, Pattinson three, as Australia searches to extend its lead into match-winning territory.

Day four promises to be a ripper. It is likely a result will be forced, probably late in the day. The closer to 300 Australia can stretch its lead the firmer favourites they deserve to be. Should India knock over Australia's tail in quick time on Thursday morning there is every chance Sehwag could chase down the deficit alone by tea.

The cricket on show might not always be of the highest quality, but this is an engrossing contest nevertheless. With two such capricious sides involved there is every chance there might be a few more ridiculous days to enjoy this summer.