1. Defensive Offence?
What an odd tactic we witnessed today - so simple, so frustrating, so horribly negative yet simultaneously positive, so... annoyingly brilliant.

With Simon Katich and Mike Hussey grafting away in a crucial partnership and looking to rev up the run rate in pursuit of India's total, MS Dhoni left one fielder at mid on, put the other eight on the off side and instructed Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan to bowl wide of off stump.

The result was 20 runs from 14 overs that included nine maidens as Katich and Hussey found themselves in a helpless situation.

India's approach could have been labelled as defensive and a poor example of cricket ethics were it not for the context within which they were employed. Because Australia are chasing the series and must win here to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Dhoni was simply challenging just how much they wanted it.

Neither batsman blinked - aside from a single delivery when Hussey attempted to pull one from just outside off - and in the end it was Zaheer's first straight ball of the day that trapped Katich lbw.

It can not be claimed that the wicket was a direct consequence of the tactics - it's not as if he was out swiping at a wide delivery - but the slow scoring set the tone for the day and Australia struggled from there on, ensuring that Dhoni's idea bore fruit.

2. Katich Vents
The frustration which India's approach built up was clear and Katich - who seemed to say something to umpire Aleem Dar as he left the field - was a seething bundle of aggravation when he faced up to the media at the end of the day.

When an Indian journalist attempted to pin the 'negative' badge on Australia for their slow run rate, Katich's crazed reply was: "You're kidding me, aren't you? You obviously don't understand the game."

Indeed he seemed so bitter that it was easy to forget he had just scored a hundred that will keep him in the side for some time to come. "My partnership with Huss was quite special," he said of the positives to come out of today. "We obviously grew up playing a lot of cricket together so that was very enjoyable."

It was impressive that his annoyance had lasted almost six hours, but it was also a product of his inability to ride out those defensive exchanges - he admitted that he and Hussey were waiting for the fast bowlers to tire but that "when you don't follow through with that it never looks good".

3. Gilly, Oh Gilly, Where Art Thou?
After Katich fell, Hussey managed to crack on as no more wickets were lost in the first session, but Australia never really recovered from losing the opener.

When Michael Clarke departed after lunch their hole was very deep indeed because it was impossible to see who could score the quick runs they needed. Having failed to bowl India out twice at any point in the series they knew a long time would be required to accomplish that task here, especially with Brett Lee fighting a virus.

Perhaps it's a cheap shot, but how they would have longed for Adam Gilchrist to be on his way to the crease at 265 for five and the run rate never having risen above 2 per over for the day. Brad Haddin did a manful job, but his 28 came from 80 deliveries and he never threatened to take the game in a different direction.

Similarly Cameron White and Jason Krejza can both bat a bit but neither was going to give Australia the shot in the arm that they required. Instead the day festered ever on and consequently the momentum continued to swing towards the home side.

4. Good Enough, But...
While it was India's day and they remain in charge of this match, it was a far from a perfect performance.

In just the second over of the day Rahul Dravid put down a sitter at first slip when Katich was still on 94 and later VVS Laxman dropped Mitchell Johnson in the slip cordon moments after the Aussie's arrival at the crease.

There were also some questionable field placements from Dhoni when the Australian tail were in - four men were back on the boundary in Harbhajan's first over to the new man Johnson despite Bhajji looking dangerous. That would have been fair enough later on - indeed Johnson was caught in the deep to end Australia's innings - but when Johnson had faced just three deliveries this defensive field seemed a bit premature.

Meanwhile, the element of surprise has disappeared from Amit Mishra's arsenal and he has been exposed for the inexperienced bowler that he is. He has fantastic potential, of course, but a good example of where he's at is his top spinner - he gets a great pop off the pitch with the delivery, but even from the stands you can see it coming because his whole action changes. Greater disguise is required.

5. The Task Ahead
This Test series is now India's to lose. Dhoni made it patently obvious today that he's not overly concerned about winning this match, so presumably his side will now bat for as long as they possibly can.

Not once in this series have Australia looked capable of bowling India out in their second innings, and they now need to do so within four sessions to give their batsmen a long shot at what would be a remarkable victory.

That seems beyond them, even more so now that it's clear Brett Lee will not be firing on all cylinders despite enjoying a virtual rest day.

So once again the responsibility falls on Jason Krejza. It must be noted that after his eight wickets in the first innings he currently stands as the second highest wicket-taker by Australia on this tour, yet who would have expected Australia's last shot at a series result to come down to a man few had heard of before his inclusion in the touring squad?

Tristan Holme