Murali Vijay MS Dhoni India
Murali Vijay, MS Dhoni and the rest of the India batsmen will need to bat out of their skins on Day 3 of the third Test against AustraliaReuters

India need someone to step up with the bat and do a Steven Smith on Day 3 of the third Test against Australia if they are to save this match and avoid going 3-0 down in the series.

Smith lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a stunning 192, and with a little help from the likes of Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris, the skipper guided Australia to a massive 530 runs in the first innings.

India somehow need to find a way to get near, and maybe even overhaul, that massive total, and Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara began the first steps towards that goal by taking the away side to 108 for one at stumps on Day 2.

Vijay and Pujara have a long way to go on Day 3, though, after India's bowlers bowled absolute rubbish on Saturday to allow Australia to cream them all over the ground.

All the discipline that was so evident on the opening day of this third Test went out of the window as the Indian bowlers bowled short and wide and all over the pitch to allow the batsmen to punish them easily enough.

"We looked to get them out early, that was the plan when we started the day," said R Ashwin, who finished with figures of 44--9-134-3. "Unfortunately Smith batted really well and they got a bit too many runs for our liking.

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"Anybody who is in such form, you hope to get some luck and get him out early. But we haven't managed to find his edge and the one we found, we put down. So, it's one of those phases. He is batting very well.

"But if you look at the game overall, this score is par for this wicket which seems pretty slow and flat. We'll take 110-odd for 1 and we'll like to pile on the runs tomorrow.

"I am no one to comment on the state of the game but if you ask me, I'll say only one thing – we will make 650 and try to put them back in."

While India have batted well in patches, they have not exactly looked capable of having the staying power to get to that big total Ashwin was talking about, and that is something that the Aussie bowlers will know as well.

The home team will be aware if they get a couple of early wickets, something India could have done on Day 2 had they bowled better, then they will have a chance of cleaning up the batting pretty quickly.

"It would have been nice to take a few more wickets this evening but if we start well in the morning by getting the ball in the right areas, we will get some rewards," said the skipper Smith, who scored his third hundred in the series and the biggest one yet.

"The wicket is still pretty good. The occasional one takes off a bit and if we maintain good lines, we will create enough chances."

India certainly could not maintain those lines consistently enough, and only Day 3 will tell if the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood, Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon can do what is required and put the pressure back on the batsmen.

Where to Watch Live

Get Day 3 Report and Score HERE

India vs Australia 3rd Test, Day 3 is srt for a 10.30 am local time (5 am IST, 12 am GMT, 7 pm ET) start with live coverage in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD1. Audience in India can also watch the action online via live streaming on Starsports.com.

Viewers in the UK can catch the match on Sky Sports 2, or live stream it on Sky Go or Watch Sky Sports. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch all the Day 3 action live on OSN or via live streaming online on OSN Play.

Watch India bat on Day 3 in Australia live on Channel 9, while the option to live stream is on Cricket Australia Live or the Cricket Australia Live App. Day three of the 3rd Test can be watched by viewers in the USA on Willow TV or live streamed on Willow TV Online.