A battered and bruised India lineup survived the full fifth day to force a draw in the third cricket Test against Australia and leave the series hinging on the final Test in Brisbane.

Will Pucovski set the tone with a flourishing 62 on debut and Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith took over as Australia’s batting lineup finally clicked against India, reaching 166-2 on a rain-interrupted opening day of the third Test.

The series is tied at the halfway point. Australia and India have been surpassed by New Zealand atop the Test Cricket rankings.

India completed a stunning form reversal on Tuesday by claiming a memorable eight-wicket win over Australia on the fourth day of the second cricket test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The relentless pace bowling of Australians Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins dismissed India for its lowest-ever score of 36 runs in a test innings as the home team recorded a thumping eight-wicket victory with more than two days to spare in the first cricket test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.