A double blow from Sachin Tendulkar saw Australia collapse to 112-5 at tea.
Tendulkar picked up the prize wickets of Damien Martyn and Steve Waugh, who played his last innings at the Adelaide as the Aussies extended their lead to 145.
Both the batsmen were dismissed in similar fashion edging Tendulkar to Rahul Dravid at first slip.
Waugh scored 42 in his farewell innings at the oval and Martyn was out for 38.
Earlier in the session, Ashish Nehra had Matthew Hayden caught in the covers for 17.
With the wicket turning on the fourth day's play, the possibility of the Test ending in a draw seems improbable.