Tempers have flared between India and Australia at the MCG, where the tourists reached 3-336 at tea on day three of the Boxing Day Test.

Responding to Australia’s first-innings total of 530, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane both celebrated tons and showed the fight their teammates were sorely lacking in the field.

The fightback wasn’t without some slices of luck.

Australia dropped two catches during Sunday’s heated second session, while Kohli almost dropped his bundle after a run-in with Mitchell Johnson.

Attempting a run-out after Kohli had defended the second new ball back to him, paceman Johnson’s throw struck the batsman on the leg.

Kohli hit the ground, prompting the fiery left-armer to immediately apologise.

It looked to be cordial enough until the end of the over, when umpires stepped in to end a slanging match between the pair.

Kohli, who was fined for his role in an altercation which came between his two centuries at Adelaide Oval during the first Test, was furious and clearly rattled.

At the start of Johnson’s next over, he provided an edge that Shane Watson dropped at first slip.

An attempted pull shot off a Johnson bouncer then resulted in a skied edge, with a diving Brad Haddin falling short of the ball.

Kohli was on 88 both times.

The right-hander regained his composure to reach triple figures in the second last over before tea, striking yet another classy cover drive off Nathan Lyon.

Rahane made the most of an incredible reprieve on 70 to post his third Test century of the year and first against Australia.

In the final over before the second new ball was taken when India were 3-275, Rahane popped a dolly back to offspinner Lyon.

“That was the easiest caught and bowled we’ve seen in a long time because it was a mis-hit,” Bill Lawry said in the Nine commentary box.

“A 10-year-old could have caught that.”

The tourists need a win in Melbourne to keep alive the four-Test series, an unlikely prospect.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay both fell to loose strokes before Sunday’s first drinks break.

India resumed at 1-108, with Pujara out for 25 when he edged the second ball of day three.

The 37-year-old Haddin flung himself to the right and was almost horizontal when the ball somehow stuck in the webbing of his outstretched right glove.

It was all the sweeter for Haddin given he dropped a far more regulation edge on day two when Pujara was on 12.