India denied Australia a place in history today after the tourists clinched a thrilling victory in the third Test at the Waca in Perth.

Ricky Ponting's men fell just 73 runs short of a victory target of 413 that would have brought their 17th consecutive Test win - beating their own record, first set by the side captained by Steve Waugh.

As it was the hosts were bowled out for 340, but for a while it looked as though the plucky resistance of the Australia tail might just bring about the unlikeliest of victories.

Reeling at 243 for seven at tea and still requiring 170 for victory, the Australians came out for the final session refusing to believe than an apparently impossible task was beyond them and a spirited unbeaten half-century from Mitchell Johnson - his first Test 50 - made sure the tourists were made to work for the win.

Stuart Clark, batting at ten, also enjoyed a late cameo, hitting 32 from just 35 deliveries before becoming Irfan Pathan's third victim of the innings.

Ponting, disappointed that the winning run, stretching back to after the Trent Bridge Ashes Test in 2005, was over, said perhaps it had been a mistake to go into the match with an all-seam attack.

"We probably misread the conditions leading into this game a bit," he said. "Anyone who got out and had a look at the wicket leading up to the game might have thought it might have had a lot more pace and bounce in it than we did.

"We picked a team that we thought could win."

He announced Australia had stuck with the same 12 originally chosen for Perth, with late inclusion Chris Rogers making way for Hayden after a modest Test debut.

"I think it's pretty likely he'll play," Ponting said of Hayden. "He's had a week and a half up his belt, so I'm pretty sure he'll be right for Adelaide," he said.

"He's one of the all-time great opening batsmen that's ever played the game, we missed him and hopefully he can come back to Adelaide for us and make some runs down there."

Michael Clarke earlier struck a steady 81 to bring the hosts within range of their target, but he fell early in the final session, leaving the tail to put on a defiant rearguard action.

India trail the four-match series 2-1 heading into the final Test in Adelaide which begins on January 24.

Having taken the prized scalp of captain Ricky Ponting in the morning session, the tourists turned the screw in the second with part-time spinner Virender Sehwag taking two wickets, including that of the dangerous Adam Gilchrist.

Resuming on an overnight score of 65 for two, Ponting survived two leg before wicket appeals by Ishant Sharma, but the bowler finally got his man when the Tasmanian pushed forward and offered an edge that Rahul Dravid gleefully accepted at first slip to depart for 45.

Michael Hussey was dismissed lbw shortly after lunch for 46 when RP Singh drifted a delivery back into the left-hander, who was caught on the crease.

Andrew Symonds joined Clarke in the middle but his stay was cut short when a quicker, flatter delivery from Kumble hurried onto him and struck him on the pad.

That leg-before decision left the hosts on 177 for five and Gilchrist and Clarke took the score to beyond 200 before the former was bowled round the legs by Sehwag for 15.

Sehwag then accounted for Brett Lee who edged to VVS Laxman at silly point without troubling the scorers. Clarke was joined in the middle by Johnson, the pair making it through to tea unscathed.

But when play resumed the all-rounder was able to add just eight runs post tea as he was stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni from Kumble's teasing delivery after straying too far down the pitch.

The expected Australia collapse did not follow, however, with Clark joining Johnson at the crease for a fine ninth-wicket stand of 69 before the former caught an outside edge from Pathan and Dhoni took the catch.

Johnson went on to make a brilliant 50, which included five fours and two sixes, but he was left finally came to an end when last man Shaun Tait was clean bowled by Singh for four runs, triggering scenes of jubilation among the India players.