The 'Little Master' has threatened to produce a long-awaited innings of substance and 44,901 Sydneysiders here to celebrate home-town hero Waugh's 168th and last Test match were treated to Tendulkar's overdue return to form.

Following on from another explosive innings of 72 by freewheeling opener Virender Sehwag, Tendulkar carried on the momentum to have the Indians in a healthy position as they chase a first-ever series win in Australia.

At stumps on the opening day, India after winning the toss were 284 for three with Tendulkar unbeaten on 73 with V.V.S. Laxman not out 29.

Tendulkar took time to get into his scoring stride, his 37th Test half-century coming off 100 balls, but by the close he had worked himself and his team into early command.

He had batted for 202 minutes off 156 balls with 12 boundaries.

"He will make up for his failures with a huge score, he's done it in the past and he's batting tremendously well on 73 so hopefully he'll have a very big one tomorrow," said opener Akash Chopra, who played another gritty innings on Friday.

It has been a largely forgettable series for 30-year-old Tendulkar, who had scores of 0, 1, 37, 0 and 44 in the series and ended 2003 with only 153 runs in five Tests at an average of 17.

Before Tendulkar's lean spell came to an end, India looked in a little bother with the loss of their best-performed batsman Rahul Dravid for 38 -- his lowest in his last six innings of the series -- and the tourists at 194 for three.

Dravid, who scored 233 in the second Adelaide Test, took his series aggregate to 528 at 105.60, before he was leg before wicket to Australia's best bowler Jason Gillespie.

He was hit above the knee roll and New Zealand umpire Brent Bowden took a while to raise his finger ending a 66-run third wicket stand with Tendulkar.

Sehwag and Chopra compiled their second consecutive century opening stand in as many Tests to get India away to a bullish start.

Sehwag, who exhilarated with his adventurous knock of 195 in Melbourne with 25 boundaries and five sixes, looked to be heading in the same direction again before he become Gillespie's first wicket of the innings.

Gillespie broke through 13 overs after lunch when he got one to lift and leave Sehwag to be snapped up behind by Adam Gilchrist for 72.

Sehwag, who put on 123 for the first wicket with Chopra, batted for 169 minutes with 10 boundaries and a six.

Chopra had some scares in his innings of 45 before he succumbed to a pearler Brett Lee delivery three overs later.

Chopra lived by his wits early in the first hour with Lee having him caught behind off a no-ball on eight, and then next ball he was dropped by Simon Katich in a straightforward chest-high chance in the gully.

And he was almost run out on 43 the ball after Sehwag's dismissal when he called through Dravid for a single and Katich narrowly missed the wicket with a diving underhand throw four metres away.

Lee, who conceded a total of 15 no-balls for overstepping, bowled without luck in the morning and finally sent Chopra on his way with a tremendous yorker between bat and pad, leaving the tourists at 128 for two.