Sachin Tendulkar was finally in the runs with an unbeaten 73 as the Indians made full use of winning the toss to be in a good position to bat themselves into an unbeatable situation by stumps on Saturday.

But memories are still fresh of India's collapse in the third Melbourne Test when they collapsed from 329 for four after the first day to be all out for 366, losing their last six wickets for 16.

Australians then made India pay by posting a 192-run innings lead to ram home victory and level the series coming into Steve Waugh's 168th and final Test in Sydney.

Buchanan was hinting at another recovery on Saturday's second day as Australia try to prevent the Indians from holding on to the Border Gavaskar Trophy with either a win or a draw in the fourth Test.

"It's a little bit of a carbon-copy of the Boxing Day Test match where India were four for 320-odd at the end of the first day," he said after Friday's play.

"We offered a few chances we had given their batsmen a few opportunities to capitalise on that and we turned that around the next day and that's what we'll be looking to do tomorrow.

"We need to use the (second) new ball reasonably well tomorrow morning."

Buchanan conceded Australia were not living up to their usual high catching standards with another catch going down at a crucial time early in the Indian innings on Friday.

Simon Katich put down an easy chest-high chance in the gully when opener Akash Chopra was on eight off Brett Lee and India were 18 without loss. Chopra went on to make 45.

Australia have fumbled more catches than India in this series, with observers counting around 12 dropped chances for a side that prides itself on its fielding prowess.

"I thought we created opportunities but some of those just didn't come our way and one or two we put down and we missed a couple of run outs, so hopefully tomorrow those things, like Melbourne, will turn around and we'll make those chances and those run outs," Buchanan said.

"We haven't probably fielded our best today and didn't field our best in the Boxing Day Test match and there have been other instances, but a few sessions or a few days don't necessarily make a lifetime and we still have got some very good fielders out there.

"I don't think it's an ageing question or an endemic question, it's been in parts a fielding effort that we all know we would like to improve ... while it may not be totally up to our so-called normal standard I'm not here wielding a big stick.

"Hopefully, we'll see our fielding improve through the course of this Test match."