Virat Kohli stands between Australia and a World Test Championship title, after India went to stumps on day four of the final at 3-164 in pursuit of 444 for victory.
Asked to pull off a world-record chase when Australia declared their second innings closed at 8-270, India scored at a rapid rate on a sun-baked Saturday afternoon at The Oval to set up a big final day.
Kohli will start Sunday not out on 44, with Ajinkya Rahane alongside him on 20 and 280 more needed to pull off the highest successful chase in Test history and grab the global crown.
At one stage, India threatened to take the upper hand into day five, when Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara were rattling along after tea to take the score to 1-92.
However back-to-back wickets for Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins to remove the pair inched Australia back in front.
The day was not without drama, with Cameron Green claiming a brilliant diving catch low to his left in the gully off Scott Boland to remove opener Shubman Gill for 18.
Gill remained at the wicket and the decision was reviewed to the third umpire, before Richard Kettleborough determined Green had his hand under the ball and gave it out.
Sharma was visibly frustrated, while Gill took to twitter after to play with a magnifying glass and face palm emoji along with a still frame of the catch.
The decision was immediately met with chants of "cheat" by the India-strong crowd.
“At the time I definitely thought I caught it. In the heat of the moment I thought it was clean," Green said.
“It was left up to the third umpire and he agreed."
It came after Boland (1-38) was handed the new ball ahead of Mitchell Starc, in the Victorian's pursuit of selection for the first Ashes Test.
It marked only the second time Starc has not opened, and instead bowled first-change for Australia, since 2015.
The left-armer was then Australia's most expensive, going for 0-45 from his seven overs.
He was hooked for six by Sharma off the second ball he bowled, as one of eight boundaries in total.
Starc was not the only one to cop treatment off Sharma, who made 34 of his 43 runs in boundaries before Lyon got the crucial breakthrough.
Brought into the attack, the offspinner had one go straight on and trap the sweeping Sharma on the pads in front of the stumps.
Australia looked to have one hand on the trophy in the next over when Cummins had Pujara caught behind trying to uppercut him.
But Kohli looked in good touch, using his feet well to Lyon and punching the ball down the ground off the quicks, amassing seven crisp boundaries.
"We have to be patient," Green said.
"With the Indian crowd they get you up and about and they make you think that you're behind the game when you might not be.
"It'll be crucial as it was today to keep our nerve and know that with one or two wickets we're back on top."
Earlier, Alex Carey's 66no gave Australia the chance to set a target beyond the record chase of 418 after they lost Marnus Labuschagne for 41 in the third over of the day.
Supported by Green (25) and Starc (41), Carey put away the reverse sweep and did not play it once after he has been out attempting it four times this year.
