Tendulkar and Dravid make Aussies toil before home side hit back in final session
Sachin sacked: Brett Lee appeals and Tendulkar is given out
Tendulkar was on 71 and looking set for a big one as India, 2-0 down in the four-match series, attempted to take control on day one of the third Test.
With the tourists cruising at 198-2 and enjoying a third wicket partnership of 139, Tendulkar was hit on the top of a pad by Aussie paceman Brett Lee. Amid huge appeals, umpire Asad Rauf duly raised his finger - but hawkeye replays appeared to show the ball was going high.
Tendulkar shook his head as he walked off and his departure saw India lose momentum as the Aussies hit back with four wickets in the final session.
By the close India were 297-6 with Australia just edging the first day.
Rahul Dravid (93) hung around after Tendulkar's dismissal and smashed 15 boundaries to get within sight of a hundred when he threw his wicket away with a reckless shot.
Lee led the Australian recovery, capturing three wickets, while left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson bagged two and spinner Andrew Symonds one.
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In control: Sachin Tendulkar hit a half-century
A crowd of around 16,000 at the WACA chanted "We want Bucknor, we want Bucknor" - a reference to the axing of record- breaking Jamaican umpire Steve Bucknor for this Test after the stormy scenes during Australia's second Test triumph in Sydney.
Other than that there was little to get excited about on a slow day particularly as, before the toss, India decided to drop Harbhajan Singh, the spinner found guilty of calling Symonds a "monkey" in Sydney.
