Australia's recovery from the "one hour of chaos" that sank their second Test hopes against India delighted head coach Andrew McDonald.

The tourists lost their first two red-ball games to the hosts, including a dramatic batting collapse in Delhi that cost them the chance of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

But they recovered to seize victory in the third Test in Indore, thanks to Nathan Lyon's record-breaking spell with ball-in-hand - which saw him become the highest wicket-taker in Tests between Australia and India - during their nine-wicket triumph, one which saw them qualify for the World Test Championship final.

That bounce-back has impressed McDonald, especially after losing six wickets of their own for just 11 runs during the first innings, with the coach thrilled by their resolve.

"You have almost got to be near perfect against India in India," he said. "I think this game besides that 6 for 11 was near perfect.

"We had a little bit of luck [but] we took our opportunities as well. You compare that to the Delhi game. We had one hour of chaos there and that cost us that Test match when we'd played pretty good cricket."

"We came here and doubled down on what we'd set out to achieve at the start of the tour. So on the back of Delhi, it was 'how clear are we going to be in what we need to do next'".

On Lyon's second-innnings 8-64, McDonald added: "We go out there and Nathan Lyon as the experienced spinner delivers one of his best performances. It always takes an individual to do something special to get the team back on track, no doubt about that."

Australia will have the chance to tie the series when they meet India in their final red-ball game in Ahmedabad, starting on Thursday.