In what was nothing short of a riveting display of Test match cricket, a struggling Team India managed to get past the “follow on” mark of 246, again on a rain-curtailed day 4 of IND vs AUS, 3rd Test. The stars of the day for the visiting side were KL Rahul (84) and Ravindra Jadeja (77), who missed out on deserved 100s but nonetheless took India to a respectable total of 252/9 at stumps.
Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep Shine
Apart from the fifties from these two players—No. 10 & No. 11 — Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep ensured India strung an unbeaten partnership of 39 for the last wicket to frustrate Josh Hazlewood-less Australia. The highlight of the innings came when Bumrah pulled Pat Cummins for a six-over mid-wicket, despite being in full flow.
But despite the major amends, the day still belonged to “rain.” A sizeable amount of the first and second sessions were lost in the day due to rain. Aussies could not have a full tilt bowling at Indian batters at any point in time. And every time they came on the park, batting had become relatively easier since the ball had lost its zing.
Josh Hazlewood Injured
Having said that, a man down, Cummins rotated his bowlers well, with him returning with figures of 4/80, and Mitchell Starc with figures of 3/83. Nathan Lyon bowled 21 overs in the day and could only manage 1/54 for his efforts. With just the last day of IND vs AUS, 3rd Test remaining, and the hosts having to bat again, when the last Indian wicket falls, there is only one possible outcome of the match: a draw.
Meanwhile, the day started with a massive blooper for the home side. Centurion Steve Smith dropped KL Rahul, even before he reached his fifty. But he more than made up for the loss, as he completed an excellent reflex catch from the bowling of Nathan Lyon. Nitish Kumar Reddy looked set for another big one — scored 16 from 61 — but his innings was cut short by Starc’s brilliance.
Rohit Sharma was poor as usual, as he could only add 11 runs to his score. Once again, he fiddled with a delivery outside off and was caught without any hesitance for Alex Carey. With repeated failures as a skipper and a batter, his calls for retirement are only growing stronger.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
LSG vs PBKS, IPL 2025: Clinical PBKS storm to second successive win at LSG's expense
Top Stories
