India battled hard for one of their most iconic draws in a Test match exactly 3 years ago. Severely depleted, India held Australia to a drawn at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the third Test which concluded on January 11, 2021.
India were blown away in the first match at the Adelaide Oval after being dismissed for 36 in their second innings. However, Ajinkya Rahane took over as India captain once Virat Kohli left Australia for the birth of his daughter and he oversaw a stunning victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Boxing Day Test.
Given how the series was placed after two Tests, the SCG contest was always going to be crucial. Australia were outright favourites after their Adelaide win but India showed they were not going to roll over and lose.
Australia won the toss, batted first and scored 338 thanks to a Steve Smith hundred and a fine 91 from Marnus Labuschagne. Ravindra Jadeja picked 4 wickets for India while Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin picked 2 apiece.