A courageous and injury-wracked India pulled off a exceptional draw in a tense third Test against Australia Monday as they survived against the hosts’ considerably-vaunted bowling attack to take the series into a decider. They resumed day 5 at 98-2, needing a additional 309 runs following becoming set a substantial 407 to win when Australia declared their second innings at tea Sunday on 312 for six.
No group had ever bettered 288 to clinch victory in the fourth innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with Australia reaching that mark against South Africa in 2006.
But India gave it a enormous go, passing 288 in the final session to fray the nerves of Australian group throwing every thing they had at them.
The guests abandoned any hope of victory but they bravely clung on for the draw with Hanuma Vihari, nursing a hamstring injury, surviving 161 balls for just 23 runs and Ravi Ashwin, who had remedy on his ribs, producing 39.
They steered India to 334 for 5 at the close, 73 runs adrift.
Their resistance was constructed on the back of an explosive 97 from Rishabh Pant and a generally gritty 77 from Cheteshwar Pujara, who passed 6,000 Test runs, but also helped by wicketkeeper Tim Paine dropping 3 catches.
It culminated an absorbing Test marked by some higher top quality batting, led by Steve Smith’s 131 and Pant’s 97, and razor-sharp fielding.
But it will also be remembered for allegations India have been racially abused by sections of the Sydney Cricket Ground crowd, with investigations underway and hard action promised against any person at fault.
After Australia won the very first Test in Adelaide by eight wickets then India bounced back in Melbourne by the very same margin, the series now heads to Brisbane later this week for the final chapter.
It will be a depleted India once again at the Gabba, with rapid bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav and batsmen KL Rahul out injured and query marks more than all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who dislocated his thumb in Sydney.
– Twenty20-style –
Australia removed openers Shubman Gill for 31 and Rohit Sharma for 52 prior to stumps on day 4, and when Nathan Lyon accounted for captain Ajinkya Rahane devoid of adding to his overnight 4 in Monday’s second more than the finish appeared nigh.
But Pant, who took a nasty blow to his elbow whilst batting in the very first innings and did not hold wicket on Sunday, surprisingly came in at quantity 5 ahead of Vihari and developed some fireworks.
He came to the wicket with no strapping on his hurt elbow and, following settling in and surviving a missed catch by Tim Paine on 3, started to hit out, smacking a 4 and a six off Lyon on consecutive balls.
Batting in Twenty20-style, he then clobbered two more sixes in a row off Lyon prior to bringing up his third Test 50 off just 64 balls.
Paine dropped him once again on 56, each instances off Lyon.
He kept the scoreboard ticking more than following lunch and a third Test century looked imminent only for the 23-year-old to throw his bat a single time as well numerous, caught by Pat Cummins off Lyon.
His wicket shattered a 148-run partnership with Pujara, who resumed the day on nine and gradually reached a second consecutive 50.
In the procedure he brought up 6,000 profession runs, the 11th Indian to obtain the feat, prior to becoming bowled by Josh Hazlewood.
That left Vihari and Ashwin to climate the storm and pull off an unlikely draw, so exhausted that they gave up operating involving the wicket at the finish.
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