Australia dominated the third Test against India at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, thanks to Nathan Lyon’s impressive eight-wicket haul that helped to bowl India out for just 163 runs in their second innings. The visitors were left with only 76 runs to win, and they were well on their way to achieving their target.
ALSO READ
Full Scorecard: India vs Australia Match Scorecard Today
Cheteshwar Pujara was the lone warrior for India, who managed to score 36* before Lyon came to the fore and wreaked havoc on the Indian batting lineup. At tea, India was at 79/4, trailing by just nine runs, with Pujara and Shreyas Iyer at the crease.
Iyer started the post-tea session aggressively, hitting a six and a boundary off Matthew Kuhnemann’s bowling. He took on the Australian bowlers, smashing Lyon for two boundaries, followed by a huge six over mid-wicket and a boundary in the next over. Pujara supported him well, and the Indian partnership looked to be flourishing.
However, Steve Smith’s captaincy proved to be a game-changer as he brought in Mitchell Starc to bowl after Kuhnemann leaked runs. Starc’s inclusion turned the match in Australia’s favor, and the hosts were unable to continue their momentum.
The visitors made a smart move by bringing in a pacer who was able to dismiss Iyer with an excellent catch by Usman Khawaja after the batter played an aerial shot towards mid-wicket. Iyer had contributed a quick 26 runs from 27 balls in a 35 run-stand with Pujara for the fifth wicket. Srikar Bharat followed cheaply with just three runs to the total, falling to Lyon’s peach delivery.
However, Pujara showed resilience and played a lone battle against the Aussie bowlers, holding up one end and bringing up his half-century. Ravichandran Ashwin also supported Pujara with a 22-run-stand for the seventh wicket, but eventually fell to Lyon for 16(28), giving the spinner his fifer in the second inning.
A remarkable catch from Steve Smith ended Pujara’s excellent knock of 59 runs. The hosts lost their last two wickets inside eight runs, and the Aussie bowlers bundled out India for 163 runs, leaving them needing 76 runs for the victory in the second innings. Nathan Lyon was the star of the show, registering his best figures in India by taking eight Indian batsmen and giving away just 64 runs.
Brief Scores:
India 1st Innings: 109/10 in 33.2 overs in 1st inns (Virat Kohli 22, Shubman Gill 21, Matthew Kuhnemann 5-16)
Australia 1st Innings: 197/10 in 76.3 overs in 1st inns (Usman Khawaja 60, Marnus Labuschagne 31, Ravindra Jadeja 4-78, Umesh Yadav 3-12, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-44);
India 2nd Innings: 163/10 (Cheteshwar Pujara 59; Nathan Lyon 8-64).
Full Match Scorecard: IND vs AUS Test 3 Day 2 Stumps
Get every cricket update! Follow us on
