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On Day 3 of IND vs AUS, After Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli’s unique centuries and taking three wickets for the Australian team, India has got the Perth Test in its grasp. Before Kohli’s century, Jaiswal and KL Rahul kept the Australian team yearning for wickets on the third day as well, because of which the match started slipping out of Australia’s hands.
India declared their innings at 487 for six. Captain Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets and Mohammad Siraj took one wicket for the host team, which came out to chase the target of 534 runs, and the Indian team showed the light of victory on the fourth day itself.
Exceptional batting performance by Indian batters on day 3 of IND vs AUS
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Jaiswal and Rahul, who started without losing a wicket on the third day at 172 runs, initially ensured that the pace of runs should not stop before the second new ball came. Jaiswal was playing freely. He was rampaging on bouncers and was easily cutting the good length balls of the fifth stump and getting boundaries.
Jaiswal soon reached his fourth century. But, at some stage of the game, Mitchell Starc broke Rahul’s defence and the ball took the edge of his bat and went into the keeper’s hands. Anyway, by then, the Jaiswal-Rahul pair had become the first opening Indian pair to make a partnership of 200 runs in Australia. Thereafter, Jaiswal completed a half-century together with Devdutt Padikkal.
On one hand, runs were being scored and on the other hand, the Australian players looked tired.
Captain Cummins also got Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne to bowl to give rest to the main fast bowlers, but both took good advantage of their poor line and length. However, Padikkal fell prey to Hazelwood cheaply. On the other hand, Jaiswal did not take much time to complete his 150 runs. He has four Test centuries to his name and he has scored 150 or more runs in all four. He is the second batsman in the world to do so. Besides him, former South African captain Graeme Smith has achieved this feat as well.
Jaiswal went for a favorite cut shot, being caught at backward point. After Jaiswal’s dismissal, two more Indians were lost within a short space of time – Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel. Kohli, on the other hand, started to settle at the crease. He got to his half-century without much trouble. But by the time the third session began, the pitch had changed direction.
Some of the balls were starting to stay low on the pitch, and spinner Nathan Lyon’s ball also began to take more turns than it needed to. When Nitish Kumar Reddy came to support Virat Kohli after the drinks break after Washington Sundar’s wicket fell, he started batting in his own style. On the other hand, Kohli also was looking to reach his century soon and declare the innings.
He finally completed his 30th Test century and 81st international. This was Kohli’s Test century after about 500 days. When the century was completed, India declared the innings.
About half an hour of play was still left and India wanted to take full advantage of this half an hour. The responsibility was in the hands of captain Bumrah himself and he did not disappoint and got McSweeney LBW in the very first over. Captain Cummins came as nightwatchman but he was also sent back by Siraj.
That was all well, but the game grew more difficult when in the last over of the day, Bumrah got Labuschagne LBW as well and showed India the light of victory in IND vs AUS, Perth Test on the fourth day of the match.
