AUS vs IND, 1st Test, Day 3: On the back of Virat Kohli's 100 and Yashasvi Jaiswal's 161, India set 534-run target. Australia at 12-3 at the stumps on Day 2.
Brief Score: IND 150 & 487/6 dec (Yashasvi Jaiswal 161, Virat Kohli 100*, KL Rahul 77, Nathan Lyon 2/96) vs AUS 104 & 12/3 (Usman Khawaja 3*, Jasprit Bumrah 2/1)
India produced their best batting display since the New Zealand series to set Australia a daunting target of 534 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli reached their hundreds on Day 3 as India assumed control of the Test.
Jasprit Bumrah’s men then pegged the Aussies back with three quick wickets in the closing stages of the day to narrow down the equation to seven more wickets. Meanwhile, Australia need 522 runs to win with two days to go in the game.
Talking points: Kohli slams first ton since March 2023
India delayed the declaration so Virat Kohli could reach his hundred. It was Kohli’s first hundred since March 2023 when he made 183 against Australia at Ahmedabad.
The beauty of Kohli’s knock was the pace of the innings. He took his time to settle down, scoring 40 runs off the first 74 balls with two fours and a six. Resuming the Day post tea, he accelerated to help India declare quickly, ensuring a few overs to bowl at the Aussies. Kohli took just 69 balls to score his last 60 runs, with additional six fours and one six.
Overall, it was a great comeback innings from Kohli who recently faced flak for his poor returns in the New Zealand series.
Jaiswal reaches maiden ton in Australia
India began Day 3 with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul unbeaten on 90 and 62, respectively. The duo didn’t waste any time and carved a boundary each in the second over of the day, bowled by Mitchell Starc.
A few overs later, Jaiswal cracked his maiden Test ton in Australia with an uppercut off a bouncer from Josh Hazlewood. The shot resulted in a six over the keeper’s head. Unfortunately, Rahul fell in the next over to Starc, edging it behind to the slips. He departed for a well-made 77 off 176 balls with five fours. The openers posted a stand of 201 runs.
With the landmark-pressure off, Jaiswal was in his free-flowing style, cracking boundaries as Devdutt Padikkal took his time to settle down. The two negotiated the session, taking India to lunch without any further damage. Jaiswal remained unbeaten on 141, while Padikkal was on 18.
Read More: AUS vs IND, 1st Test, Day 2: Jaiswal, Rahul put up 172* opening stand; India 218 ahead at stumps
India build on their lead
India were strongly placed at 275/1 with a lead of 321 when they resumed batting after lunch. They lost Devdutt Padikkal on the first ball, edging Hazlewood’s delivery behind to Steven Smith. Virat Kohli was the next man in.
At the other end, Jaiswal continued his natural game, reaching another score of 150. However, he fell soon thereafter, smashing a short ball straight to the point fielder after a well-made 161 off 297 balls with 15 fours and three sixes.
Rishabh Pant didn’t last long as he was stumped for 1 off Lyon’s bowling. Dhruv Jurel fell for 1 as well, LBW off Pat Cummins. India had a lead of 380 runs when Washington Sundar joined Kohli in the middle. The two took India to tea without any further damage.
Quick runs and 3 scalps round up India’s day
India started the final session with Virat Kohli batting on 40* off 74 balls. India were 359/5 with an impressive lead of 405 in the bag. The visitors came out looking to score quickly and declare the innings to have a crack at the Aussies.
Washington Sundar fell quickly, bowled by Nathan Lyon for 29. It brought Nitish Kumar Reddy into the middle. The all-rounder showed good intent right away to score runs quickly. He dispatched the seventh ball he faced for a six over square leg. In the next over, Reddy smashed three consecutive fours off Marsh.
Kohli too joined the party, hitting one of Lyon’s deliveries straight over the bowler’s head for a six. He raced to his 90s in quick time and didn’t take long to reach his ton, sweeping a delivery from Marnus Labuschagne for a four.
The last 60 runs came in just 69 balls for Kohli while India scored 128 runs in 24.3 overs in the last session. They ultimately declared the innings after Kohli’s century, setting the Aussies a mammoth target of 534.
Jasprit Bumrah came out all guns blazing to dismiss Nathan McSweeney for a four-ball duck (LBW). Aussie skipper Cummins then walked out as a night-watchman. The move didn’t go as per plan as Cummins edged one to the slips. He was dismissed for 2 by Mohammed Siraj.
Bumrah then got Labuschagne out LBW after the batter offered no stroke to an incoming delivery. It turned out to be the last ball of the day as the hosts were left reeling at 12/3.
Read More: BGT 2024-25, AUS vs IND, 1st Test, Day 1: Bumrah reduces Australia to 67-7 after India fold for 150
Statistical Highlights from Australia vs India, Perth Test, Day 3
Jaiswal and Rahul registered the highest opening partnership (201) for India against Australia in Australia.
Jaiswal became the 19th India player to score a duck and a hundred in the same match. He is the fourth India player to do it in Australia.
For India players below 23, Jaiswal has the joint third-most hundreds (4) along with Sunil Gavaskar and Vinod Kambli. Sachin Tendulkar had the most (8) followed by Ravi Shastri (5).
Jaiswal (161) now has the highest Test score for an India batter in Perth (including WACA Ground & Perth Stadium). Earlier, Gavaskar had scored 127 at WACA Ground in 1977.
Jaiswal and Rahul’s opening stand lasted 63 overs. This is the second-longest stand in terms of balls faced for India's opening pairs in Tests outside Asia. The longest opening stand for India outside Asia is between Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal against West Indies in Roseau in 2023 (229 runs in 75.4 overs).
Rishabh Pant was stumped for the second time in his Test career. The first was against England in Chennai in 2021.
Virat Kohli (10) has surpassed Jack Hobbs (9) to register the most international hundreds for an opposition player in Australia.
The target India set Australia (534) is the highest the former have set for the latter in Australia. The previous highest was 443 set in Sydney in 2004.
What’s next
With the pitch offering uneven bounce, it would be a tough job for the Aussies to prevent a loss. India bowlers, led by Bumrah, have their tails up with a victory in sight. India need seven wickets to register a memorable win, while Australia need 522 runs to post an unlikely victory.
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