AUS vs IND, 3rd Test, Day 4: KL Rahul's 84 and Ravindra Jadeja's 77 help India avoid follow on. India trail by 193 runs at the stumps on Day 3.
Brief Score: IND 252/9 (KL Rahul 84, R Jadeja 77, P Cummins 4/80) trail AUS 445 (Travis Head 152, Steven Smith 101, Jasprit Bumrah 6/76) by 193 runs.
The fourth day of the ongoing third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test turned out to be a memorable one as Team India narrowly escaped the follow-on. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with half-centuries to help the visitors reach 252/9 at stumps on Day 4. The duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep put up an unbeaten 39-run partnership in the end to take India to 246, thus avoiding the follow-on. For Australia, skipper Pat Cummins took four wickets, while Mitchell Starc claimed three.
Talking Point: Disappointing outings continue for Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma's poor run of form continued as the India captain failed to impress with the bat on Day 4 of the Gabba Test. Batting at number six, Rohit appeared uncertain throughout his innings, struggling against Australia's pace attack. He faced significant difficulty handling the swinging deliveries and, ultimately, was dismissed by Pat Cummins, who got him out with a beauty around the fourth stump line.
This was Rohit Sharma's third consecutive low score in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The India skipper, who missed the first Test, had a miserable game in the Adelaide Test, managing only nine runs across two innings. It has now been nine innings since Sharma has made a significant contribution with the bat this season. It is imperative for him to reassess his technique, particularly as he has frequently been dismissed by deliveries outside the off-stump. Additionally, coming down the order and not being able to make the most of the old ball is even more concerning.
Read More: AUS vs IND, 3rd Test, Day 3: In response to Australia's 445, India reduced to 51-4 on stop-start day
Steven Smith’s blinder highlight morning session, India reach 167/6
Resuming at 51/4, India lost skipper Rohit Sharma (10) early, but KL Rahul's fighting fifty provided much-needed stability. Rahul survived a first-ball drop by Steven Smith off Pat Cummins but was later dismissed by Nathan Lyon, with Smith redeeming himself with a sharp one-handed catch at first slip. This catch helped Australia break the 67-run stand between Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, dismissing the dangerous Rahul for 84. Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy continued the fightback, taking India to 167/6 at lunch. India were now 79 runs away from avoiding the follow-on.
Ravindra Jadeja’s fifty led India's bid to avoid follow-on
Rain stayed away for much of the first session but wreaked havoc in the second, eventually forcing an early Tea with India at 201/7, 45 runs away from avoiding the follow-on. It was a rain-truncated session, with India managing 34 runs for the loss of one wicket in 13.2 overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy seemed to have shut the door on Australia after play resumed following the rain delay. The duo looked untroubled against Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, but Aussie skipper Pat Cummins brought himself on and dismissed his SRH teammate, Reddy.
India avoid follow-on; Bumrah, Deep frustrate Australia
After bad light forced early stumps on Day 4, India's score read 252/9, with the visitors trailing by 193 runs. The final hour went completely in favour of India, who were all smiles after a valiant effort from Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep. India were nine down when Bumrah (10*) and Deep (27*) joined hands and brilliantly tackled Australia’s bowling attack. The duo put on an unbeaten 39-run stand to extend India's fight. Akash smashed a stunning boundary against Pat Cummins to get the dressing room on their feet as they successfully avoided the follow-on.
Statistical highlights from Australia vs India, 3rd Test, Day 4
KL Rahul registered his 25th fifty-plus Test score, his third such score in Australia.
Pat Cummins dismissed Rohit Sharma for the sixth time in Tests.
India lost their first five wickets below 100 for the sixth time in 2024. All these instances have occurred since the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand in October.
Rohit Sharma has no first innings 50+ score in the seven Tests he has played so far in 2024-25 season, starting from Chennai Test against Bangladesh.
The sixth wicket stand of 67 runs between KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja was the second-highest for this wicket for India in BGT 2024-25.
Ravindra Jadeja registered his 26th fifty-plus Test score, his sixth against Australia and third in Australia.
KL Rahul now has the second-most runs (231) in BGT 2024-25, after Travis Head (392).
What’s next
With India chasing a draw, Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep will look to collect as many runs as they can, while Australia will aim to bowl the visitors out soon. Speaking of the weather forecast, the probability of precipitation is as high as 90 percent, with a 54 percent chance of thunderstorms on Day 5.
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