3rd Test: India at 8/0 in Pursuit of 275 as Poor Light Halts Play for Tea
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Brisbane, Dec 18 (NationPress) Poor light led to an early tea break on day five of the third Test at the Gabba, as India reached eight runs for no loss in just 2.1 overs while targeting a total of 275 runs. Earlier, Australia declared their second innings at 89/7 in 18 overs, setting a substantial target for India.
KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both unbeaten on four runs each, faced 13 deliveries before the poor light necessitated players leaving the field, leading to the tea break. If rain and thunderstorms do not interfere, the scene is set for an exhilarating conclusion to the match, thanks to a lively session of Test cricket.
After establishing a lead of 185 runs, Australia had an eventful second innings lasting 18 overs. They adopted an aggressive approach to accumulate runs quickly but were dismissed in rapid succession by India's pace attack. With a sizeable lead, Australia deemed 274 runs sufficient for declaration, aided by contributions from Travis Head, Alex Carey, and Pat Cummins.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets, elevating his match tally to nine. This performance also elevated Bumrah's total wickets in Australia to 53, a new record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in Tests in this country, surpassing Kapil Dev's previous record of 51.
Bumrah received commendable support from Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, who each claimed two wickets. Bumrah secured the first breakthrough with a delivery that moved inward, catching the inside edge of birthday boy Usman Khawaja, dislodging the bails. He returned to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne, who nicked a shot behind to Rishabh Pant.
Akash struck next, as Nathan McSweeney edged an outside off-stump delivery to Pant. Mitchell Marsh's elevation to number four was ineffective, as Akash caught his outside edge, resulting in another catch for Pant.
Siraj managed to have Steve Smith caught down the leg side, with Pant executing a stunning diving catch. Head and Carey hit quick boundaries, but Head’s aggressive attempt resulted in a top-edge caught by Pant, marking his fifth catch of the innings. This also marked the fourth occasion of Pant taking five or more catches in a Test innings, equaling the record for any Indian keeper in Tests alongside MS Dhoni.
Cummins had an entertaining spell, hitting a four and a six off Akash and replicating the feat against Siraj, before being deceived by a slower delivery from Bumrah, resulting in a catch at cover for 22 off just 10 deliveries. Just five balls after his dismissal, Cummins called back the batters to declare Australia’s innings, setting the stage for a thrilling finish to this rain-affected Test match.
Brief scores: Australia 445 and 89/7 dec (Pat Cummins 22, Alex Carey 20 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 3-18, Akash Deep 2-28) lead India 260 (KL Rahul 84, Ravindra Jadeja 77; Pat Cummins 4-81, Mitchell Starc 3-83) and 8/0 in 2.1 overs by 267 runs
