Melbourne, Dec 30 (NationPress) Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant batted together for 27.5 overs, forming a determined and unbroken partnership of 79 runs, which has kept India in the hunt for 340 runs against Australia on the last day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
As they reached tea, India stood at 112/3 after 54 overs, with Jaiswal not out on 63 from 159 balls, marking his second fifty of the match with a combination of aggressive strokes and solid defense. Pant, on the other hand, remained unbeaten at 28 off 93 deliveries, demonstrating remarkable composure.
The efforts of this duo have put India in a strong position to potentially secure a draw in the Melbourne Test, especially with the second new ball only 26 overs away. The session after lunch commenced with Jaiswal executing consecutive controlled cut shots against Scott Boland, followed by another similar shot in Boland's next over for four runs.
Pant also took his chances against Boland, swiping across the line for a boundary, while Jaiswal slashed Mitchell Starc for another four. Shortly after, a delivery from Starc struck Jaiswal on the back pad, prompting a review from Australia, but the umpire's call favored the batter, showing that the ball had only clipped the top of leg-stump.
With the old ball deteriorating and Australia's bowlers showing signs of fatigue, both Jaiswal and Pant focused on accumulating runs while remaining patient at the crease. Jaiswal achieved his second half-century of the match with a charming flick off Nathan Lyon, marking his seventh four of the innings.
Pant, having received criticism for his first-innings dismissal, played cautiously, defending and leaving deliveries, before flicking Starc to fine leg for another four. The duo then walked off for tea after an impressive session of rearguard batting for India.
Brief Scores: Australia 474 and 234 in 83.4 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 70, Nathan Lyon 41; Jasprit Bumrah 5-57, Mohammed Siraj 3-70) lead India 369 and 112/3 in 54 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 63 not out, Rishabh Pant 28 not out; Pat Cummins 2-19, Mitchell Starc 1-24) by 228 runs
