KEY MOMENTS
A summary of the exciting penultimate day’s play in the third Test between India and Australia at Ranchi:
TWO WICKETLESS SESSIONS
The Ranchi pitch is probably one of the slowest in India right now but it still requires discipline and skill to not concede a wicket over two sessions. Australia threw everything at India. The pacers tried bouncers, deliveries that reversed, and even change of pace, while the spinners toiled away, bowling a testing line. Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha wore them down to not only score but also frustrate the Australians to an extent they took two desperate reviews and failed.
199RUN STAND
Pujara and Saha are not naturally blessed with strokes. So the partnership was going to be more about the time they spend than runs. Still, they added 199 runs for the seventh wicket to put Australia on the back foot by simply grinding it out. Saha’s body was subjected to a few blows and Pujara was content blocking away, and the combined effect took such a toll on Australia that by the time they were done batting out two sessions, the tourists had given in.
JADEJA’S SWORD ROUTINE
Ravindra Jadeja enjoyed every moment of toying with a hapless bowling to score a 55-ball 54 that contained five fours and two sixes before putting on a sword show for his teammates on reaching his half-century. He returned wearing shades to first dislodge David Warner’s off-stump with one that spun viciously after pitching on the rough. He struck again the next over with a drifter that spun just enough to beat Nathan Lyon’s defence, and the stadium erupted.
INDIA CALL IT RIGHT
Speaking of reviews, India would be proud that on a day when everything went their way, the DRS too was on their side. Pat Cummins thought he had Wriddhiman Saha plumb and so did the umpire but India reviewed it to find the ball was going down the leg. When Cheteshwar Pujara was given leg-before off Nathan Lyon in the 155th over, the review showed the ball had turned too much.