Tough for Aussies
India hold the upper hand with a 346-run advantage
MELBOURNE: Australia pace bowler Pat Cummins took four wickets in eight balls but India retained the upper hand with a 346run advantage after an actionpacked third day of the third cricket Test.
On a Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch that was offering variable bounce, Australia lost 10 first-innings wickets and India reached 54-5 at stumps yesterday.
India hold an overall lead of 346 runs with five second-innings wickets in hand.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, in his first year in Test cricket, took a career-best 6-33 as India claimed a 292-run lead on the first innings. Australia’s brittle batting lineup was bowled out for 151 in reply to India’s 443-7 declared.
But Cummins (4-10) gave the 33,447 fans at the MCG something to cheer about as India slumped from 28-0 to 32-4.
Hanuma Vihari (13) edged a short ball to gully in Cummins’ second over, and in his third over the rightarm quick removed star batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli for ducks. Both were caught at leg gully.
Pujara had scored 106 in India’s first innings, adding 170 for the third wicket with world No. 1-ranked Kohli (82).
A fired-up Cummins broke through again at the start of his fourth over, placing him on a hat- trick, after Ajinkya Rahane (one) was caught behind.
New batsman Rohit Sharma made five before edging to first slip off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling at 44-5. Debutant Mayank Agarwal (28) and Rishabh Pant (six) reached stumps unbeaten.
Opener Marcus Harris and captain Tim Paine top-scored for Australia with 22 runs each in an embarrassing display from the home side on a pitch that admittedly made batting difficult.
Australia had resumed yesterday on 8-0 and staggered to 89-4 at lunch. Aaron Finch (eight), Harris (22), Usman Khawaja (21) and Shaun Marsh (19) all departed cheaply.
Bumrah claimed a third victim when he bowled Travis Head (20) at 92-5. The exit of all-rounder Mitch Marsh (nine), caught at slip off Jadeja’s bowling, exposed Australia’s tail.
Cummins (17) added 36 with Paine for the eighth wicket, before Bumrah removed Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood for ducks in the 67th over to complete the innings.
India’s captain Kohli chose not to enforce the follow-on.
Bumrah recorded his third five-wicket haul with a fine display of seam and reverse-swing bowling. The 25-year-old, who made his debut in January, has taken 45 Test wickets in 2018.
The four-Test series is level at one-all. India have never won a Test series in Australia. — AP