A relentless India marched to a dominant series-leveling victory after her formidable bowlers cut through the Australian batting, pressing home for a sizable first-inning lead on the third day of Test 2, here the Monday. Australia staggered 133-for-six on stumps on the third day of Boxing Day’s test at the magnificent Melbourne Cricket Ground. Aiming to exorcise the ghosts of being knocked out by a low record of 36 in the series opener, the visitors had put 326 on the board for a 131-run lead in response to Australia’s 195 total innings in the first entry.
Australia was ahead by just two runs at the end of the game. Looking to eliminate the deficit, Australia started their second inning on a disastrous note as Joe Burns (4) not only came out on a poor score, but also blew a review after pacemaker Umesh Yadav (1/5) opened it. with one. who left very late.
Introduced early in the attack, veteran Ravichandran Ashwin (1/46) once again showed his class when he duped Marnus Labuschagne (28 of 49 balls) with a slider that was straight with the angle.
Ashwin let one slide and the batter look to defend himself. The ball went the other way and took an outside edge on its way to Rahane on the first slip.
Matthew Wade and Steve Smith survived the remaining overs before the tea break, which took the 65 by two.
At the time, the hosts were behind India by 66 runs.
More suffering awaited Australia in the final session when it lost four wickets for the addition of 68 runs, as India approached a draw in the four-game series after a humiliating defeat in the opener at Adelaide Oval.
Smith’s streak of terror in the series continued when Jasprit Bumrah (1/34) threw it around his legs as the ball cut through the stump bonds after the batter had shuffled too much.
Wade, looking the best among Australian hitters, was caught in front of the wicket by Ravindra Jadeja (2/25) at 98 for four. And while the scoring stayed the same, Australia lost another ground at Travis Head a couple of overs later.
There was no replay of Captain Tim Paine’s battle hit in the first test as he was caught behind the Jadeja bowling alley.
Australia could have been seven down if Pant had held on to a Pat Cummins lead over Ashwin. However, India also has cause for concern, as Umesh limped off the field after sustaining a calf injury in the eighth inning.
Launching his fourth lap, the pacemaker had complained of calf pain and had a scan performed after being evaluated by the BCCI medical team.
Previously, Captain Ajinkya Rahane’s elegant hundred and Ravindra Jadeja’s half-fifteenth century, India managed enough runs on the board to put Australia under pressure despite losing their remaining five wickets by just 49 runs after resuming the day with 277 for five.
Jadeja (57) added 121 runs for the sixth wicket with pattern Rahane, whose vigil came to a point when it was sold out, his first in Tests, after hitting a graceful 112 with the help of 12 limits on 223 balls.
The call was from Jadeja and the race was unnecessary, but nonetheless the off-roader looked solid in the middle before Mitchell Starc set it up (3/78 in 26 overs).
The left arm Australian fast pitcher tested Jadeja with a barrage of short balls and the ploy worked when the off-roader took one straight out at the deep fielder in the middle of the wicket for a polish 57 that included three limits and his signature sword celebration.
In a Day 3 MCG pitch that barely contained any demons, the Australian bowlers posed no serious threat to the well-established Indian hitting duo of Rahane and Jadeja.
The hosts desperately needed a wicket and given how Rahane had been hitting, it had to be a run.
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Nearing his half century, Jadeja took off with an unnecessary single after playing it into short coverage and Rahane responded positively rather than sending him back, but narrowly missed making his ground at the forward end despite giving his best shot. .
That pushed India back as Australia sought to make its way back. Nathan Lyon (3/72 in 27.1 overs) and Josh Hazlewood (1/47 in 23 overs) then polished the tail.
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