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Nathan Lyon took some punishment before firing Rishabh Pant in the last over with the old ball to end a 148-run partnership and give Australia a boost on the final day of the third cricket test against India.
Lyon eliminated India’s substitute captain Ajinkya Rahane in the second round on Monday after the tourists resumed at 98-2 chasing 407 to win, but the Australians took no other ground in the opening session when Pant launched into the attack. The injured Pant dominated a fourth century wicket tier with Cheteshwar Pujara that gave India hope of an unlikely victory.
But Lyon took Pant’s key window for 97 with the first ball of 80 and Josh Hazlewood pitched Pujara for 77 in the eighth with the new ball to give Australia the lead when India reached the tea at 280-5.
Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
Nathan Lyon and Matthew Wade celebrate as Rishabh Pant leaves the SCG.
The equation for the final session: India needed 127 runs to ensure they retain the Border-Gavaskar or to pass 36 overs for a draw, and Australia needed five wickets to take a 2-1 lead before the fourth and final round in the Gabba. The first two tests fell short of a fifth day, adding to the intrigue in Sydney.
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Hanuma Vihari was unbeaten in four of 52 deliveries and Ravichandran Ashwin was seven of 25 in the last interval.
Rick Rycroft / AP
India’s Rishabh Pant scored 97 in an aggressive blow that gave his team hope of an unlikely victory.
Pant, who shrugged off an elbow injury that kept him out of the field for the entire fourth day and moved up the order to hit at No. 5, had some early chances and then was particularly tough on Lyon when he landed. three sixes. and 12 limits to be within a century’s scoring shot.
He was trying to hit triple figures on that line, moving toward Lyon and squeezing a thick outer rim toward Ravine, where Pat Cummins took a low catch to the ground to make it 250-4.
Pujara, who passed 6,000 test runs during his innings, took the attack and hit Pat Cummins through three straight limits to start the third with the new ball.
Rick Rycroft / AP
The Australian players congratulate Nathan Lyon after saying goodbye to Indian Ajinkya Rahane.
But their challenging 205-ball innings ended when Hazlewood beat the outer edge and came off the stump, making India 272-5 with 43.4 overs remaining.
Pant’s innings were more impressive considering he was offside all Sunday and had to be replaced on the field by specialist goalkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who took four receptions in the second inning for Australia before the hosts declared 312-6. with a 406-run lead.
