INDIA V AUSTRALIA, FIRST TEST, DAY THREE
SCORE: Australia 177 and 91, India 400
SUMMARY: An absolute smashing in Nagpur to start the Border-Gavaskar sequence. Australia have been clueless batting towards India’s star spinners Ravi Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, with the pair sharing 15 wickets between them for the match. India completed on 400 after a powerful 120 from captain Rohit Sharma, in addition to cameos by Jadeja and Axar Patel. Australia didn’t bat for a whole session on Saturday, collapsing to be all-out for 91.
MAN OF THE MOMENT: In his first Test since July, Jadeja starred from begin to end. The ace allrounder adopted up his five-wicket haul on Thursday, with 70 off the bat and one other two wickets in Australia’s second innings.
KEY MOMENT: Australia have been clinging to the hope they may comprise India to a manageable complete at the beginning of day three. But Scott Boland’s dropped catch off Mohammed Shami allowed India to pile on one other 60 runs, securing a first-innings lead of 223.
STAT OF THE DAY: Australia’s complete of 91 was their second-lowest towards India, narrowly bettering the 83 they scored on the MCG in 1981.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There hasn’t been many losses in that change room. I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel, it’s just tweaking different approaches to how we play, and maybe particular methods.” – Australia captain Pat Cummins mentioned after the humbling defeat.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
