Ahmedabad: India were 289 for three in their first innings at stumps on day three of the fourth Test against Australia here on Saturday. The hosts still trail Australia by 191 runs. Shubman Gill struck his second Test hundred (128) with support from Cheteshwar Pujara (42) and Rohit Sharma (35).
Virat Kohli (59 batting) scored a half century and was in the middle alongside Ravindra Jadeja (16 batting) when the stumps were drawn. Australia had made 480 in their first innings.
Brief scores:
Australia first innings: 480 all out.
India first innings 289/3 in 99 overs (Shubman Gill 128, Cheteshwar Pujara 42, Virat Kohli batting 59; Matthew Kuhnemann 1/43, Todd Murphy 1/45).
Scoreboard on the third day of the series-deciding fourth and final Test between India and Australia.
Australia 1st Innings: 480 in 167.2 overs.
India 1st Innings: (Overnight 36 for no loss in 10 overs)
Rohit Sharma c Labuschagne b Kuhnemann 35
Shubman Gill lbw b Lyon 128
Cheteshwar Pujara lbw b Murphy 42
Virat Kohli not out 59
Ravindra Jadeja not out 16
Extras: (B-4, LB-3, NB-2) 9
Total: (For 3 wickets in 99 overs) 289
Fall of wickets: 1-74, 2-187, 245-3
Bowling: Mitchell Starc 17-2-74-0, Cameron Green 10-0-45-0, Nathan Lyon 37-4-75-1, Matthew Kuhnemann 13-0-43-1, Todd Murphy 22-6-45-1.
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Until tea:
Shubman Gill showed remarkable poise and maturity on way to his second hundred, taking India to a comfortable 188 for two at tea on day three of the fourth Test against Australia here on Saturday. Gull, who has been in sublime form across formats, justified his inclusion in the playing XI ahead of K L Rahul with a delectable 103 not out comprising 10 boundaries and a six.
He added 74 for the opening stand with skipper Rohit Sharma (35 off 58 balls) and 113 for the second wicket with Cheteshwar Pujara (42 off 121 balls). At the break, Virat Kohli (0 batting) was giving Gill company with India still 292 runs behind Australia's first innings score of 480.
Barring Gill's hundred, which was there for the taking, the second session was a bit uneventful as only 59 runs were scored with the old ball making strokeplay difficult. The pitch is still conducive for batting and Gill hardly faced any difficulties in negotiating the Australian attack.
Gill was struck in 70s for a long time before he upped the ante to reach the nervous 90s. He first stepped out and hit over Nathan Lyon's head for a boundary before playing a paddle scoop over to complete his ton. Earlier, Sharma looked in good flow as he pulled Mitchell Starc behind square for a six and ran well between the wickets during the 21-over stand with Gill.
The mode of dismissal was disappointing as the delivery from left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann (1/20) wasn't a wicket-taking one. It was pitched short and Sharma could have hit it anywhere but his uppish back-foot punch found Marnus Labuschagne at short extra-cover.
Strangely Kuhnemann didn't get a chance to bowl in the post lunch session. Gill didn't have any issues tackling the Australian attack as he got a steady partner in Pujara who batted with some purpose during the first session before going into his shell.
The pacers aren't getting much help from the track and the short-ball tactic that both Starc and Cameron Green used didn't pay much dividends. The pitch is still on the slower side and pace off the track isn't much to hurry the batters into playing their strokes. There is all the time in the world to rock back to either play the cut or punch through the off-side or play the pull in-front or behind the square.
In fact, in the second session, keeper Carey was standing up to Green in order to stop Gill from stepping and convert back of length deliveries into half-volleys. (PTI)
Brief scores:
Australia first innings: 480 all out in 167.2 overs.
India first innings 188 for 2 in 63 overs overs (Rohit Sharma 35, Shubman Gill batting 103, Cheteshwar Pujara 42; Matthew Kuhnemann 1/20, Todd Murphy 1/18).
- Cheteshwar Pujara was adjudged lbw on a Murphy's delivery which brought Virat Kohli to the crease.
- Shubman Gill scored his century in 194 balls with Cheteshwar Pujara (42) on his side. India is in a strong position trailing by 292 runs.
Ahmedabad: Young Shubman Gill justified his inclusion in the playing XI with a composed half-century as India scored at a fair clip to reach 129 for one at lunch on the third day of the fourth Test against Australia, here Saturday. India are still 351 runs behind Australia's first innings score of 480.
India lost the wicket of their skipper Rohit Sharma (35 off 58 balls), who let slip a golden opportunity to get a big score on the best batting surface of the series. Gill (65 batting, 119 balls) and Rohit added 74 runs for the opening wicket. Sharma looked in good flow as he pulled a Mitchell Starc behind square for a six and ran well between the wickets during their 21-over stand.
The mode of dismissal was disappointing as the delivery from left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann (1/20) wasn't a wicket-taking one. It was pitched short and Sharma could have hit it anywhere but his uppish back-foot punch found Marnus Labuschagne, stationed at short extra-cover for that particular shot.
Gill didn't have any issues tackling the Australian attack as he got a steady partner in Cheteshwar Pujara (22 batting), who showed more purpose at the crease during their unbroken stand of 55 runs. The opener has hit five fours and a six while Pujara stepped out to smash off-spinner Todd Murphy through the covers for a boundary.
Towards the end of the session, there was one traditional off-break from Murphy that turned significantly to miss Gill's bat, the bails as well as wicketkeeper Alex Carey's gloves. The pacers aren't getting much help from the track and the short-ball tactic that both Starc and Cameron Green used didn't pay much dividends. The pitch is still on the slower side and pace off the track isn't much to hurry the batters into playing their strokes.
There is all the time in the world to rock back to either play the cut or punch through the off-side or play the pull in-front or behind the square. Gill scored his first 40 runs quickly but after that slowed a bit. (PTI)
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- Cheteshwar Pujara (20) and Shubman Gill (60) are at the crease and are looking to consolidate on the opening partnership as India still trail by 360 runs.
- Nathan Lyon tastes the first scalp in Rohit Sharma, who lost his wicket after scoring 35 runs.
Earlier yesterday, Usman Khawaja's resilience found its able ally in Cameron Green's audacious flair as Australia tested India's bowling depth as well as patience to put up a commanding 480 on the second day of the fourth Test. At stumps, Indian openers were also hardly troubled on a track that hasn't deteriorated one bit as Rohit Sharma (17 batting) and Shubman Gill (18 batting) added 36 runs in 10 overs.
But to make a match out of it, onus will be on India to score quickly on day three on Saturday. The most awkward time to start an innings is during the last 10 overs of the day but Gill lofted Nathan Lyon for a six down the ground to signal his attacking intent in that short span of time.
Australia still hold a massive advantage as their three spinners are likely to get more purchase than their Indian counterparts going into the third day. Khawaja's marathon knock of 180 lasted 10 hours and 11 minutes and he faced 422 balls, which is effectively 70.2 overs of the total 167.2 overs faced by the Australian team.
Green's maiden Test hundred, an eminently attractive 114, laced with 18 boundaries, was a good counter-punching effort on a track which was easy to bat on and which gives value for shots playing within the 'V'. Their 208-run stand that lasted 59.4 overs will certainly add a lot of confidence in the Australian dressing room, after failing to cross 275 even once in the five completed innings during the first three games.
The plight of the Indian attack was evident when Todd Murphy (41 off 65 balls) and Nathan Lyon (34 off 96 balls) added 70 runs for the ninth wicket in just 19.2 overs in a stand where a few audacious shots were played in between a couple of streaky ones. When a bowling unit concedes a total of 11 boundaries off batter Nos. 9 and 10, the going really gets tough.
No credit will be enough for Ashwin (47.2-15-91-6), who gave his all manfully and got his 32nd five-wicket haul in Test cricket and is now only 27 wickets short of becoming second Indian after Anil Kumble to complete a coveted 500 wickets. By the time he reached the milestone, Australia had crossed the 475-run mark and are in a position to dictate the flow of this game.
But the day certainly belonged to Green, who completed a well-deserved maiden hundred. The giant 6-feet-8-inch all-rounder, who missed the first two Tests due to a finger surgery, let Khawaja play his own game during their double century stand.
After back-to-back barren sessions, it was Ashwin, who got three quick wickets for India. Having already qualified for the WTC finals, Australia looked like trying to play 'party-poopers' for India as they never forced the scoring rate during the course of the two days.
The Indian bowling unit struggled big time on a good batting track as the Australians dictated terms both on attacking as well as defensive fronts. Not for once the Australian batters looked in any kind of discomfort on a track that has remained firm and hasn't shown any distinct signs of wear and tear.
Having leaked a lot of runs with the second new ball on the first evening, India captain Rohit Sharma couldn't afford setting an attacking field as he had to check the flow of runs. Hence, a deep point, deep square leg and deep fine leg were employed to stop the boundary count. But with a left-right pair at the crease, the bowlers had to alter the length as the two batters kept the scoreboard ticking.
Khawaja, however, was in no tearing hurry even though he hit 21 boundaries with at least a dozen coming in the leg-side with his favourite whip shot or on-drive. In the morning, as Khawaja continued his grind, Green blended attack with defence during a session that yielded 92 runs. As someone who loves playing the drive, save a couple of fours, most were hit on the off-side in the area between extra-cover and mid-off.
In fact, India's pacers had a poor first innings with 40 boundaries being conceded by Umesh Yadav (19) and Mohammed Shami (21). Some were inside and outside edges but they never consistently hit right lengths while conceding more than 100 runs in 25 and 31 overs respectively. (PTI)
