Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane bat superbly before another Indian collapse

Live updates from Day 3 of the third Test match being played between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane bat superbly before another Indian collapse

Melbourne: Live updates from Day 3 of the third Test match being played between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

India trail by 68 runs with 2 wickets remaining in the 1st innings.

Interesting question!

LIVE SCORE

India innings

India have lost five wickets for 52 runs in the last session. From 409/3 to 462/8.

OVERS 126.2// RUNS 461// WICKETS 8

Kohli and Shami see off Lyon's over and Johnson gets the centurion finally who tries to poke into a wide delivery and Haddin takes a stunner.

V Kohli c Haddin b Johnson 169

OVERS 125// RUNS 461// WICKETS 7

Kohli whacks Johnson for a four one bounce over the mid-off rope. He gets a single after that and Shami then plays the over showing his defensive skills.

OVERS 124// RUNS 456// WICKETS 7

Lyon bowls and Shami cuts him for three runs. Kohli then slams past the bowler and it misses the umpire who dived to save himself. A single comes and then Shami defends the entire over. Well played!

OVERS 123// RUNS 452// WICKETS 7

Shami survives a half chance against Johnson and gets a single in the process. Kohli defends well but can't keep strike for the next over.

OVERS 122// RUNS 450// WICKETS 7

Shami gets a single and is looking good so far in defence. Kohli gets a single of the fifth ball and the 450 comes up for India.

OVERS 121// RUNS 448// WICKETS 7

Kohli gives Shami the strike and he slams a four past vacant gully. Harris is bowling well here alongside Lyon. Johnson bowls and Kolhi plays away from his body as the ball stays in the air but safe. Kohli gets another shot but doesn't take a single. He then crunches Johnson for a four through cover and the next ball hits another one. 

OVERS 119// RUNS 435// WICKETS 7

Kohli gets to his 150 after hitting a gorgeous on drive for a four off Watson. Harris then gets Ashwin who departs for a duck. It's matter od time now. Aussies are back in the Test match. Shami comes in and he needs to support Kohli as much as possible. Four wickets have gone down for 25 runs.

R Ashwin c & b Harris 0 (4b)

OVERS 117// RUNS 430// WICKETS 6

Watson gets a maiden over keeping it tight and simple. Kohli is batting well and is in no hurry to throw his wicket away. India need him till the end. Dhoni meanwhile, goes after edging to keeper off Harris. He departs for 11. India have lost three wickets in space of 21 runs. It's going Australia's way again. Ashwin is the new man in and survives a close appeal off the last ball.

MS Dhoni c Haddin b Harris 11

OVERS 115// RUNS 430// WICKETS 5

Harris starts off with a LBW appeal but it doesn't go his way. Four runs come from the over.

OVERS 114// RUNS 426// WICKETS 5

Dhoni reaches out towards the off but a good save from the cover fielder. He then sweeps Lyon for a four. Well placed shot that. He then hits a cover drive and gets three runs. 

OVERS 113// RUNS 419// WICKETS 5

Hazlewood to Dhoni and he survives a close LBW appeal. He again comes down the track and wants to work that through leg side but hits the pad. Lyon then gets his act right and bowls a good tight over. Johnson comes in and gives two runs from the over. It included a nick off Dhoni but fell short of the slip fielder. 

OVERS 110// RUNS 415// WICKETS 5

Hazlewood bowls and it's a tight over. Kohli gets a single, and Rahul sees out the next two final balls. Lyon continues and Rahul is looking watchful here. He then goes for a flick and Siddle drops a catch. The next ball he tries to sweep and gives away a catch to Hazlewood. What a shocker of an innings from a Test debutante. Poor! He might not even get another Test chance. Another collapse on the cards?

KL Rahul c Hazlewood b Lyon 3 (8b)

OVERS 108// RUNS 411// WICKETS 4

Kohli drives Hazlewood for three through cover as five runs come from the over. Rahane slaps Lyon for a four off a good sweep shot and the next ball he tries the same thing and is trapped LBW. Finally a fine innings comes to an end. Lokesh Rahul who debuts comes in.

AM Rahane lbw b Lyon 147

OVERS 106// RUNS 399// WICKETS 3

Rahane slams Lyon for a four through cover region. Six runs come and the 250-run partnership comes for the duo.

OVERS 105// RUNS 392// WICKETS 3

Hazlewood is brought back and Rahane hits past backward point for four. Three singles come in as well as seven runs come from the over. Vital runs these.

OVERS 104// RUNS 385// WICKETS 3

Lyon continues and after two dots gives away a single to Kohli. Nice seam position and drift here from Lyon and Kohli too using his wrists well. He then bowls a nice line to Rahane before the latter caresses a ball through cover for two runs.

OVERS 103// RUNS 382// WICKETS 3

Lyon comes in to bowl and gives away seven runs. Indians are getting the vital ones and twos and rotating strike well. Johnson continues and two singles come from the first two balls. Johnson has gone for plenty of runs and has been wicket-less. Full length and Kohli gets a tight single once again. Rahane tries to play through the slips but the nick falls short to Watson.

OVERS 101// RUNS 372// WICKETS 3

Indians are rotating the strike well as two singles are taken off the first two balls. Harris then balls tight and Kohli defends well. Rahane slams Johnson for a four off a short delivery. He then hits a shot through mid-off for four. He was anticipating the bouncer and makes room to place it through off side. He then clobbers another short ball for four. 12 runs come from the over.

OVERS 100// RUNS 358// WICKETS 3

Kohli pulls the first ball off Johnson's over for a four as the ball was slightly in the air but away from fielder Joe Burns. The next ball he again pulls for four in the same region but this time it is a better shot. The third delivery too is whacked for four front of square through mid-wicket as Johnson opts for another short ball. He then places a ball through cover for three runs. 15 runs come from the over.

OVERS 98// RUNS 343// WICKETS 3

Harris gives away three runs from the over with Kohli flicking through mid-wicket and it's the trademark shot of the Delhi lad. The rest of the over is well defended.

OVERS 97// RUNS 340// WICKETS 3

Harris starts off after tea and gets a maiden straightaway. Rahane dabs Johnson in the next over for three runs over backward point. Kohli gets a single off the last ball to keep strike.

TEA TIME!

OVERS 95// RUNS 336// WICKETS 3

Hazlewood keeps down the over to just a single and both batsmen happy to see off the final over as tea is called. 

OVERS 94// RUNS 335// WICKETS 3

Kohli gets to his ton off Lyon in the first ball after hitting a four. His third Test ton of the series. After missing out at Brisbane, Kohli is back. His fourth ton in Australia overall and sixth outside the subcontinent. 

OVERS 93// RUNS 330// WICKETS 3

Eight run comes from Watson's over. Kohli flicks a ball for two runs that would relieve some pressure off him. Rahane plays a crisp shot through cover for four. Hazlewood bowls and Rahane hooks him for four. The next ball he upper cuts through slips but Warner comes running from third man and saves three runs. Seven runs come from this over too. Not much time left for tea.

OVERS 91// RUNS 315// WICKETS 3

Hazlewood replaces Johnson and starts off well with a maiden. Kohli looking a bit subdued here. But important he keeps batting.

OVERS 90// RUNS 315// WICKETS 3

Johnson concedes just four runs from his over as Indian duo are looking to keep themselves in. Rahane then gets to his ton after getting a thick outside edge over gully for a four off Watson. 

OVERS 88// RUNS 307// WICKETS 3

Rahane upper cuts Harris for four over the slip cordon for four and moves to 96 runs. Kohli too is on his 90's.

OVERS 87// RUNS 301// WICKETS 3

Johnson bowls a short one as Rahane tries to pull but the ball falls short off the fielder at square leg. The single brings up the 150-run stand. Kohli then goes for a pull off a bouncer that is hurled on his body and it skies high before Haddin runs to get the catch but misses. Tough one that. But again a let down for Kohli here. Rahane then tries to dab another ball that misses his edge. He then picks three runs.

OVERS 86// RUNS 296// WICKETS 3

Johnson bowls and Kohli fends away to slips as Watson drops a sitter at slips. Kohli then sees off the over and makes sure the wickets are intact. Rahane slaps Harris through point for four before getting one more placing it through fine leg. He then goes for a dab to place it over slips but misses the ball closely. A single ends up the over.

OVERS 84// RUNS 287// WICKETS 3

Johnson bowls well before Kohli plays a defensive shot and Johnson picks up the ball and throws it back at him and apologises straight away. Kohli meanwhile, plays a nothing shot off the next ball and needs to control his emotions. He then gets lucky after knicking past the vacant fourth slip area for a four. Harris bowls the next over and Rahane drives through the on side well to get a four. 

OVERS 82// RUNS 279// WICKETS 3

Johnson given the new ball and bowls a quick over. Rahane pulls him for three runs playing a good looking shot. Harris comes in and bowls a straight channel right away. Exceptional line and length from the pacer as Rahane defends well to see off a maiden over.

OVERS 80// RUNS 276// WICKETS 3

Smith bowls a decent over for just two runs. Lyon then drops a chance off his own bowling. Rahane tries to hit through the off side and pops up a catch but it goes straight through the bowlers's hands. Big let off!

OVERS 78// RUNS 272// WICKETS 3

Skipper Steve SMith gets himself into the attack and gives away nine runs. Five singles and a four. Rahane slams a full toss ball through mid off for four. Lyon comes in Kohli gets a single as the rest of the balls are defended well before Rahane plays a shot through backward leg for a run to keep strike.

OVERS 76// RUNS 261// WICKETS 3

Watson goes for 10 runs in the over as Kohli spanks through cover to get a four. And then Kohli gets three by placing a fine shot through mid-wicket before Rahane too gets the same after flicking off the pads. Lyon continues and Rahane defends him well to concede a maiden. Good over.

OVERS 74// RUNS 251// WICKETS 3

Rahane picks up three runs through the off side and the 100-run-partnership comes up. Kohli picks up a single flicked off the pads and keeps strike. Lyon comes in and concedes three runs. 250 runs come for India.

OVERS 72// RUNS 243// WICKETS 3

Rahane and Kohli have started in the same fashion just the way they batted in the first one. 96 runs has been the stand between the two. Hazlewood and Watson are bowling and Rahane whacked him for a four through gully in the 72nd over. Before that he brought up his fifty.

PREVIEW
Australia were on the driving seat in the day 2 of the Test match. Steve Smith's 192 was the highlight of the day as Australia who resumed on 259/5 went on to score 530. The Indian bowlers bowled badly and conceded plenty. Shami was the pick of the bowlers getting four wickets. Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin supported Smith with fifties as the Indians again allowed Australia off the hook.

India replied with 108/1 at stumps with Murali Vijay getting his half century and Pujara is with him. India lost the wicket of Shikhar Shawan for 28.