Australia on brink of scripting unwanted record in India Test series

India might be on the brink of securing a win in the third Test after reducing Australia to 258 for eight at stumps of Day four on Saturday, but Australia's pacer Pat Cummins looks all set to script a rare record on the last day of the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

While Shaun Marsh (44), Usman Khawaja (33) and Travis Head (34) managed to contribute some significant runs in their side's chase of 399, skipper Tim Paine also played relentlessly against the Indian bowling attack.

However, the hero of the fourth day for the hosts was undoubtedly fast bowler Cummins, who held strong at the crease and scored an unbeaten 61--the highest score by an Australian in the ongoing series--to reduce the target to 141 runs and keep Australia's hopes alive in the match.  

In case Cummins manages to score his maiden Test century on the fifth day of the Boxing Day match,  then he will become the first batsman to come at No.8 spot and reach the triple-figure mark since the inaugural official Test match was staged at the MCG in March, 1877. 

Cummins, who is just 39-run short of a century, will resume the innings alongside Nathan Lyon (six), with the last batsman being Josh Hazlewood-- who holds a Test average of 12.65. 

However, if the Cummins fails to achieve the same, then an unwanted record will loom for the Australians when they will head into the fourth and the final Test against the Virat Kohli-led side, beginning at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on January 3, cricket.com.au reported.

The fast bowler's failure to achieve the triple-figure mark at MCG will imply that for the first time since 1882, Australia will fail to produce a century-maker in the first three Tests on home turf. And if the streak continues in Sydney, then it will be the first time in 136 years that such unwanted result has been achieved from a four-match Test series on home soil.

Meanwhile, India, who have dominated with both bat and ball throughout the series so far, will look to become the first Indian side to win a series Down Under if they head to the Sydney finale with a 2-1 series lead.