New Delhi: Cheteshwar Pujara (79*) and Ajinkya Rahane (40*) put India in driver's seat against Australia on Day 3 of the second Test match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The pair added unbeaten 93 runs for the fifth wicket as Aussies failed to pick a wicket in final session of the day.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Over 72 | Score 213/4 | (Pujara 79*, Rahane 40*)


STUMPS! Wicketless session for the Aussies as both Pujara and Rahane batted with a lot of focus and determination. This has been the first session of this series where a team has not lost a single wicket. Kohli would be very proud with the way these two have rescued the ship. Pujara and Rahane added 93 runs for the fifth wicket stand. India now lead by 126 runs with two more days to go in this exciting Test match.


Over 60 | Score 183/4 | (Pujara 60*, Rahane 33*)


Both Pujara and Rahane are growing in confidence. This is a huge fifth-wicket partnership for the hosts. The pair has so far added unbeaten 60 runs. They are playing the spinners, as well as the pacer with ease and Australia desperately need a wicket to get back into the game.


Over 48 | Score 149/4 | (Pujara 44*, Rahane 15*)


Both Rahane and Pujara are yet to hit a big knock in this series. This is a very crucial partnership from India's perspective and it remains to be seen whether these two can rediscover their forms with big knocks. These two have so far added unbeaten 29 runs for the fifth-wicket partnership.


Over 39 | Score 122/4 | (Pujara 34*, Rahane 2*)


TEA: India lost another wicket when Ravindra Jadeja was bowled by Hazlewood, who has bowled his heart out in this session. The left-hander was taken aback by a delivery which came back into him to knock off his stumps. India lost four key wickets in that session and scored 84 runs. Pujara and Rahane are at the crease and India needs both of them to get them out of trouble with two good knocks.


RA Jadeja b Hazlewood 2 (12b)


Over 35 | Score 112/3 | (Pujara 28*, Jadeja 0*)


India received a huge blow when skipper Kohli was trapped in front of the wicket off Hazlewood's bowling. Kohli immediately reviewed the decision after being given out by the field umpire. The replays however showed that it was too close to be decided whether the ball hit the bat or the pad first. At last, the third umpire asked the field umpire to stay with his decision, much to the dismay of the Bengaluru crowd.


V Kohli lbw b Hazlewood 15 (25b)


Over 25 | Score 87/2 | (Pujara 17*, Kohli 1*)


Lokesh Rahul was dismissed after scoring his second fifty of the match as a result of a sensational catch from Steve Smith in slips. O'Keefe produced an edge of Rahul's bat and Smith dived towards his right to pull off a one-handed blinder. Rahul committed just one error today and he is back in the pavilion. Virat Kohli is the new man and hosts need their skipper to play a special innings after a forgettable series so far.


KL Rahul c Smith b O'Keefe 51 (85b)


Over 20 | Score 66/1 | (Rahul 39*, Pujara 9*)


Pujara is lucky to be still batting at the crease after Australia dropped him thrice. The spinners have created some pressure on the Saurashtra batsman, who needs to get going with some fluent boundaries. Rahul on the other hand, is looking quite convincing at the crease.


Over 15 | Score 53/1 | (Rahul 30*, Pujara 5*)


Hazlewood struck in the first over after lunch after he clean bowled Abhinav Mukund. The pacer swung one into the batsman, who was completely bamboozled by the top delivery. The wicket also ended the 36-run stand for the opening wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara is the new man in. India need a big partnership here to come back in the match.


Over 10 | Score 38/0 | (Rahul 20*, Mukund 16*)


Lokesh Rahul and Abhinav Mukund have got India off to a decent start. Mitchell Starc once again looked impressive with some serious pace but there was no damage done. India now trail by 49 runs with all ten wickets remaining.


Over 122.4 | Score 276/10 | (O'Keefe 3)


All over for Australia! Hazlewood played a big shot off Jadeja, but holed it straight to Lokesh Rahul at long-on. Australia lead by 87 runs and Indian spinners have fought back really well. Jadeja leaves the field to a standing ovation after completing a brilliant six-wicket haul.


Over 121 | Score | (O'Keefe 3, Hazlewood 1*)


Jadeja bowled a brilliant over where he dismissed Matthew Wade and Nathan Lyon off consecutive balls. Both the batsmen were trapped in front of the wicket. Australia took two reviews but none of them could save any of these two batsmen. With Lyon's wicket, Jadeja also completed his five-wicket haul. Superb bowling from him today.


NM Lyon lbw b Jadeja 0 (1b)


MS Wade lbw b Jadeja 40 (113b)


Indian batter's struggle


After India were bundled out for 189 on Day 1, the spin duo of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja together with the seamers struggled to provide the hosts wickets on regular intervals. Courtesy, opener Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh's well-constructed half centuries as Australia took a commanding position by the end of the second day of the second Test against India at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.


Day 2 Review


Resuming at yesterday`s score of 40-0, David Warner (33) and Renshaw (60) shared an opening stand of 52 runs to provide the visitors with an initial thrust.


Renshaw, who also struck five boundaries and a six in during his innings, then kept the scoreboard ticking with Marsh (66) as the duo shared a 52-run stand to guide the side to a first innings score of 237-6.


At stumps, the Steve Smith-led side have taken a 48-run lead, with Matthew Wade (25) and Mitchell Starc (14) both remaining unbeaten at the crease.


Expectations from India


India's sole aim would be to prevent the Aussies from taking a 100-run plus lead on Day 3 and hopefully produce a much better performance with the bat to before the visitors come out to bat yet again.


Schedule


Time: 9:30 AM IST


Live streaming: Hotstar.com | Hotstar App


TV Telecast: Star Sports Network