India vs Australia 3rd Test: Dinesh Karthik Says `3 Day Test Match Loading` As Indians Lose 7 Wickets in 1st Session

Shubman Gill and former India captain Virat Kohli are the only batters to cross the 20-run mark in the third Test so far as the Australian spinners have India on the mat with seven wickets in first session.

Team India have begun the third Test against Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore in dramatic fashion. After skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first, Australian spinners Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy have reduced the hosts to 84/7 by lunch on Day 1 on Wednesday (March 1).

India had got off to a flyer with 26 runs in the first five overs, Kuhnemann’s introduction to the attack led to dramatic collapse as India lost five wickets in the first hour’s play. Shubman Gill and former India captain Virat Kohli are the only batters to cross the 20-run mark in the third Test so far as the spinners have India on the mat.

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, no turned commentator, feels that this is another ‘3-day Test match loading’. “3 day test match loading or even shorter maybe,” Karthik tweeted.

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer also took a hilarious dig at the Indore pitch. “Looking at the pitch, not only Shami but I think Siraj and Umesh are also rested for this test,” Jaffer tweeted.

Matthew Hayden on air called the the black soil surface at the Holkar Stadium a day-three pitch and it sure behaved like one. Three batters including skipper Rohit Sharma (12), Ravindra Jadeja (4) and Shreyas Iyer (0) perished while trying to attack.

Virat Kohli (22 off 52) looked assured in the middle before being trapped lbw by Todd Murphy towards the end of the session.

Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon took took three wickets each. Having regained match fitness, both Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green made Australia’s playing eleven.

Starc’s first over to Rohit was among the highlights of the session. Before the spinners ran through the Indian batting, Starc got the ball to swing giving the India skipper a tough time. Rohit got a faint outside edge on the very first ball he faced but Australia did not take a review. Three balls later, Starc got the ball to swing back in and it flicked Rohit’s pads. Ball tracking showed the ball would have hit the off stump but Australia decided against taking DRS again.