Indian bowlers put up a spirited show on the third day of the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia here on Monday to give the hosts an advantage that could well clinch them the four-match series.

Pacer Umesh Yadav and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja scalped three wickets each while medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar took one wicket to restrict the visitors to 137 in the second innings — and set a 106-run target for clinching the final cricket Test match.

Lokesh Rahul disappointed at scoring big runs

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The third day’s play started with Indian lower-middle order stepping up to the occasion. Resuming the day at 248/6, overnight batsmen Ravindra Jadeja (63) and Wriddhiman Saha (31) added 69 runs before the former was dismissed by pacer Pat Cummins in the 113th over.

Cummins bowled a wide length ball which Jadeja tried to drive without using his feet and guided a thick inside edge onto the stumps.

Incoming batsmen Bhuvneshwar Kumar departed in the next over without disturbing the score. He was sent packing by left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe.

Saha, who seemed good at the crease was the next one to go. He was dismissed by Cummins when the scoreboard read 318/9. His 102-ball knock contained only two boundaries.

Tailenders Umesh Yadav (2 not out) and debutant Kuldeep Yadav (7), however, added 14 runs for the last wicket to frustrate Australian bowlers and helped India get past the 330-run mark.

For Australia, spinner Nathan Lyon scalped five wickets while Cummins took three wickets.

Coming in to bat in the second innings, the visitors tried to apply themselves in the middle but failed drastically in doing so. At one point, the visitors were struggling at 92/5, with a meagre 60-run lead in the second innings.

Continuing his poor form, opener David Warner (6) again failed to provide a good start as he was the first to return to the pavilion with the visitors’ scoreboard reading 10 runs.

Incoming batsmen Steve Smith, who scored a brilliant century in the first innings, could only manage 17 runs in the second outing.

Smith was bowled by Kumar, who delivered a short ball which, taking the bottom edge, flattened the off stump.

Youngster Matt Renshaw (8) was the next batsmen to leave — sent packing in the next over by Yadav.

Middle order batsmen Peter Handscomb (18) was then sent back cheaply by Ashwin to be in commanding position.

Apart from Glenn Maxwell (45), no other batsmen, including in-form Smith, were able to understand the Indian bowling strategy.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Mathew Wade, however, tried to hold the innings towards the end but it was too late as the Indian bowlers had already rampaged through the Australian batting line-up.

Australia, scoring only 137 runs in their second outing and setting a 106-run victory-target, now face a difficult task to restrict India, who started the run chase on a positive note, with two day’s play left.

At the end of the day’s play, India had scored 19/0 and needed only 87 runs more to win the final Test — as also the four-match Test series.

Openers Murali Vijay (6) and Lokesh Rahul (13) were at the crease when the day’s play was called off.

IANS

Indian opener Lokesh Rahul on Sunday said he was disappointed at not being able to capitalise upon the good starts into big score.

Rahul batted steadily to score 60 runs with nine hits to the fence and a six before being dismissed while trying to hit a short pitched delivery from Pat Cummins over the onside.

“Quite honestly, I am not regretting anything. I am little disappointed that I have not been able to convert the starts and get big runs for the team. As an opener, my responsibility is to spend as much time in the middle to get big scores in the first innings so that we don’t have to bat in the second innings.”

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“It hasn’t been the worst series for me. I got starts, batted really well. Aussie bowlers haven’t made it easy. They have challenged us in all the games. Thoroughly enjoyed batting and hopefully one good knock in the second innings might be the time. Might be the knock, I have been waiting for the whole series,” he added.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon captured four wickets in the final session to hand Australia an advantage on the second day of the fourth and final cricket Test.

Lyon returned figures of 4/67 as India reached 248/6 in their first innings at stumps. Ravindra Jadeja was batting on 16 with Wriddhiman Saha on 10 at the other end when the umpires decided to call it a day.

The hosts now trail Australia’s first innings total of 300 by 52 runs.

Commenting on the behaviour of the wicket, Rahul said the cracks on the pitch play a major role in the coming days.

“I think the ball will do things off the crack. Even when we bowled on the first day, a few balls did do something funny off the cracks,” he added.

IANS

India lost the wicket of opener Lokesh Rahul (67) to finish the second day’s play at 120/1 in their response to Australia’s first innings total of 451 in the third cricket Test here on Friday.
Playing his 50th Test, opener Murali Vijay looked rock solid to remain unbeaten on 42 along with Cheteshwar Pujara on 10 not out at stumps.

Earlier, the opening duo of Rahul (67) and Vijay led India’s fightback with a 91-run stand before the Karnataka right-hander was sent back by pacer Pat Cummins caught behind by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade.

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India are only one step away from realising the dream of earning their only second Hockey Junior World Cup title as they went past Australia 4-2 (2-2) via penalty shoot-out to set up a title showdown against Belgium in Lucknow.

Tom Craig’s goal in the 14th minute gave Australia the 1-0 lead but India equalised through Gurjant Singh (42nd minute) and led 2-1 with a goal from Mandeep Singh (48th).

But Lachlan Sharp’s successful deflection from a close angle in the 57th gave the visitors the equaliser as the match ended 2-2 in the regulation time at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here.

In the shoot-out, Indian goalkeeper Vikash Dahiya saved twice to deny Australia the win, as Harjeet Singh, Harmanpreet, Sumit and Manpreet did their job to give the hosts a 4-2 win.

For Australia, Blake Govers and Jack Welch were successful during the shoot-out, while Matthew Bird and Sharp missed out, as they ended their hopes of winning the Under-21 showpiece after 1997.

India’s previous appearance in a final of the Junior Hockey World Cup came in 2001 when they won the title, defeating Argentina.

In the final on Sunday, India will meet Belgium, who beat double defending champions Germany, also in a penalty shoot-out 4-3 (0-0).

In the widely-anticipated clash between India and Australia, the boys from Down Under looked the better from the start. The high pressing of the Australians unsettled the Indian defensive structure and the visitors attacked consistently at the Indian post.

Following a poor tackle by an Indian defender, they earned a penalty corner in the 14th minute. Joshua Simmonds’ flick was blocked by the Indian defence but the ball moved towards Craig, who was near the left post of Indian goalkeeper Vikash Dahiya. Craig’s left-handed drive from a close angle guided the ball past an onrushing Dahiya to make it 1-0.

Australia continued to threaten India but Dahiya was alert to the task. He palmed away fiery penalty corner flick from Blake Govers in the 24th minute. Another penalty corner in the same minute was wasted by Australia following poor trapping by the stopper.

Till this time such was the Australian domination that India had failed to attempt a purposeful shot at the Australian post.

India slowly gained the rhythm and earned several scoring chances to equalise before the half-time. Australian goalkeeper Asleigh Thomas brought out his stick towards the right side to keep away a thunderous penalty corner flick from Harmanpreet Singh in the 29th minute.

Thomas came again to his side’s rescue as he blocked a Vikramjit Singh’s drive from the right. Simranjeet Singh too had the opportunity to make it 1-1 but his tap-in missed the mark by a whisker after Australian captain Samuel Liles couldn’t fully control a long-ranger aerial ball from Harmanpreet.

Trailing 0-1, India came out looking determined and disciplined and their tactics of drilling long passes — a distinct feature of their counter-attack.

One such quick counter-attack in the 42nd minute saw Simranjeet feeding just behind the half line to Gurjant, who sped away inside the Australian circle and employed a ripping reverse-hand strike from the right through the legs of custodian Thomas on the far post to make it 1-1.

India’s confidence was boosted after the equaliser and with the Lucknow crowd urging them on, the hosts found the lead six minutes later via Mandeep. The Indian blocked an aerial ball from Simmonds just 10 metres pass the ‘D’ and played an one-two with Nilakanta Sharma before hammering a simmering left-hand strike to make it 2-1.

Australia’s reaction to the goal was sharp as they earned a penalty corner but Dahiya stretched his right leg to deny a Blake Govers’ low flick.

However, the equaliser came in the 57th minute when Sharp smartly blocked Indian goalkeeper Dahiya’s vision to deflect in successfully.

Dahiya, however, made amends in the shoot-out as he stood strong in blocking two Australian efforts, paving the way for India’s entry into the final.

IANS

India will play a four-match home Test series against Australia beginning on February 23 next year, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement said on Friday.

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The series to decide the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will stretch till March 29, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke said. The first Test, starting February 23, will be played in Pune, followed by Bengaluru from March 4-8.

The third match will be played at Ranchi from March 16 and the final match will be at Dharamsala from March 25.

IANS