With three batsmen failing to make their crease and injuries to Pant, Jadeja, visitors lose control of third Test as Aus take 197-run lead
Jasprit Bumrah is run out by Australia's Marnus Labuschagne during Day Three of the third Test. Pic/Getty Images
Hanuma Vihari was devastated. Ravichandran Ashwin shrugged his head as he trudged off. Jasprit Bumrah was in disbelief as he walked back into the Indian dressing room. All three had been run out.
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In between all the chaotic running between the wickets, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were taken to hospital for scans after being struck on the elbow and finger respectively. And if all that was not enough, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj faced racial abuse from the crowd.
Day Three was disastrous for Team India.
The three run outs were a combination of brilliant fielding and sustained pressure from the Australian bowlers. Cheteshwar Pujara has the tendency of getting bogged down and it can result in pressure for his partners. It is difficult to criticise Pujara because the foundation of his game has been based around patience and concentration. Long periods without scoring don’t bother him, but it can have an effect on his teammates.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane felt the pressure and was looking to be expansive when he dragged one back on his stumps. He had intent, but the slowness of the pitch got the better of him.
With each dot ball, the Indian batsmen felt suffocated. There was desperation and it led to Vihari getting run out. Dropping the ball at the feet and running singles is also an art of batting and none of the Indian players couldn’t do it.
Jadeja is a whippet between the wickets, but when his partner is Ashwin, there is bound to be confusion. Ashwin was caught ball-watching at the non striker’s end and when it came to acceleration, he simply couldn’t. The throw from mid-off had him short of his ground. Poor communication and lack of awareness were the main reasons for Ashwin’s dismissal.
Pujara registered his slowest half century in Test cricket, but eventually he was going to get a ball with his name on it. Pat Cummins’s lifter found Pujara’s gloves and it broke India’s back. The bounce on the pitch is already variable and batting is going to be incredibly tough in the fourth innings.
Chances are India might not even have 11 batsmen with body blows to Pant and Jadeja. Australia stepped it up with the ball and the field on Day Three and India simply couldn’t handle it.
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