India v Australia: fourth Test, day three – live | Australia cricket team

LUNCH Day 3: India 129 for 1 (Gill 65, Pujara 22). India trail by 351

37th over: India 129-1 (Gill 65, Pujara 22) Green hits 140kph! Seems there’s some sap left in the Australian allrounder after his 170-ball 249-minute innings on days one and two. But he can’t crack the Pujara-Gill union and we go to lunch with a victory for India in that session – 95 runs for the loss of just one wicket.

36th over: India 126-1 (Gill 63, Pujara 21) What a ripper! Murphy cut Gill in half there, landing it in the rough outside off stump and bisecting bat and pad. How did it miss the stumps? In the end it flew over the middle peg and bounced so extravagantly Carey missed it too and it ran away for four byes. Six runs from the over and that brings up the fifty partnership for these two.

35th over: India 120-1 (Gill 62, Pujara 20) Here comes wonderboy! Cameron Smith has been given a chance to break this dangerous partnership but his first ball is offline and Gill cuts it for two. Green gets his radar right next delivery and after sending it down at 135kph from a long lever attached to a 200cm frame, Gill has to dig it out of his armpit. Green batted beautifully for his maiden Test century. He had six fifties and four seventies but three-figures had proven a bridge too far. But he has shrugged the gorilla off his back now and can go forth with confidence that he’s a Test centurion. Did I mention that he has 23 Test wickets at 30 and a best of 5-27 to boot?

34th over: India 118-1 (Gill 60, Pujara 20) Todd Murphy is bowling but Cameron Green is warming up. And just in time as Pujara dances down to Murphy’s second ball and splits the fielders on the onside for a splendid four. Lovely shot by the big marn. He now has 20 at a strike-rate of about 50 and is showing plenty of positive intent with both his feet and his bat (not so much his running). Five from the over and India trail by 362.

33rd over: India 113-1 (Gill 59, Pujara 16) Smith’s faith in Starc is being tested but he stays true to his fast man and throws him the cherry again for a ninth over. He’s coming around the wicket to Gill but India’s batters are knocking him either side for singles and waiting for what they think is the inevitable loose one… and there it is as Pujara drives a full ball to the rope… but not all the way. It’s only two after some handy fielding from Travis Head. Gill thinks there was three to be had there and gives his older partner some lip about it.

32nd over: India 108-1 (Gill 57, Pujara 13) Lyon is resting so his cub, Todd Murphy, will get a spell. Murphy didn’t bowl yesterday but won plenty of praise for his tight lines and pressure bowling in Indore, despite little reward for his toil. Gill is going along at a gallop and Smith needs those runs to evaporate. As usual, Murphy does his job, with Gill only taking one from the over.

31st over: India 107-1 (Gill 56, Pujara 13) Where’s Cameron Green? That’s the question Australian fans are asking. Surely after his 114 with the bat he deserves a whirl with the ball? But still Smith persists with Starc. What’s his plan here? Is he trying to keep air in the tyres of his mercurial quick? Or does he just fancy roughing the footmarks up to the max before the ball goes soft in the later sessions. His delivery stride is kicking up plenty of dust but Starc hasn’t found any of his characteristic reverse swing so far. And Gill is really climbing into him. Starc had a run of four dots going there but then he strays to leg and Gill simply clips it through midwicket for four and a total of six from the over.

30th over: India 101-1 (Gill 51, Pujara 13) Pujara is a big unit but nimble. He steps down to spinners when they’re on a fifth stump line and does again to Lyon here even as he switches from over the wicket to around mid-over. Pujara now has 2004 runs against Australia in Tests and most of those have left scar.

29th over: India 100-1 (Gill 51, Pujara 12) Curious move by Smith! He’s bringing Mitchell Starc back into the attack. Starc was profligate this morning, going for 14 from one over and 12 from another before getting the hook. His line wasn’t right then… and it still isn’t right. Shubman Gill cuts a wide one to the boundary. That’s his FIFTY. Well played, Shub. At 23, he’s a rising star in this India side although his 14 Tests so far have conjured just the one Test century (this is his fifth half-century). But he’s handsome and hungry, as shown when he curses himself for missing the chance to put another Starc half-volley to the fence. Still, six from the over and the India hundred is up.

28th over: India 94-1 (Gill 46, Pujara 11) Virat Kohli is laughing and licking his lips in the India dugout. He is the next-man-in and there’s a growing volume in the crowd as the fans see him on screen and await his arrival at the crease. Huge innings for Kohli – he is currently a staggering 41 innings without a Test century! Just a single for Gill from Nathan Lyon’s 12th over. He has figures of 0-28.

27th over: India 93-1 (Gill 45, Pujara 11) Recognising the threat Pujara poses once set, Steve Smith has an attacking field in place for Kuhnemann’s eighth over. It’s not working though as Gill and Pujara work three singles and a loft over mid wicket for two to take a total of five from the over. India now trail by 387.

26th over: India 87-1 (Gill 43, Pujara 7) Lovely shot by Pujara to take Lyon for two runs through cover. He then skips down daintily to the third for a neat single. Although we haven’t seen his best in this series, Pujara is still name that puts a chill in the marrow of most Australian cricket fans. He made his name with a stoic 72 in a tricky chase against Australia in Bangalore in October 2010 but more notably, was India’s chief destoyer in their historic first series win on Australian soil in 2018-19. In that series Pujara faced 1258 balls across the four Tests and scored three centuries. He takes a third run from this over.

25th over: India 86-1 (Gill 43, Pujara 4) India have the total under 400 now as Pujara and Gill pluck a couple of singles from Kuhnemann’s seventh over. He throws a no ball for overstepping into the bargain to make it three from the over.

24th over: India 81-1 (Gill 42, Pujara 3) Pujara and Lyon resume hostilities. They have been duelling for over a decade now after Pujara made a belated Test debut in 2010 following six seasons of first-class cricket. Apparently that delayed arrival on the international scene was because Pujara’s junior clubs, Saurashtra, and Rajkot, are considered relative backwaters and his home track is one of the flattest tracks in India. Why else would his triple-century aged 14 go under the radar? Anyway, he’s certainly made hay since being given his chance, with over 7000 Test runs at 43 currently against his name.

23rd over: India 78-1 (Gill 40, Pujara 2) Gill takes a single to deep square leg leaving Pujara to prod at Matthew Kuhnemann. The 35-year-old veteran of 102 Tests is chasing his 20th Test century. And he brings it two runs closer by skipping down and sending the fifth ball backward of square. Nice shot by Pujara but he misses the last delivery and there’s a big appeal. The Australians convene over a review but there’s more shrugging than shouting so they let it go. Good call because there’s a big inside edge.

22nd over: India 75-1 (Gill 39, Pujara 0) Big appeal from Lyon! His first ball of the over to Shubman Gill skidded on and made heavy contact with the pad. Lyon liked it a LOT. He spun and screamed, leaning back and flapping his wings like a man falling backwards off a boat. But Smith and Carey weren’t as animated and Australia refuse to review. Just as well. Replays show an inside edge. The formidable figure of Cheteshwar Pujara has set up camp in the middle and after Marnus Labuschagne helps tighten his pads, he sees off his first ball from Lyon.

WICKET! Rohit Sharma c. Labuschagne b. Kuhnemann 35 (India 74-1)

21st over: India 72-1 (Rohit 34, Gill 37) India have taken 36 runs from the 10 overs this morning and they add another two to the total from Kuhnemann’s fifth over. He has 0-8. Hang on, make that 1 for 8!

20th over: India 72-0 (Rohit 34, Gill 37) Lyon is bowling well this morning. Although Mitchell Starc went for plenty in his opening spell he did create some footmarks at the end Lyon is bowling to and that rough is creating a little confusion in the India batters. Rohit and Gill have grafted singles but nothing more and neither can be said to look comfortable against the GOAT.

19th over: India 71-0 (Rohit 33, Gill 37) Between ends Steve Smith had a long chat with the umpire after that rejected review. He’s frustrated that a ball shown to be hitting the stumps has been given not out because it’s outside the line. Sorry Smudge, them’s the breaks. Kuhnemann’s fourth over is tight but toothless. Rohit dabs a single around the corner to get a run but that’s it.

18th over: India 70-0 (Rohit 32, Gill 37) So much depends on Nathan Lyon as the leader of Australia’s spin attack. Rohit takes a single from the first and Gill sends a crowd catch back to the second for no run. There’s an appeal on the third as Gill comes down with a long stride but the shout lacked conviction I thought. The onfield decision is NOT OUT but nonetheless Australia will review… replays show it’s pad first so that’s a start… but ball tracking shows it pitching outside off even though it’s glancing leg stump. So despite the ball shown to be hitting the pegs, because the point of impact is outside the line, Gill survives and Lyon is denied. Australia lose a review but their hope in Lyon will be renewed. Three from the over and India trail by 410 runs.

17th over: India 67-0 (Rohit 31, Gill 35) After 16 first-class games and three Test matches, Kuhnemann rolls in to Shubman Gill. He has made a bright start to his international career with eight wickets so far at the handy average of 23 including a wonderful 5 for 16 in Delhi. India take two from his first over today.

16th over: India 65-0 (Rohit 30, Gill 34) While the runs torrent at the other end, Lyon has them trickling at his. He leaks a single on the final ball but that’s it. Looks like Starc has been sent to the naughty corner by Smith and it will be three-Test leftie Matthew Kuhnemann who will get a go.

15th over: India 64-0 (Rohit 30, Gill 33) Starc has his speed up over 140kph now. That last over will have raised a few of those famously sensitive hackles of his. Again he pings it in short at Rohit but despite the ball getting good steepling bounce Rohit swings hard but can only bunt it short of leg slip. The India skipper gets it right second time though as he takes another ball straying to leg and swipes it around the corner. FOUR! Too full by Starc. And too short, as proven by the loose bouncer he puts in on his final delivery. Rohit’s riposte? Turn, swivel, swing… SIX over the backward square leg boundary! Ten from the over and 24 runs from Starc’s last 12 deliveries. India flying!

14th over: India 54-0 (Rohit 20, Gill 33) Lyon staunches the wound left by Starc’s car crash over, with just two singles coming from it. India trail by 426 runs but at this rate they’ll get there quickly.

13th over: India 52-0 (Rohit 19, Gill 33) Starc rolls in again. No swing for him today so he’s scrambling the seam instead. After a single and a two… BAM! A Shubman Gill shot to scramble Starc’s brain. The big quick put it outside off on a full length and Gill stepped out and brought the blade down like a guillotine to send it careering to the boundary. That was so worrying a sign for Australia Steve Smith has rushed over to chat to his bowler. Starc will come around the wicket instead it’s decided… but it doesn’t matter if you bowl wide and short as Gill takes it off his chest and gloves it over his shoulder for another boundary. To the last, Gill steps back and swats it down the ground for three. A pulverising over for India – 14 runs from it and the fifty partnership is up already.

12th over: India 38-0 (Rohit 18, Gill 19) Nathan Lyon will resume at the other end. The 35-year-old offie had 0-14 from his three overs yesterday and has started over the wicket today to Shubman Gill, flinging them down between 87-95kph. Lots of oohs and aahs but no breakthrough as Lyon starts with a maiden.

11th over: India 38-0 (Rohit 18, Gill 19) Day 3 is away! Mitchell Starc is kicking us off and Rohit Sharma is on strike. Straight away we have a single from the first delivery as Starc over-pitches on middle and is worked away on the leg side. Gill flicks the fourth away for a run too as Starc strays onto the same trajectory. Two from the over and India now trail by 442.

Everyone’s still raving about Usman Khawaja’s epic 180 yesterday. It was the third-highest Test score by an Australian in India, behind only Dean Jones’s courageous 210 in the Tied Test in Chennai in 1986 and Matthew Hayden’s 203, also in Chennai in 2001.

Haydos has already told us plenty about the latter in his TV commentary so, as we wait for the players to take the field, let’s revisit Deano’s incredible knock – his first Test century in just his third Test and “one of the greatest ever played”…

For those who came in late, here’s how Geoff Lemon saw Day 2…

Preamble