In Pics: India vs Australia, Bengaluru Test (Day 3)

It’s a ball which kept low to beat Ashwin. Crucially, Australia will have to bat fourth in this match. With backs to the wall, Virat Kohli and Co. had to put up a monumental effort to claw back into the match. They still have four wickets in hand – and a big advantage, overall. Off spinner Nathan Lyon, who took eight wickets in India’s paltry 189 in the first innings, went wicket less.

Cheteshwar Pujara, since posting 73 at Adelaide in December 2014, has recorded his first fifty in nine innings against Australia – 79 not out. I think the Indian quicks bowled really well for a majority of Sunday.

“That’s when we play our best cricket”. The team has stuck together and not letting the game get away from us. India resumed their second innings in a risk-free fluid way.

Bowling: Second innings: India: Ishant Sharma 6-1-28-1; R Ashwin 8.5-1-35-3; Umesh Yadav 6-1-26-2; Ravindra Jadeja 7-4-3-0.

To watch your team being outplayed and out mastered by an opponent that has struggled in these conditions for more than a decade is odd and surprising for few people but when you look at things closely, it was always coming. “Patience will be an invaluable asset to possess especially for India’s bowlers”. It wasn’t easy for the fast bowlers because there wasn’t much help. “Sometimes it’s hard to change that little line and execute”. Spinners did very well. So, they finished the second day of the match by scoring 237 runs so far. In a way it was victory for us.

Matthew Wade’s 40 is his second highest score vs India in Tests, next only to 62 at Hyderabad in March 2013.

Rahul, who has been one of the better performers of the Indian side this series, smashed a delightful 51 runs off 85 balls with four boundaries. Can India repeat 2001 Kolkata Test?

But Pujara and Rahane were resilient, and India survived a session unscathed for the first time in the series. But I saw the guys behind and square of the wicket were pretty confident, and obviously it got given out.

Both camps launched a charm offensive on the eve of the four-Test series, showering the opposition with plaudits and speaking with nothing but reverence. But however, Aussie players have successfully passed the Test as well.

Wriddhiman Saha walked in to deny Starc his hattrick with an inside edge on to his pads even as the Australians came up with another loud appeal for lbw.