Pujara, Saha give India crucial lead over Australia

Kohli made six runs facing 23 balls and India were 225/3 in the 81st over.

With Josh Hazlewood (1-66) operating, India were struggling to find runs in the final session and the pressure eventually got the better of Nair, who was castled by the 26-year-old. Ian Gould judged the right-hander lbw, but India again successfully reviewed.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha.

Now, the unbroken seventh-wicket partnership between Pujara and Saha stands at 175 runs as the visitors remained wicketless in the day’s play.

In the morning session, Vijay hit a gutsy 82 before undoing his hard work by being stumped off O’Keefe at the stroke of lunch.

Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe bowled 77 overs to pick up figures of 3/199. India have a healthy lead of 129 heading into the final day’s play. The Aussie camp jumped in joy at seeing the back of the danger man.

The pair would show great patience and would bat through two sessions without giving Australia a look in. Pujara and Saha added 199 runs, which is the highest stand for India against Australia for the seventh wicket.

Though, both teams fight very well in the third day but specially Pujara and Aussie bowler Cummins were destructive.

There were some anxious moments early on as he survived on 22 while trying to play a forward defence only to be trapped in front.

Frustration: Australian players watch another failed review. Murali Vijay, on his return, enjoyed the relative lack of bite from the wicket, to get himself into groove with a typically patient innings. Saha was given out leg before in the second over of the day, but the ball seemed to be missing leg on the referral. The fast bowler from New South Wales hampered India’s progress further, when Ajinkya Rahane (14) edged a wide delivery to the keeper.

After a fractured foot ended spearhead Mitchell Starc’s India tour, the selectors took a gamble of sorts by plucking Cummins out of domestic cricket and planting him into the team for the third Test against India.

“I don’t think it was directed at anything, I just think when you lose your two reviews it’s a bit of a relief to the opposition and he probably just showed that”, Australia’s bowling coach David Saker said.