This was one crazy day at the Gabba! Despite all odds and Australian aggression, India won the third Test without a follow-on with some strong bowling from KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and a last-wicket stand by Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah. I bet they were celebrating in the Indian dressing room!
In their innings, India began with a hiccup in their line and were on shaky grounds with 74/5 when wickets fell first. And then there was KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, the couple who said enough was enough.
Rahul was patient and accurate in his shots with his patience on the wicket as he got a cool 85. Jadeja showed off his usual aggression for a valiant 77. They combined to form India’s best pair of the innings for 67 runs.
Rahul, who got caught by Steve Smith on the first ball of the day, took advantage of that. He had such beautiful square drives, and he never got tired of hitting and defending at the perfect times. The latter, however, countered Rahul’s style with his own version of physicality, drilling a six off Nathan Lyon before swerving around the ball.
Then, in the nick of time when all seemed well with India, Australia came roaring back. Rahul first was out for a well-timed catch off an unforgettably wicketless Smith, then Cummins and Starc took it from there, with India being reduced to three wickets down and needing 51 runs to escape the follow-on.
READ MORE: Jasprit Bumrah’s Call for Patience Amid Bowling Transition
The vast majority of people would have dismissed India by now. Three tailenders remaining, and Australia sniffing blood with two veteran pacers in Cummins and Starc? It was almost inevitable. But then Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah kept the hopes up by being as solid as hitters.
Both had contributed an unbeaten 39 runs for the last wicket, and played with the determination that can turn the tide of a whole game. Bumrah, in particular, showed nerves of steel, once taking a six off Pat Cummins! Deep was not too far behind, cutting one over the slips and then guiding another into the stands to take India past the follow-on line.
The Gabba crowd whimpered, the Aussie bowlers appeared tired, and the Indian batting order – so frail before – now had a steely spine.
For Australia, it was a maddening day at the office. Already lacked Josh Hazlewood who was off with a calf strain, Cummins and Starc took on a great deal of the responsibility. As hard as they tried, they missed the fatal strike. Even Lyon, who has always been so good at these things, failed to produce the answer.
And, make matters worse, brief rain delays kept interrupting the play, further clogging their schedules. By the time India finally got over that sacred 246 mark – to the delight of their fans – Australia’s bowlers were burnt out.
This India opposition saves them in the game and perhaps even the series! Yes, they are 193 runs back of Australia’s first innings 445 but the avoidance of the follow-on under these conditions is an achievement itself. And it’s given India more precious time in a rain-affected game where each hour counts.
For the Aussies, back to the drawing board. This time, they’ll have to bat again and go for quick runs if they want to have the time to get a win on the final day. But when the bowling is falling, when the Indian team cannot budge, nothing is certain.
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Can the Aussies win with these stumbles in their wake? Or will India ride this resilience all the way to a improbable draw? Either way, it’s going to be one heck of a finale! Stay tuned!
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