Third Test Drawn: Fine Rearguard Action By India
Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
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By Slogger
First publised on 2021-01-11 07:48:22
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Holding an extreme view and carting the ball out of the park is what interests him most. He is a hard hitter at all times. Fasten your seatbelts and read.
View all posts by this Author
The Indian cricket team put up a solid rearguard action to take the third Test versus Australia to a draw. But fans were left imagining what could have happened and how Indian could have easily won the match if Ajinkye Rahane was not deceived by Nathan Lyon early in the day or if Rishabh Pant did not have a rush of blood after playing a superb knock that scared the Australians or if Cheteshawar Pujara did not get out just as he showed signs of opening up. But these are too many ifs and a draw was what India should have played for after Pant got out, especially as there were no demons in the pitch.
It showed the resolve of the Indian team that it did not allow the Australians to get on top and were not daunted by the high score they had to make to win. Early in the day, the way Pujara and Pant batted, it was clear that the Indians had come out with a positive frame of mind and were willing to go for it. The shutters were never downed and the asking rate was always within striking distance as long as they were batting.
Pant was batting beautifully despite an elbow injury. He was dancing down the pitch to counter Lyon and was playing awesome shots which pegged back the Aussies. They tried to rattle Pant with Steve Smith (as identified by his jersey number) trying to unsettle him by scuffing out his guard marker during a drinks interval. But Pant showed a cool and calculating head on his young shoulders till the rush of blood which made him hit a six and a four just before he got out.
Injured Hanuma Vihari (he pulled a hamstring while batting and was unable to run at all) and Ravichandran Ashwin downed the shutters in an exemplary manner and did not allow the Australians to rattle them with close in fielders and constant chattering. The Australians tried everything, icnulding bouncing the ball to hit the Indian batsmen. Vihari was hit on the helmet and Ashiwn on the midriff and both were in pain and had to be attended to. But in the end, they prevailed and did not allow the Australians to run away with the match.
