Despite all the injuries and other challenges, Team India put up a brilliant display on a Day-Five of the third Test and pulled off a historic draw. With Australia needing just eight wickets on the final day, not many backed the visitors to save the match. Moreover, India lost their skipper Ajinkya Rahane in the second over of day's play. Tim Paine's men were on cloud nine but what followed was history. Cheteshwar Pujara's solid defence frustrated the bowling team while Rishabh Pant's counter-attacking knock of 97 was salt in the injury. Nevertheless, the two set batsmen was dismissed in the second session of day five, and the Aussies were back in the hunt. India vs Australia 3rd Test 2021 Day 5 Highlights.
Notably, Ravindra Jadeja fractured his thumb earlier in the game which virtually made India another wicket down. Aussies were optimistic as they needed five wickets in the last session at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Two batsmen who haven't done much in the series, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin had an uphill task at hand. Despite all the odds, the duo batted for more than 40 overs as India managed a draw. The exciting game also shattered the record books courtesy some brilliant effort from both sides. Meanwhile, let's look at the stat highlights of the game. Rishabh Pant Misses Century by Three Runs! Twitterati Salute Young Batsman.
India vs Australia 3rd Test Stat Highlights:
# The last time India batted out 100+ overs in the 4th innings of any Test was at Lord's in 2002 (109.4 overs).
# Rishabh Pant is the only Indian wicket-keeper to be dismissed in nervous 90s in the fourth innings of a Test.
# Cheteshwar Pujara completed 6000th Test runs.
# Pujara scored his first fifty-plus score in the fourth innings of a Test outside India.
# Pant now holds the record of scoring most runs among visiting Asian wicket-keepers in Tests in Australia, going past Syed Kirmani's 471 runs.
# Pant becomes the youngest keeper (23y 95d) to score 50-plus runs in the 4th innings of a Test in Australia.
# Pant registered his 10th consecutive 25-plus score in Tests in Australia.
With the third Test ending a draw, the four-match series remains levelled at 1-1. The four and final Test takes place at the Gabba, Brisbane and will get underway on January 15. Ajinkya Rahane's troop has many positives to take out from SCG but they'll have a problem of fielding a potent playing XI. While Ravindra Jadeja is already ruled out of the fixture, Rishabh Pant and Hanuma Vihari's participation is also under the scanner. Hence, the home team must be determined to get a win in Brisbane.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2021 12:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).