India on Saturday were bowled out for 244 runs in the first innings of the third Test against Australia to concede a 94-run lead at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Pat Cummins was the best bowler for the host with his 4/29.
After the early wickets of stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane (22) and Hanuma Vihari (4), Cheteshwar Pujara (50) and Rishabh Pant (36) tried to restore some pride.
India had managed to score 84 runs for just two wickets in the first session after starting Day 3 at 96/2 with Rahane and Pujara at the crease.
However, the post-lunch period proved to be detrimental for the tourists as they succumbed to the efforts of Cummins and Josh Hazlewood with the new ball. India lost four wickets for 15 runs to lose track.
Cummins was the first to get under India’s skin as he hit Pant on his elbow. The left-hanided wicketkeeper-batsman seemed to have got rattled after that and went for an expansive drive off Hazlewood only to edge it to first slip.
Pujara was the next to fall, in the next over, as he nicked a back-of-the-length delivery from Cummins to wicketkeeper Tim Paine.
That opened up the tail. R Ashwin and Navdeep Saini followed soon after and so did Jasprit Bumrah.
The last wicket between Ravindra Jadeja (28 not out) and Mohammed Siraj added 28 runs with Jadeja doing bulk of the scoring.
As many as three batsmen were run out — Vihari, Ashwin and Bumrah.
For Australia, while Cummins took four wickets, Hazlewood took 2/43 and Starc 1/61.
Earlier on Day 2, Australia’s premier batsman Steve Smith found his form back as he scored a brilliant hundred on Friday. His innings of 131 runs took Australia’s total to 338 runs before they were bundled in the second session
Apart from Smith, who unfortunately got run out to bring an end to Australia’s first innings, Marnus Labuschagne made a significant contribution of 91 before falling short of his fifth Test ton. The duo was also a part of more than hundred runs partnership.
Debutant opener Will Pucovski had also scored 62 on the rain-hit first day of the Test match.
For India, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers as he returned with figures of 4/62 in his 18 overs.
Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Navdeep Saini picked two wickets each while Mohammed Siraj scalped one. Ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, however, went wicket-less in the 24 overs he bowled and conceded 74 runs.
Brief scores:
Australia 338 vs India 244 (S Gill 50, C Pujara 50, R Pant 36, R Jadeja 28 not out, P Cummins 4/29, J Hazlewood 2/43)