Border-Gavaskar Trophy: 3 moments from IND vs AUS 3rd Test that created buzz among fans
India were handed a crushing defeat by Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Indore within three days. The rejuvenated Australian side under Steve Smith's captaincy have finally shown some character and have made a strong comeback in the series.
One might argue that the visitors won the Test on the first day itself when they managed to bundle out the opposition for 109 runs in just about one and a half sessions.
They managed to get a lead of 88 runs in their first innings, which proved to be too much for the hosts as they couldn't quite post a challenging total. Despite the best efforts from Cheteshwar Pujara (59), the target of 76 was never really going to challenge the Aussies.
On that note, let's take a look at three moments that created a buzz among fans:
#3 Ravindra Jadeja's no-ball
#IndvAus Jadeja gets Marnus Labuschagne BOWLED but off a NO BALL.. Blunder from Jadeja..
Sunny G in the commentary box very unhappy with this.. https://t.co/NhGtOFrsBD
Ravindra Jadeja has been a habitual offender when it comes to bowling no-balls and he has already taken wickets off a no-ball on two occasions in the series. While those two instances didn't cost India much, he repeated the mistake in the Indore Test and that hurt the hosts badly.
After putting just 109 runs on the board, Rohit Sharma and Co. looked to pick up quick wickets to ensure that they restrict Australia to as low a score as possible. They struck early by dismissing Travis Head and could have had Marnus Labuschagne too with just 14 runs on the board.
However, after Jadeja cleaned up Labuschagne, the celebrations didn't last long as the third umpire signaled a no-ball. This was a huge let-off as Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja added 96 runs for the second wicket and laid the foundation for a solid first-innings lead.
#2 Usman Khawaja's stunning catch to dismiss Shreyas Iyer
What a catch from Usmam Khawaja 🤩🔥
#BGT #UsmanKhawaja #Australia https://t.co/YkOl3oIMvY
Shreyas Iyer was going to be crucial to his team's chances of putting up a fighting total in the second innings as they trailed by 88 runs. By the time they took the lead, the hosts had already lost four wickets.
Cheteshwar Pujara was doing well at one end and he needed someone to stick around and score brisk runs at the other end. Iyer played that role to perfection with a breezy cameo of 26 from 277 balls. He scored a flurry of boundaries and sixes to suddenly boost India's scoring rate after tea on Day 3.
At one point, it seemed like Iyer would take the game away from the hosts. But it wasn't to be as Usman Khawaja completed an incredible catch at short mid-wicket to dismiss Iyer. The batter was stunned and distraught as he was in the zone and could have damaged Australia's hopes.
#1 Steve Smith's one-handed screamer to end Cheteshwar Pujara's long vigil
Could this be a match-turning catch by @stevesmith49 to dismiss @cheteshwar1 for a determined 59 #INDvAUS #classic https://t.co/RFHO4lEdWV
Cheteshwar Pujara was arguably the only batter to show some kind of resolve in the hosts' second innings. He scored a fantastic 59 off 142 balls and produced a masterclass on how to play spin bowling on such a rank-turner.
Although wickets fell at regular intervals, India had hopes of posting a target in excess of 120 as long as Pujara was there at the crease. However, right towards the end of play on Day 2, Pujara tried to work a delivery from Nathan Lyon to square leg and ended up getting a fine edge.
The ball seemed to be traveling to the fine leg fence, but Steve Smith at leg slip had other plans. The stand-in Australian skipper stretched low to his right and completed a one-handed screamer to send Pujara packing.
While fans were stunned, the visitors were ecstatic as they knew they had gotten the big fish. Axar Patel eventually ran out of partners, and the hosts could only post a target of 76, which was easily chased down by the Aussies.