IND vs AUS 2024, 3rd Test: India Player Ratings as Rohit Sharma & Co. survive rain-affected clash
Rain intervened ahead of a tense chase for India in the fourth innings as the third Test against Australia ended in a draw on Wednesday, December 18. Rohit Sharma and Co. were set a target of 275 in under two sessions, but only 13 balls of play were possible before the heavens opened up.
The entirety of the third Test was a stop-start affair, with the Aussies having the edge throughout the encounter. Travis Head and Steve Smith's stellar tons gave the hosts the advantage, but it didn't amount to a win in the end. The five-match rubber remains square at 1-1.
On that note, here are India's player ratings from the third Test against Australia.
IND vs AUS 2024, 3rd Test: Bumrah, Rahul and Jadeja shine for India
Rohit Sharma: 1/10
India's skipper looked bereft of answers both with the bat and on the field once again. He was dismissed cheaply by Pat Cummins and his bowling plans against Head and Smith seemed rather dull. Rohit needs to get his act together as the series progresses.
Yashasvi Jaiswal: 3/10
Jaiswal has been troubled by Mitchell Starc throughout the series, and the same continued in Brisbane. He was sent back off the second ball he faced, leaving India with a big ask in the second innings. The opener needs to do better.
Shubman Gill: 2/10
Gill's tendency to get sucked into drives got him into trouble against Starc, who found it all too easy to nick him off. Like Jaiswal, the young batter needs to be more prudent with his strokeplay.
Virat Kohli: 1/10
Speaking of getting sucked into drives, Kohli fell in all-too-familiar fashion. The veteran batter is a shadow of his former self, and his refusal to change his approach has been rather shocking to see. India won't be able to put up a fight in the remaining two Tests if their former skipper doesn't make drastic alterations to his gameplan.
Rishabh Pant: 4/10
Pant, who is arguably India's most impactful Test batter, hasn't been able to get going in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far. The southpaw was once again sent back by an angled-across delivery from Pat Cummins, who has been on top of his bowling plans.
KL Rahul: 8.5/10
Rahul was assured at the top of the order once again, with his brilliant 86 helping India avoid the follow-on. He was lucky to be dropped early on the fourth morning but made the most of the reprieve to keep his team afloat in the contest.
Nitish Kumar Reddy: 7/10
Reddy was decent with both bat and ball, although his returns in both departments don't jump out of the scorecard. The pace-bowling all-rounder did his bit alongside Ravindra Jadeja and got rid of Marnus Labuschagne in the first innings.
Ravindra Jadeja: 7.5/10
Playing his first game of the series, Jadeja was ineffective with the ball. Bowling to a rampaging Head and Smith, the left-arm spinner dished out way too many looseners and couldn't extract any purchase from the wicket. With the bat, though, he showed why he is one of India's most valuable players. Jadeja's splendid half-century took the visitors close to avoiding the follow-on in challenging conditions.
Akash Deep: 7/10
Deep finished the first innings with only one wicket, but he was one of India's best bowlers. The quick was unlucky not to get more rewards for his consistency and seam movement, and he also made an invaluable lower-order contribution for the last wicket.
Jasprit Bumrah: 9.5/10
Bumrah, needless to say, was once again the pick of the Indian bowlers. He finished the Test with nine wickets to his name, and his six-fer in the first innings almost single-handedly kept the bowling unit in the game. If that wasn't enough, the pacer also helped India avoid the follow-on.
Mohammed Siraj: 6/10
Siraj struggled with a niggle throughout the Test, and while he wasn't at his best, he finished the contest with four scalps. It'll be interesting to see if India persist with him in Melbourne.