ICC World Test Championship points table (Updated) as on January 11
Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin had the most impactful Indian partnership in the ICC World Test Championship so far. The two Indian cricketers ensured the Australian cricket team does not take an unassailable lead in the series by frustrating them for almost 50 overs.
Vihari and Ashwin played 259 deliveries between themselves in the fourth innings at SCG, aggregating only 62 runs. The Australian bowlers looked helpless as they could not give their team a victory despite dismissing three Indian batsmen inside 36 overs.
The hosts batted first and posted 338 runs on the board in the first innings, riding on Steve Smith's century. Marnus Labuschagne supported Smith to perfection with a half-ton, while Will Pucovski also scored a half-century in his first Test inning.
Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers for the Indian cricket team, with figures of 4/62, while Navdeep Saini and Jasprit Bumrah scalped two wickets each.
India got off to a good start in their first innings as Shubman Gill, and Cheteshwar Pujara registered a fifty each. However, the middle-order could not contribute much, and Australia took a 94-run first-innings lead. Pat Cummins topped the bowling charts with a four-wicket haul for the home side.
Smith and Labuschagne dominated the Indian bowlers again in the second innings as their half-centuries expanded Australia's lead to 406. Even Cameron Green played a vital 84-run knock, batting at number six.
Chasing 407 to win, Rohit Sharma's half-century gave the Indian cricket team the start they needed. Sharma had a 22-over long opening stand with Gill. However, India lost three wickets in the space of 13.3 overs. Nevertheless, Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, and Ravichandran Ashwin made sure India did not lose this ICC World Test Championship match.
Pant missed his well-deserved hundred by three runs, whereas Pujara managed 77 runs from 205 deliveries. Eventually, Ashwin and Vihari put together an unbeaten 62-run stand that lasted from the 89th over to the 131st over as India recorded their first draw in the ICC World Test Championship.
Here's a look at the updated ICC World Test Championship points table after the third IND v AUS Test.
ICC World Test Championship Points Table
The gap between New Zealand and the top two teams has reduced after the third IND v AUS Test ended in a stalemate. The Indian cricket team is only 0.2% points ahead of the Kiwis on the ICC World Test Championship standings.
The fourth IND v AUS Test will likely give the fans a clear picture of New Zealand's position. It is pertinent to note the Indian cricket team has a home series left against England in the ICC World Test Championship.