India has pulled off one of the most remarkable results in its Test cricket history, batting for 131 overs and through the entirety of day five to claim a draw in the third Test in Sydney.
Australia took only three wickets on the day, as India defied a mounting injury toll and what was expected to be an uneven pitch to finish at 5-334, 73 short of an even more unlikely victory.
All of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin will be feted as heroes in India after a spirited fight against the progressively weary, desperate and frustrated Australians.
Few expected anything other than an Australian procession on day five, especially when the Aussies struck in the second over of the day as Nathan Lyon had captain Ajinkya Rahane caught.
It was a surprise to see Rishabh Pant come to the middle at the fall of that wicket, not just because he was unable to keep wickets due to an elbow injury, but because he was elevated from number six to number five in the batting order, clearly with the intention of increasing the run rate alongside Cheteshwar Pujara.
And it worked a treat, with Rishabh scoring 73 of India’s 108 runs in the first session of the day, all for the loss of just Rahane, putting them on pace for an unlikely victory.
Rishabh and Pujara continued to frustrate Australia for the first 45 minutes after lunch as Pujara reached his second half-century for the match and Rishabh powered towards a ton.
But the aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman went for one slog too many and sliced Lyon to backward point, falling just three runs short of a century.
India’s chances of scoring an unlikely victory took arguably a bigger not long after when Josh Hazlewood found the top of Pujara’s off stump, sending the bails flying.
Adding to the pain, the last recognised batsman, Vihari, had just pulled up lame while running between wickets and was hobbled by an apparent hamstring injury for the rest of his innings.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja padded up in the stands, despite sustaining a broken and dislocated thumb in the first innings that prevented him from fielding in the second innings.
All that meant a charge for victory was basically off the cards and Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin pivoted to survival mode, making it to tea with five wickets in hand, but still 127 runs from victory with 36 overs left.
It set the scene for what loomed a thrilling final session. In truth, Vihari and Ashwin had it covered themselves.
There were scares, mostly early in the final session. Ashwin was given out first ball back, but was reprieved when the DRS correctly spotted that a Cummins short ball hit arm guard, not glove, on its way to keeper Tim Paine.
Ashwin rode his luck for a while, and was dropped at square leg by sub fielder Sean Abbott, but looked more and more settled as the session progressed.
Runs were no longer an issue, not least because Vihari was physically unable to run between wickets, so India simply shut up shop. Australia, despite its increasing desperation, could find no way through.
Tensions flared as stumps approached as Paine attempted to break Ashwin’s concentration with some heated words behind the stumps, but the Indians had the last laugh when Paine dropped a diving chance off a Vihari edge.
That miss from a rare chance, with only a handful of overs remaining, was to be the final blow for Australia. It was symbolic of Australia’s frayed tempers throughout the Test, and the many small mistakes it made on the final day which cost it victory.
India’s draw means the series will be decided at the Gabba. A win or draw will see India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, meaning nothing but victory will suffice for Australia.
Look back at how an incredible day of Test cricket unfolded in our live blog.
Live updates
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IT’S A DRAW! What an effort by India’s batsmen!
India made it through 131 overs, with Ravi Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari negotiating just under 43 of them – 256 balls to be precise. And all that against a legitimately great bowling attack.
It’s worth remembering Rishabh Pant’s thrilling 97 that gave them hope of pulling off a frankly outlandish win, and Cheteshwar Pujara’s 77 off 205, which kept the dream alive.
Ajinkya Rahane fell in the SECOND OVER of the day. Australia took two wickets for the rest of the day. Amazing resilience by India, but Australia will have some questions to answer.
Tim Paine dropped three chances and the Australian bowling attack struggled to produce many others.
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Australia v India: Third Test at the SCG
By Jon Healy
Where the series sits now
Against all the odds, India is taking a 1-1 scoreline into the last Test at the Gabba.
Australia hasn’t lost a Test in Brisbane since 1988, but they have drawn there as recently as 2012 against South Africa (remember that series that included a famous draw where the opposition batted out the entire last day and change?) and India only needs a draw now to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
They won it in 2018/19 when Australia was depleted by bans to David Warner and Steve Smith over the ball-tampering ban, and now India is threatening to flip the script, possible tying the series despite beying without Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav. And now carrying injuries to Rishabh Pant (although he seemed OK today), Ravindra Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari.
Wow.
I cannot wait to see what happens at the Gabba. And I hope you’ll all join us again when that Test starts on Friday. Until then, congratulations India, and damn damn damn.
By Jon Healy
‘Great bowling attack”…where?
-Koala55
Even legends are entitled to off days every now and then.
By Jon Healy
Imaging what India could have done if they actually decided to play.
-Bored
This is the wrong opinion.
By Jon Healy
2 overs left – Mitchell Starc will bowl the penultimate over
Four off the pads. 11 balls left.
Defended to cover. 10 to go.
Through him! An absolute beauty from around the wicket, swinging away and going past the outside edge. Such a good ball.
AND AGAIN! Where was this three hours ago? 8 balls left. The Cricinfo website has been crashed for hours.
Left alone outside off. Starc has one ball left.
Defended. And they’re calling it!
By Jon Healy
3 overs left – 18 balls to get 5 wickets for Australia
BANG! They’re going for the win! Short and crushed on the hook by Ashwin.
Short again by Hazlewood and Ashwin punches down the ground for two. He’s batting brilliantly. Some of these shots are legitimately excellent.
Hazlewood is nowhere near the stumps here. Too short.
Hazlewood pulls out of his run-up. The suspense builds.
A flash outside off and the ball goes searing past the edge. Interesting choice of shot at this stage.
And driven down the ground. The over negotiated.
By Daniel Colasimone
Hope fades
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Alex Blackwell can’t see a lot of positive body language out there.
“Australia just need to be thinking ‘it’s five deliveries’
“But they look quite deflated.
“They have been going with the short bowling and the surprise full delivery, but I think they could have reversed that.”
By Jon Healy
4 overs left – Nope. Starc again.
Starc is having his best spell of the game, but I don’t know. Maybe Cummins is gassed from carrying such a load.
Meanwhile Vihari is defending like a beast. There’s just nothing that can be done to penetrate the defence.
Rank one down leg.
CRACK! Four runs on the cut thank you very much. That brings up the 50 partnership for this pair. IN 247 BALLS!
By Jon Healy
Time for a miracle? Smith and Warner to have a bowl to try and save Australia with the ball as they have countless times with the bat?
-Richard
Nope. Hazlewood and Cummins. It has to be them.
By Jon Healy
5 overs left – Hazlewood replaces Lyon
And you’d think Cummins will replace Starc. That feels like Australia’s only recourse now.
The first is down leg, and almost strangled down there.
A stifled shout for LBW. Good line and length, but Ashwin belted it with the bat.
Every ball that can be left alone is like gold for India.
A decent short ball is well evaded by Ashwin. Can Hazlewood hit the top of off?
Runs! But more importantly, another full, swinging delivery kept out.
Another punch off the back foot, but it pulls up short of the rope, and the batsmen stay put. But that’s another over ticked off.
By Jon Healy
Surely they’ll put Cummins out for Starc – Starc is off form today.
-Doc
He is, but he also created the most genuine chance for hours.
By Jon Healy
6 overs – Who we got now? It’s Starc again, for one last chance you’d think
He’s around the wicket and Vihari is blunting the ball behind point. Is there enough movement to get ANOTHER genuine edge behind?
Only 5,852 people here today. This Indian effort probably deserved more.
Clipped off the thigh and it doesn’t carry to Cummins at leg gully. Wasn’t entirely under control but pretty good.
Wade goes into a close gully position, with a helmet on. And the ball comes his way. But not through the air.
He beats the edge one more time for good measure, and then the last ball of the over is a rank wide one. That will probably be the last we see of him today.
By Jon Healy
7 overs left – Nathan Lyon to Ashwin
Ashwin is doing brilliantly against Lyon, who just can’t find that turn and bounce.
He drives at one, and it’s off the inside edge! Big gate there. A bit more turn and that’s gone. God the margins are fine in this game.
Maiden. India continues to survive.
By Daniel Colasimone
Over the top sledging from Paine?
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Andrew Moore: “A lot of listeners very critical of Tim Paine and his sledging of Ravi Ashwin.”
Stuart Clark: “I don’t know what he was saying but he was talking as Ashwin tapped the bat, and he pulled away. Then he’d talk again and he’d pull away.”
By Jon Healy
Well you now what they say Mr Paine Catches win Matches.
-Josho
Gobbing off and dropping catches is never a good combo. Paine has really set himself up for a merciless grilling here.
By Jon Healy
8 overs left – Starc gets another go. I feel like I’m losing my mind.
And he’s beaten the edge first up. Very late in the day to start bowling grenades.
I don’t see how they take five wickets at this point.
Half a shout as a full one goes past the outside edge. Vihari hit the ground. Also, that yorker has to get on the stumps.
There it is. Great yorker from wide on the crease, but well dug out. Late in the day, the pace is a bit lower than Starc would like.
By Daniel Colasimone
That was the chance
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Stuart Clark on that dropped catch:
“He should have taken it.
“David Warner was there as well.
“There are moments in the game, aren’t there?
“There are moments and you just have to take them.”
Audience comment by Jo
Maybe stop trying to put the batsman off with chat and concentrate so that you can do your job catching behind the wicket.
By Jon Healy
