Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/INDORE: Cheteshwar Pujara kept India alive in the third test match against Australia after the touring side bagged a handy first-innings lead of 88 runs on day-two of the contest in Indore on Thursday.
Australia lost their last six wickets for just elven runs to be all out for 197 in reply to Indian team’s first-innings 109 on the raging turner at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. The Indians slumped to 54-3 in their second innings of the test match before Pujara, batting on 36, steadied ship and guided them to 79-4 at tea. Shreyas Iyer had yet to open his account, and India was still nine runs behind at the break.
Australia’s earlier dominance
Earlier, the Australian team looked in command at 186-4, and there was no indication of their impending collapse, with Cameron Green and Peter Handscomb looking rather easy against the spinners.
After the opening hour of high risk-free accumulation of runs, both the batsmen cut down in successive overs, which triggered the collapse. Ashwin (3-44) induced the inside edge from Handscomb, and Iyer took the sharp catch at the short leg to break the dour fifth-wicket stand.
Handscomb, who was trying to defend a ball, soaked up 98 deliveries for his 19. Meanwhile, Green fell for 21 in the next over, trapped lbw by Umesh Yadav, who generated enough reverse swing to trouble the Australian team tail.
Todd Murphy and Mitchell Starc also lost their off-stumps to the seamer, who finished with 3-12.
