India pull off "Heist of the Decade" at SCG | India vs Australia 3rd Test Match Review |

 

Crores of cricket fans were glued to the edge of their seats till the very last ball of the 3rd Test Match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was bowled as this match really went down the wire. All 22 players gave it their absolute best for 5 complete days of enthrilling cricket, creating a historical test match in the process.

How did it all unfold? Well read the entire article to know more.

Playing XI : The hosts made two changes as previously injured David Warner was back in the playing XI ahead of Joe Burns and Will Pucovski was making his debut in place of Travis Head. The visitors had made a couple of changes as well. Rohit Sharma was back in action after missing out on 2 months of cricket, replacing Mayank Agarwal and Navdeep Saini was making his debut ahead of an injured Umesh Yadaav.

1st Innings : THE "BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION" GIVE THE INDIAN BOWLERS A TOUGH TIME

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Australia had a decent start to their innings despite the early wicket of Warner 5(8); courtesy of Marnus Labuschagne and the debutant Pucovski. The duo batted with vigour and added a 100 run stand before golden boy Will was dismissed after a hard earned innings of 62 by his fellow debutant, Navdeep Saini. Steven Smith joined the party as he and his protégé; Labuschagne added another 100 vital runs to the tally. Marnus was dismissed for 91 by Jadeja and missed out on a well deserved 100. His batting partner, however, batted till the very end, scoring his first hundred in quite a long time, and ending his innings with 131 runs to his name. The lower middle order and tail enders could hardly contribute runs as the Indian bowlers kept striking at regular intervals. Apart from Wade (13) and an aggressive cameo from Starc (24), all other remaining batsmen got out for either a duck (0) or 1. Jadeja was the pick amongst the bowlers, grabbing a 4-fer and registering figures of 18-3-62-4. His contributions in the field were crucial as well, running out of Steve Smith towards the end of the innings. Bumrah and Saini picked up braces as well. The Kangaroos were halted at 338. 

2nd Innings : ANSWER TO CUMMINS - ERROR - 404 NOT FOUND!

India's response to the Australian total was decent at first. Sharma and Gill put up a 70 run opening stand before Rohit was dismissed by Hazlewood for 26. Cheteshwar Pujara and Gill both scored individual half centuries but couldn't capitalise on the momentum gained, both falling victim to Patrick Cummins. Rahane (22) and Pant (36) had decent starts too but both of them failed to convert it into something big as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Ravindra Jadeja was left fighting the metaphorical battle alone with 28 runs to his name as the tailenders could barely add much to the total. India was subjected to a mere score of 244, falling short of 94 runs than what the Aussies scored. The Australians kept things super tight on their end and kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Only two 50+ partnerships (70, 53) were made during the innings as this showed how consistent the hosts were with the ball. Pat Cummins lead the wicket taker's chart with figures of 21.4-10-29-4 as Hazlewood picked up a brace as well. 

3rd Innings : RUNS GALORE AT THE SCG

The only possible way for India to have a grip on the match was to restrict the Aussies under 200 runs and prey that they could chase the target. Were they able to do so? Well for about the first hour of play, yes. Early wickets in the form of Warner (13) and Pucovski (10) gave India a glimmer of hope. This hope didn't last long as Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith came to bat. The duo added yet another century partnership to their name, scoring 73 and 81 runs respectively. Matthew Wade was dismissed cheaply again by Saini for 4 (11) as Australia looked to be at the back foot at 208-5. Cameron Green, however, had other ideas. The young all-rounder played a crucial knock of 84 filled with hard hitting shots all around the park as he earned the respect from everyone watching. He joined hands with the Australian skipper, Tim Paine (39*) to add another 104 runs to the total as Australia declared it's 2nd innings during Tea at Day 4 at 312-6, having an almost invincible lead of 406 runs. India's fielding was poor as they dropped a couple of easy catches and missed out on a few half chances as well. Jadeja was injured so he couldn't bowl as his absence really affected the side. Saini and Ashwin picked braces as Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj were amongst the wicket takers as well.

4th Innings : A HEIST AT THE OPERA HOUSE

The highest successful run chase in Test Cricket history was when the West Indies chased 418 runs against Australia at St. John's, back in 2003. India was expected to chase 407 with 9 batsmen and the lack of key players in away conditions. India was doomed to lose. But did they have some fight left in them? 

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill came to bat knowing what a daunting task was ahead of them. They played proper cricketing shots as the duo oozed confidence in their approach. They added a 71 run stand as Gill was dismissed for 31. Rohit managed to score a half century before being dismissed by Cummins on an unplayable delivery. Skipper Ajinkya and Cheteshwar Pujara came out to bat in the final day of the SCG Test. Rahane was dismissed for 4 by Lyon as India looked to be in no man's land, stuck at 102-3. If it were for any other team, they would've given up by now. Foreign soil, injured players, impossible target, but these brave men had other intentions. Rishabh Pant came to bat despite having a bruised elbow and batted with elegance. His masterclass stroke play and attacking mindset set India back on track. His partnership with Pujara was like fire and ice. While Pujara batted with character and showed great temperament, Pant was scoring the runs with ease. The duo added 148 runs for the 4th wicket before Pant fell prey at 97 to Nathan Lyon missing out on a well deserved century by just 3 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara then handled the proceedings with Hanuma Vihari. Pujara played some attacking cricketing shots before being bowled by Hazlewood for 77 (205) on an unplayable ball. Kudos to the Australian seamers, they really put in the effort throughout the series. With 5 wickets down at 272, the availability of Jadeja being a question mark and almost 45 overs yet to be bowled, India were forced to change their approach and their main objective was to survive the 45 overs, in an attempt to draw the test match. 

Hanuma Vihari then played an innings of a lifetime of just 23* runs off 161 balls along with Ravi Ashwin 39* (128). The duo batted till the very last ball was bowled and made very little to no errors. They fought against nagging injuries, the scorching Australian heat, cheap tactics and sledging from the opposition in a calm and composed manner. They showed no hesitance in their approach and played with grit and maturity. Much respect to Vihari and Ashwin, as with their commendable efforts, India was able to stop the Aussies from taking an unbeatable lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ending the game on a draw in the process. Only 3 wickets fell during the last day of play which is a rare sight to see these days as Josh Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon both bagged braces. 

CONCLUSION : This was Test Cricket in it's finest. Apart from the outside hindrances, this will go down in the record books as one of the most courageous feats of the Indian team. The match, even though was a draw, was a statement by the Indian side that they're ready to go through anything for their team. The players now look more motivated than ever. 

However, with nagging injuries still a concern, India will most probably rest Hanuma Vihari, Ravi Jadeja and Rishabh Pant as chances may be given to Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, Kuldeep Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha. The visitors would also like to improve their level of fielding as the dropped catches certainly doesn't portray the high standards of fielding set by the them. The Australians on the other hand may look to improve the performances of their openers and Matthew Wade may be rested from the side due to his bad form. With the series levelled at a win for each side, the fate of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy hanging in the balance, the last test match promises to be a treat to watch for us spectators.

Here's hoping Ravi Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant a speedy recovery.