Pujara was the Indian mainstay at the crease and scored a well deserving century and ensured that India finished day three on three hundred and sixty for the loss of six wickets. Pujara is still batting with one hundred and thirty and Saha is the other partner with eighteen runs. Cummins was the leading bowler for Australia as he took four important wickets. Kohli did bat for India but fell cheaply. Australia has scored four hundred and fifty one runs in the first innings.
India was given solid start by Vijay and Pujara in the first session
Australians really came hard on India and they bowled impeccable line and length early in the morning.
They ensured that Indians did not run away with the scoring and runs were becoming more of a luxury for both Indian batsmen. Steve O’Keefe was a good bowler who kept things at hold and made sure that the batsmen were always forced to think and play against him. He bowled a gem of delivery to Pujara which stuck him on the pad and Australians thought it was plumb and went for a review after the on field umpire said not out. The ultra edge evidence was confusing and the benefit of the doubt was passed onto the batsmen and in the very next over bowled by Lyon, an appeal against Vijay was turned down when Australia felt that there was bat pad catch involved. There were no reviews left for Australia and they were frustrated by the turn of events and that helped India to break the shackles.
Indians were starting to press the accelerator and to add salt to the wounds, the pair Pujara and Vijay added one hundred and two runs for the third wicket. Steve O’ Keefe persistence paid off when Vijay on the last over before lunch had a brain fade and stepped out to a delivery that was not here to be hit and lost balance to be stumped and he departed after making eighty two runs.
Pujara steadies the ship after lunch
Kohli joined Pujara in the middle after lunch and the Indian team captain stay at the middle was brief. Australia went for the kill by taking the second new ball and Cummins struck immediately by first removing Kohli and then Rahane. Indians were in a spot of bother and they needed a solid partnership to take till tea.
Karun Nair joined Pujara in the middle and they both started the revival process. Pujara became the first centurion for India in this series and he went on top gear after lunch before tea to ensure that the brain fades by his partners did not affect the first innings total of India. Pujara who hit his eleventh century had created another record and he became the first player to score century in maiden test venues at four different places; Indore, Rajkot, Vizag and now Ranchi.
After tea, Karun loses focus but Pujara guides India to safety
Karun Nair and Pujara were involved in forty four run partnership before Karun Nair threw it away. Hazelwood was subdued throughout the day and he steamed in for a delivery and Karun pulled away at the last minute.
The reason was that the white cover over the advertisement had blown away and Hazlewood was not impressed and gave a mouthful to Karun. In the next delivery he bowled a snorter of a bouncer to Karun Nair and that had an impact on Karun. The next delivery was gem that was pitched on good length and seamed away to hit the off stump by going through the bat and pad of Karun from middle stump position. A clear hinge of reverse swing and Pujara steadied the ship with Saha and made sure that no damage was done after Ashwin was removed by Cummins bouncer.
It all depends on Pujara for India to take a lead on day four of the third test match. Pujara should convert this to a big daddy hundred.
