Nathan roars like a LION, grabs 8 wickets in Indore; Pujara stands tall amidst ruins in BGT Series 3rd Test as Aussies sniff victory

Pujara and patience are synonymous in Test cricket. For a man who did not live up to the hype in the New Delhi Test, his 100th, his character and class were tested by the Aussie spinners in Indore where Lyon and his two cubs -- Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy were brilliant in the support cast.


Nathan roars like a LION, grabs 8 wickets in Indore; Pujara stands tall amidst ruins in BGT Series 3rd Test as Aussies sniff victory

Nathan Lyon; Cheteshwar Pujara

You have got to salute the spirit of the Aussies. Down and out after losing the first two Tests, the visitors spun their way back into a position of command in the third Test of the BGT Series in Indore on Thursday. Leading the attack for the Aussies was stand-in captain Steve Smith who marshalled his resources well. And what a way his top bowler responded, as a lion-hearted effort from Nathan Lyon saw India being dismissed for 163 runs. His eight-wicket haul was just reward for effort and effervescence.

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No narration of the day’s play will be complete without a description of how one man held the Indian second innings together. Playing his 101st Test, Cheteshwar Pujara showed skill and will on a track which is playing games. There is unpredictability and there is a guessing game going on the minds of the batters. It need a Pujara special to keep fans engrossed as Pujara grafted 59 runs, each of them worth its weight in gold. The equation is simple, Australia need to come out and bat on Friday, score 76 to win the Test.

Sounds easy? If you had posed the question to normal batters they would have kept mum. No, Pujara had to appear before the TV cameras after the day’s play ended, an engrossing one. “You got to trust your defence,” said Pujara, describing how hard it was to bat on this pitch in Indore, where the curator needs to be hauled over the coals for producing a lousy wicket.

Pujara and patience are synonymous in Test cricket. For a man who did not live up to the hype in the New Delhi Test, his 100th, his character and class were tested by the Aussie spinners in Indore where Lyon and his two cubs — Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy were brilliant in the support cast. This has been a hard wicket to bat on, yet bowlers could not get carried away. For sheer presence, aggression without being ugly and being penetrative and sharp, Lyon was the man on a mission.

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His accuracy was nagging, he was not trying to do too much with the ball. The lessons he gave in bowling, right arm, essentially off-spin, was lethal. The Aussies have talked about the legacy of Late Shane Warne. This bald man with the dark glasses on, clung on like a spider in a cobweb to prey on the Indian batters. He had them in a spin, he had them in a trance. The best part was, Lyon was backed by superb fielding from close in and the deep.

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76 may appear a small chase, but do not discount the tricks which the track is playing

Nathan roars like a LION, grabs 8 wickets in Indore; Pujara stands tall amidst ruins in BGT Series 3rd Test as Aussies sniff victory
IND vs AUS 3rd Test in Indore

This is where the difference emerged, where stand-in skipper Steve Smith was very active. His field placements were shrewd and he ensured he was going to attack with his field placement as Lyon and the spin support cast were perfect. In such conditions, what Pujara did was phenomenal, though, the rest of the batters were bamboozled by the Aussies on Day Two. For 30 wickets to fall in two days is crazy but that is how the pendulum has swung.

What Pujara showed was application and determination. His bat and pad were close, he knew the bounce was mostly going to be low, though the odd one would pop up. There are very few batters like Pujara, whose batting grammar is old school. His presence at the crease for 142 deliveries was all about how to master the conditions. He did slam a six for variety, after being signalled from the dressing room by skipper Rohit Sharma. Whether that was really needed can be debated. If anything, Pujara could have hung on, had it not been for that sharpest catch Smith took off Lyon. One cannot blame Pujara for that shot, for it was a master catch by Smith.

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Smith has critics and his infamous Sandpaper Gate incident will always be talked about. Yet, to come out and lead the team as regular skipper Pat Cummins had to fly back shows how much he still cares for that Baggy Green cap. Smith led from the front and to put pressure every minute on the Indians was shrewd and smart.

Chasing 76 for a win on Friday, the Aussies know they cannot be reckless. After all, on Thursday morning as well, R.Ashwin and Umesh Yadav prised out the batting order. In this Test, the Aussie batting looked far more organized in the first innings. If Test cricket can be thrilling, watch out for the action on the morrow. 76 may appear a small chase, but do not discount the tricks which the track is playing.

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