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India vs Australia: Heroic Ashwin and Vihari ensure a fighting draw in SCG Test

Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari put up a heroic show with the willow to help India pull off a fighting draw in the third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Chasing 407 to win, Ashwin and Vihari had to face the envious task of batting out time with the former taking plenty of blows on the body and the latter batting through pain of a hamstring injury. Ashwin stayed put for over three hours and Vihari for over three-and-a-half overs to ensure that Ravindra Jadeja didn’t have to come out and bat with a fractured thumb. Ashwin remained unbeaten on 39 off 128 balls (7×4) while Vihari, batting on one leg, was not out on 23 off 161 balls (4×4) when stumps were drawn for the final time in game. The sixth wicket pair batted for 42.4 over and put on 62 runs to seal the draw for India with the score at 334/5 in 131 overs.

Australian bowlers threw everything at the Indian batsmen, peppering them with fast and short deliveries for majority of the final session on Day 5. It didn’t help that Australian skipper Tim Paine managed to drop the catch of Vihari in the fag end of the day after dropping Rishabh Pant as well earlier. The duo’s stone-walling effort ensures that India will head into the final Test in Gabba in Brisbane later this week still with a chance to win the four-match series.

Earlier, Australia were closing in on victory and a 2-1 series lead at tea on the final day reducing India to 280 for five, still 126 runs in arrears. A brilliant 97 from Rishabh Pant and a typically obdurate 77 from Cheteshwar Pujara had given the tourists a glimmer of hope that they might be able to chase down their target of 407.

Pant, who was a serious injury doubt on Saturday after taking a nasty blow to his elbow, slugged 12 fours and three sixes to take the game to the Australians, who were expected to wrap up victory reasonably easily on a deteriorating wicket.

The pair had put on 148 for the fourth wicket before Pant was caught at backward point three runs shy of his century to give off-spinner Nathan Lyon his second wicket of the day. It was huge relief to the home side, who must have had flashbacks to Ben Stokes`s innings of 135 not out at Headingley in the 2019 Ashes that enabled England to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Pujara was the chalk to Pant’s cheese, eking out his runs from 205 deliveries over 285 minutes before Josh Hazlewood finally got something out of the second new ball to penetrate his defence and shatter his wickets.

A limping Hanuma Vihari was four not out at the break and will resume alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, who was unbeaten on seven after coming out to bat ahead of Ravindra Jadeja.
Jadeja dislocated his left thumb in India`s first innings and India`s considerable injury woes continued to mount on Monday when Vihari pulled up clutching his hamstring after dashing down the wicket for a quick single.

India had started a sunny day at Sydney Cricket Ground on 98-2 and were immediately on the back foot when captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed by Lyon for four in the second over of play.

Australia won the first Test by eight wickets while India fought back to win the second Test by eight wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

(With Reuters inputs)

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Source: Zee News