New Delhi: Shubman Gill’s second Test ton was followed by Virat Kohli scoring a fifty to put India into a comfortable position with 289/3 on the board. Kohli scored his first fifty in 16 Test innings and was a moment to cherish for his fans. On an easy batting track, Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara set the stage for India with their 113-run stand, and Kohli and Jadeja ended the day well for India.
Virat Kohli got beaten and got edges initially, but looked comfortable after facing a few deliveries. He played a composed inning and ended the day at 59* off 128 and also hit five boundaries. Ravindra Jadeja is playing at 16* off 54 and he also hit a maximum against Matthew Kuhnemann as Australia took the new ball.
Stumps on Day 3⃣ of the Fourth #INDvAUS Test!
Brilliant batting display by #TeamIndia ?? as we move to 289/3 at the end of day’s play.
We will be back with Day 4 action tomorrow, with India trailing by 191 runs.
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/8DPghkx0DE@mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/itAO7Wb1un
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 11, 2023
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill began the day from where they left. After a 74-run stand between them, Rohit Sharma handed a catch to Marnus Labuschagne on short extra cover and got out for 35 off 58.
It was the partnership between Gill and Pujara that did the job for India. The man in form, Shubman Gill went on to score a century. Cheteshwar Pujara scored 42 off 121 before getting lbw by Todd Murphy on a delivery that skidded onto his pads.
Gill and Pujara played slow during the second session while the Indian batters managed over 100 runs in the last session of the day. Gill was dismissed for 128 off 235 as Nathan Lyon bowled his trademark loopy delivery to trap him lbw. While he showed character in defense, Gill did not hesitate from playing his shots as the ball was coming nicely on the bat. Apart from 12 fours, he even hit a six.
While Mitchell Starc and Cameroon Green bowled tight lines, the pacers were more vulnerable on this pitch than spinners. Australian spinners Lyon, Kuhnemann and Murphy ended the day with a wicket each.
India trails by 191 runs and with the pitch expected to get torn a bit on day 4, it will be an interesting 5-day game. The match seems to be headed to a draw while India will look to score a win with the WTC finals spot at stake.
