India defeated Australia by 137 runs in the third cricket Test to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.

With the fourth Test starting on January 3, the Indians are now in with a chance to register their first ever series win on Australian soil.

This is also the first time that India have taken the lead in a Test series in Australia.

The play on the fifth and final day was delayed due to rain.

Most of the opening session was lost to the inclement weather, and the play resumed in right earnest only after lunch.

Resuming their second innings at the overnight score of 258/8, the Australian batsmen could battle for only 27 deliveries before being dismissed for 261 runs.

Pat Cummins, who had delayed Australian defeat with a heroic half-century on the fourth day, was the first to return to the pavilion on the fifth day.

The tail-ender had added only two runs to his overnight score when he edged a delivery from Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip.

Cummins scored 63 off 114 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six over the course of his gritty innings.

Ishant Sharma then dismissed Nathan Lyon with a short pitched delivery to complete the victory.

Lyon had tried to go for the pull, only to see the top edge offer a simple catch to wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.

Brief scores:

Australia: 151 & 261 (Pat Cummins 63, Shaun Marsh 44, Usman Khawaja 33; Ravindra Jadeja 3/82, Jasprit Bumrah 3/53) vs India: 443/7(d) & 106/8(d) (Mayank Agarwal 42, Rishabh Pant 33; Pat Cummins 6/27)

--IANS

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