Australia vs India, 3rd Test, day 3 live: Pat Cummins dismisses Ajinkya Rahane early on

WICKET! Just what Pat Cummins deserved for his spell. Ajinkya Rahane is cramped for room by a short ball that moved back in. Chops one on to the stumps. Big wicket for Australia! India 117/3.

India 116/2 after 54 overs: CHANCE, THEN SIX! Rahane inside edges one to his pad that just lobs beyond Wade at short leg. He then dances down the track against Lyon and hits a six.

India 110/2 after 53 overs: A seriously good short ball from Cummins to Pujara that whisks past his chest. Those are the nastiest ones to face. Negotiated well.

India 107/2 after 52 overs: The first boundary of the morning is a lovely cover drive on the up by Rahane off Starc. Timed beautifully.

India 101/2 after 51 overs: It’s a little thing but Rahane and Pujara have so far ensured neither of them are getting stuck at one end with the odd single. Cummins with another probing over. Short ball to Pujara followed by a series of good length deliveries.

India 101/2 after 50 overs: Starc going short, short, short. Cummins attacking the stumps. Not an inch being given to Indian batsmen so far this morning.

#PinkDay today, too. It’s Glenn McGrath’s big day of the calendar as SCG turns pink to honour his late wife Jane McGrath and raise awareness, funds for breast cancer.

India 101/2 after 48 overs: A bouncer to start things off the day for Starc and Rahane gets away from it. A single in that over.

Well, just one for Lyon. Starc comes on from the other end. A change of ends for him from last night.

India 100/2 after 47 overs: No run from Cummins’ first over. Accurate as you’d expect.

Lyon bowling the first over, Cummins from the other with just one slip in place. Interesting tactical start to the day by Australia

India 100/2 after 46 overs: Interesting to see Lyon bowl the first over. We’d venture Pujara and Rahane wouldn’t have minded seeing that. Good rotation of strike in that over.

Nathan Lyon starts off...

04.20 am: First things first...

04.15 am: Hello all and welcome to our live coverage of the third day of the third Test between Australia and India. The game’s on a knife’s edge at Sydney Cricket Ground and this could prove to be a pivotal day to decide the series.

Australia snapped up two wickets in the final session Friday to leave India with work to do in the third Test as they chase the hosts’ 338 following Steve Smith’s first century of the series.

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins got the breakthroughs, dismissing openers Rohit Sharma (26) and Shubman Gill (50) as India reached stumps at 96/2, 242 runs adrift. While India’s bowlers did well, the batsmen have once again been put under pressure.

Cheteshwar Pujara was not out nine and captain Ajinkya Rahane, who scored a century in the second Test in Melbourne, on five after an attrtitional final hour or so at SCG.

Australia resumed their first innings on 166/2, but only managed another 172 in the face of India’s spirited fightback led by spinner Ravindra Jadeja who took 4/62.

Smith, though, was the star attraction, smacking 131 – his 27th century, and his first since the 2019 Ashes in England – before being the last man to fall thanks to a sensational direct hit from Jadeja. Marnus Labuschagne made 91 and Will Pucovski 62 on debut.

(With AFP inputs and statistics courtesy ESPNCricinfo Statsguru)