Shubman Gill of India celebrating his Hundred during day three of the fourth Mastercard Test Match between India and Australia held at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on the 11th March 2023. | Photo Credit: SPORTZPICS for BCCI
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s Live coverage of the third day of the 4th Test between India and Australia from the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This is Mayank and Nigamanth P bringing you all the updates.
Starc replaces Lyon. A slip in place for Kohli. On the up and Kohli plays a beautiful straight drive to get a FOUR and break his shackles. On the pads and Kohli flicks it deep for a FOUR
The Australian bowlers are finding it difficult to control the run flow and their fielders aren’t making it any better, an overthrow leads to Kohli converting a single into double. Four from the over
Gill goes across the line against Lyon and smacks it through mid-wicket, piercing through three fielders to pick up a FOUR. Five runs from that over
Kuhnemann replaces Murphy. Lofted on the onside, clears the midfield but Kohli settles for a single. Another quick run from Gill. Two from the over
Murphy chips in a maiden. A single and a double from Lyon’s over.
Two from Lyon’s over courtesy of brilliant running between the wickets by Kohli and Gill
Gill goes for the reverse sweep and gets a four in what could’ve been a tight over otherwise. Five from Murphy’s over
Spin from both ends as Lyon gets the ball. Kohli finally gets off the mark on the 12th delivery and the crowd roars in ackowledgement. Just two from the over
Murphy bowls to Gill’s pads and he flicks it deep for a single. Kohli on strike, who’s yet to get off the mark after facing five deliveries. Outside off, Kohli leans with a front footed defense, huge appeal for a catch from the keeper but the umpire thinks otherwise, Smith too decides not to opt DRS
Centurion Gill and Kohli have walked into the middle while Murphy to start things post tea
Our correspondent Shayan Acharya pings: A Todd Murphy length ball down the leg saw Shubman Gill sweeping it away for a four to reach his second Test century - his first on home soil - as India went into tea at 188 for 2.
As the temperature soared, not much happened for a better part of the second session, with Gill and Pujara forging 113 runs for the second wicket at ease. The boundaries dried up and the two mostly relied on singles, but closer to tea, the spinners suddenly enjoyed some turn. On the penultimate over of the session, Pujara was trapped leg before by Todd Murphy for 42. Though the batter reviewed the decision, the ball tracking showed that it was pitching on the middle, and crashing into middle and leg!
A dejected Pujara walked back and Kohli, the next man in, also had some tense moments, but India managed to go into tea without further trouble.
Some chatter going around as soon as Kohli comes in the middle. Gill takes a single on the second delivery. Kohli struggles to middle the ball as the ball nicked twice in three balls, first it did not carry to the short leg and then falls short of fielder at first slip. Lyon looked very dangerous against Kohli but some relief for batters here as it is time for TEA BREAK.
Murphy to Gill, FOUR! And with this, Gill completes his 2nd Test century, first in India. High quality innings by the young man to keep India in the game. He is escatic and so is Kohli from dug-out who is applauding his deputy. Murphy to Pujara, OUT! Murphy goes over the wicket and the ball hits the pad and umpire instantly signals it as out. Pujara reviews it but three reds will force him to walk out. Virat Kohli walks out at number four.
Pujara lbw b Murphy 42(121)
Lyon to Gill, FOUR! Steps out and hits above the bowlers head to move into 96. Gill will have the strike in the next over as he takes a single off the last delivery.
A maiden from Murphy.
Two runs comes from Lyon’s over.
Murphy to Pujara, FOUR! This time it is Pujara who steps out to hit Murphy down the ground for a boundary. Suddenly the are runs coming in quick rate and this brings up 100-run stand between Pujara and Gill. A much-needed partnership for India. Four runs off the over.
Green to Gill, FOUR! First boundary after 96 deliveries. Finally, as if Gill says enough is enough as he registers the ball for a boundary, with a backfoot punch. Green to Gill, FOUR! Even better looking shot, a cover drive but this time off frontfoot as Gill moves closer to his hundred. An expensive over from Green as 12 runs comes from it.
Pujara looks in some discomfort at the moment as physio is out there in the middle to attend him. It has been a hot tough day for the players who have to get the better off the hot dry condition in addition to the added pressure of the game.
Murphy continues. Gill plays out four dot balls before taking a single off the fifth ball. Only a single came in this over.
Australia has tighten the srews in terms of runs given. Tough passage of play for both the batters who are not able to score in a good pace, however standing tall against the attack will pay its dividend further if India holds out and did not lose any wickets in the remainder of this session. Three singles off this over.
Murphy bowls out a maiden over with Pujara defending all six deliveries
Green replaces Starc. Yorking length, Pujara digs it on the on side for a single. Down the leg, misses Pujara’s bat by a whisker, Green continues to attack Pujara’s pads hoping he would knick one to the keeper or the leg slip. The keeper has come up, Smith is constantly playing with the field, hoping to get the better of this pair that has caused problems for the Aussies.
Murphy replaces Lyon. Keeps it tight with another maiden
The Australian bowlers have restricted the run flow quite a bit. Starc adds on to the pressure with a maiden over and it’s time for DRINKS
Lyon resumes from the other end. Couple of singles to start off with. Three from that over
Starc continues round the wicket against Pujara as the ball starts to reverse a bit. Pujara holes out to take a single after playing three dot balls. Gill takes a quick single before Pujara ends the over with a dot delivery.
And the grind continues by both the batters. Amid the hot and dry conditions, Gill and Pujara wear out the Australian attack. Another maiden over by Lyon.
Starc continues from round the wicket. Pujara leans forward, takes his stride forward and drives the outside off the ball for a double. Pujara plays out the rest of the over with solid defence.
Nathan Lyon gives one run from his over.
Change in the bowling as Mitchell Starc has been called in as he replaces Cameron Green from the other end. Starc persists with bowling round the wicket. However, Pujara seems comfortable against him as there isn’t any hint of reverse swing, at the moment. Pujara plays three dot balls before taking a single off the fourth delivery. Just one off the over.
A quiet passage of play here as Lyon bowls a maiden. Two runs came in the last three overs.
Green continues. India manages one single in this over.
Lyon bowls his 16th. Gill takes a single off the last delivery after playing out the first five balls, defending his line.
Green to Pujara, FOUR! Took his time, opens the face of the bat and plays it very fine for a boundary. So, runs coming in for India, and the intent looks positive as both batters are playing their shots and eyeing runs. With four runs off this over, India nears 150.
Lyon continues. A tight over from him, only a single came from it.
Cameron Green to bowl from the other end. Green to Gill, FOUR! Full, onto the middle and Gill makes sure to take full advantage as he hits the ball which went past deep mid-wicket, breaching the two fielders for a boundary. Gill moves into the seventies with this. Six runs came in this over.
The first ball after lunch is pitched right on the rough, but nothing happens as Gill just shows the way for a calm single. And the battle between Lyon and Pujara continues, where Lyon keeps on bowling him, tempting him to play his shots, Pujara defends and it is five dot deliveries to end the over.
Steve Smith leads his men in the middle as Shubhman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara walkout to face Nathan Lyon, who will have the new ball in hand.
Our correspondent Shayan Acharya from the venue:
Shubman Gill brought up his fifth half-century (65 not out, 119b) in Test cricket with a fine cover drive off a Mitchell Starc length ball that pitched wide of the off-stump as India went into lunch at 129-1.
Resuming the day at 36-0, India started off briskly with Gill and captain Rohit Sharma rotating the strike and occasionally hitting a few boundaries and a six.
The India captain looked set for a big score before Matthew Kuhnemann struck. It was a rather soft dismissal as Rohit went for a back-foot punch and ended up offering a straight catch to Marnus Labuschagne at short extra-cover. As the Aussies celebrated, an extremely disappointed Rohit smashed the bat onto his pad as he walked back to the pavilion.
With relentless efforts by Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy, Australia did try to dominate, but Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara rebuilt with a 55-run partnership to ensure there were no slip-ups before lunch. Pujara remained unbeaten on 22.
Green continues. Three singles from the over and it is time for LUNCH. Apart from Rohit’s wicket, India has largely dominated the session. A 55-run partnership between Gill and Pujara has been key for India while Australian spinners will hope to get a bit more assistance from the pitch.
SO CLOSE! Outside off, Gill tries to defend but the ball turns and runs through the gate but fortunately for the batter, it misses both stumps and Carey behind it and runs away for four byes.
Cameron Green is asked to bowl his first over, replaces Starc. Couple of runs off the first delivery. Just two from the over
Todd Murphy replaces Kuhnemann. Lovely use of feet from Pujara as he gets to the pitch of the ball and smacks it through covers for a FOUR! Five from that over
Kuhnemann gives away just a run. Starc continues on the other end. On the fourth stump line, Gill tries to drive it through covers but it takes an inside edge and runs towards fine leg, inches away from the stumps. Fuller ball outside off, Pujara leans towards it and cover drives it but a good bit of fielding in the deep saves two runs.
Just one run from Lyon’s over. Starc continues. On the pads and it’s one leg bye. Short arm jab from Gill and the ball runs away for a FOUR! Gets a quick single off the final ball
Starc replaces Kuhnemann. Just over half an hour for lunch. Slightly outside off, and Gill punches it through extra covers for a FOUR and that brings up his half century! Gritty knock from the right hander! Similar delivery and an identical shot but a brilliant bit of fielding saves four runs. Gill drives straight this time to collect a single.A single to end the over and thats’ 100 up for India!
Kuhnemann concedes six runs. Four singles and a double came off that over. Lyon follows up with an one-run over.
Lyon to Pujara, short and slightly outside off, he gives himself room and punches it through covers for a double. Three from the over
Kuhnemann continues, Pujara attempts a defense, it takes an outside edge but falls short of the first slip. Good use of feet from Pujara as he comes down the track and flicks it deep for a single. Overstepped and it’s a no ball. Dot to finish
Gill goes through the line and hits it straight for a single to put Pujara on strike against Lyon. On the up and outside off, Pujara comes down the track and goes across for another single. Sneaks a single off the final ball and its time for DRINKS
Kuhnemann to Pujara, he takes a few deliveries to settle down before coming down the track for a double to get off the mark
Lyon from the other end. Huge shout for an LBW as Gill is trapped on the front foot! Not given, replay shows an inside edge and Australia will be relieved as Smith decided not to take DRS. Pujara is beaten on his first delivery, Lyon is extracting turn as much as possible. Just one from that over
A couple of singles in the first five balls. Short, Rohit tries to clear the infield but the ball goes straight to Marnus Labuschagne at short mid-wicket! ROHIT DEPARTS FOR 35! Cheteshwar Pujara is in at three
Rohit Sharma c Labuschagne b Kuhnemann 35 (58b 3x4 1x6)
Lyon continues. Outside off, Rohit comes down the track and flicks it on the legside for a single. The Indian openers are constantly chipping away but there’s still a long way to go. 408 runs to be precise
Kuhnemann to Rohit, defended on the front foot and steals a single. Just one from the over
Lyon continues. Pitched outside off and turned quite a bit, Gil trapped leg before, huge appeal but the umpire thinks otherwise, Smith opts to go upstairs. Replays show impact umpire’s call, decision stands! Short, Gill gives himself room and punches it through extra covers for a double.
Lyon chips in with a one-run over. Matthew Kuhnemann is into the attack, replaces Starc. Two runs coming from it
Short and on the leg, Rohit hooks but miscues it, lands safely though. Similar delivery but Starc doesn’t get the expected bounce, Rohit capitalises and plays it fine for a FOUR. Fine leg has moved even finer, looks like Starc is trying the short ball trap. But it doesn’t matter, short and on the legside yet again and Rohit plays a pick up shot for a SIX! The Indian skipper now has amassed over 17,000 international runs! A class apart!
Full ball, inside edge on to the thigh pad and Gill gets a quick single. Outside off, quite a bit of turn, Rohit kneels and plays it fine for a single
Starc continues. Slightly over pitched outside off, Gill leans towards the ball and plays a picturesque cover drive for a FOUR. Couple of runs off the next delivery. Short and towards the legside, Gill tries a hook but takes an faint edge and runs pastCarey for another FOUR. Driven past mid wicket for three runs and Gill will retain strike
Nathan Lyon is into the attack. Starts off with three dots as Gill takes him on with caution. And thats a maiden
Mitchell Starc is in to bowl the first over. On the pads first up and Rohit glances it to third man for a single, runs on the board straight away. On the leg stump line again, Gill flicks it for a single. Finishes with a dot
The Indian openers walk into the pitch followed by the Australian team. First session will be decisive. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will look to bat out till lunch while Australia will look to enforce spin as early as possible to put pressure on the batters. Patience will be key
Mitchell Johnson on Day 3 conditions: “Very similar to day one and day two. The pitch hasn’t shown any real dangers, no dust, pitch is well held here”
On a placid track, Ashwin had to work hard for his wickets, but his relentless effort saw him claiming his 32nd five-for in Test cricket during the second day of the fourth Test between India and Australia. Check out the full story here. READ
In the last 19 Test outings, Cameron Green had fallen between 74 and 84 five times. But he was in no mood to repeat the mistakes on the 20th occasion as he finally reach the three-digit mark. Check out the full story here. READ
*India trails by 444 runs
Usman Khawaja (180, 422b, 21x4) braved the sweltering conditions and batted for 611 minutes - a little more than five sessions - to guide Australia to 480 in the first innings of the fourth Test before Ravichandran Ashwin pulled things back with a six-wicket haul (6 for 91).
By the time India came out to bat, only ten overs remained, and openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill put up 36-0 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
However, the first couple of sessions belonged to Khawaja and the young Cameron Green, who brought up his maiden century (114, 170b, 18x4).
Khawaja - the highest run-scorer in this edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 333 runs - started from where he left on the opening day and ensured that Australia breached the 400-run mark despite Ashwin’s relentless effort on a placid surface.
Khawaja held the fort while the tall Green - resuming the day on 49 - made the most of the track, where the ball came nicely onto the bat. He cut and drove fluently, putting on a mammoth 208-run stand with Khawaja.
Every time the Indian bowlers, who went wicketless in the first session, erred in their lengths, the Aussie duo cashed in. Despite temperatures soaring, both Khawaja and Green looked calm as they extended the lead. On his first Test tour of India, Green picked up 18 boundaries en route to his ton.
At a time when it seemed like a walk in the park for Australia, Ashwin struck. Attempting a sweep, Green was caught down the leg side by stumper KS Bharat, thus ending the long partnership.
The seasoned Ashwin tightened the noose further, removing Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc in quick succession and surpassed Anil Kumble’s wicket tally (111) in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 113 scalps and joined Nathan Lyon as the highest wicket-taker.
Though India chugged back with Ashwin’s 32nd five-for and Australia lost three wickets for nine runs, Khawaja looked unfazed. Becoming the first overseas batter to play 400 balls in an innings in India since 2010, Khawaja rebuilt before being trapped plumb in the front by Axar Patel, shortly after tea.
This was the second time this year that he missed out on scoring a double hundred despite coming closer. As a dejected Khawaja walked back to the pavilion, there were apprehensions of Australia being bundled out soon.
But Lyon put on 70 runs for the ninth wicket with Todd Murphy before Ashwin dismissed the latter leg before. He then tempted Lyon to nick it to the slips, thus denying Australia a chance to go past 500.
India started aggressively, with Rohit hitting a couple of boundaries and Gill hammering a six. However, with three full days of action remaining and Australia enjoying a mammoth lead of 444 runs, India has a long way to go.
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