India Two Wickets Away From Win as Cummins Takes MCG Test to Day 5
Australia ended Day 4 of the third Test against India at 258/8, still needing 141 runs to win at Melbourne.
- Australia end Day 4 of the third Test against India at 258/8, still needing 141 runs to win at Melbourne.
- India declared their second innings at 106/8, setting the Australia’s a 399-run target.
- The four-match series is level at 1-1 after India won the first Test by 31 runs and Australia claimed the second by 146 runs.
Another great day at the office for Virat Kohli and Co! India are now just 2 wickets away from winning the third Test against Australia at Melbourne, and taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
The Aussies ended the fourth day of the Test at 258/8, still needing 141 runs to win the game. This was after India declared their second innings at 106 for 8, setting the hosts a 399-run target.
If India go onto win the Test on the fifth and final day, they will not only retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy having won the previous series in India, a number of records will also go for a toss.
- It will only be the second time (after 1977/78) that India have won two Tests in a series in Australia.
- India will equal their record for most overseas Test wins in a year (4 each in 2004 & 2010 previously).
- Virat Kohli will draw level with Sourav Ganguly on 11 overseas Test wins – most by an Indian captain.
- India will have won its 3rd Test at the MCG – equalling the record for most Test wins at an overseas venue with Queen's Park Oval (Port of Spain) and Sinhalese Sports Club (Colombo).
India Declare at 106/8
Resuming the day on 54 for 5, India declared on 106/8 after a facing a further 10.3 overs.
Mayank Agarwal (42) opened up with a couple sixes off Nathan Lyon (0-40) and made intentions clear, but was bowled off Pat Cummins before he could get a second half-century in his maiden Test.
Rishabh Pant (33) and Ravindra Jadeja (5) threw their bats around to add 17 runs. Cummins picked up his sixth wicket when Jadeja gloved a catch to gully, finishing with career-best figures of 6/27, beating his previous best of 6-79 against South Africa back in 2011.
It was the third time in 17 Tests that 25-year-old Cummins had claimed a five-wicket haul, in an injury-interrupted career which started in 2011 at the age of 18.
India declared with Pant's dismissal in the 38th over.
The visitors had scored 443/7 declared in the first innings thanks to Cheteshwar Pujara's 17th Test hundred. Jasprit Bumran then picked career-best figures of 6/33 as Australia were bowled out for 151 runs in reply on day three, conceding a 292-run lead.