Australia beat India by eight wickets on Day 3 of The Pink-Ball test in Adelaide. They chase down the target of 90 runs in just 21 overs after India’s batting collapse started the day. Australia thus lead the Test series 1-0 heading into the second Test at the MCG. Tim Paine showed impressive leadership to give his team the upper hand in the series.

Virat Kohli & Co started day 3 on their overnight score of 7 for 1 and were brought down to 36 for 9 inside the first hour. India were handed a batting collapse which was the highlight of the day’s play. The cream of India’s batting line-up, the middle-order had no answers to the duo of Cummins and Hazlewood bowling in tandem. While Hazlewood took a fifer, his eighth in tests. In the process, Hazlewood got to 200 Test wickets as well. Cummins finished with four wickets. The two of them completely decimated the Indian batting line-up.

Virat Kohli (4), Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Ajinkya Rahane (0) were clueless to the pace and swing and movement of the Aussie bowlers. This was by far’s India worst slide while batting in their recent history in test cricket. The weakness of the technique of the Indian batsmen were exposed bitterly by the Australian bowlers.

From 7 for 1 at stumps on Day 2, the visitors were brought down to 19 for 6 inside the first half-hour of day 3 and were 31-9 after the fall of Hanuma Vihari for 8. India finally declared on 36 for 9 after Mohammed Shami coped up with an injury on his bowling arm. This was also India’s lowest ever total in Test Cricket.

Pink-Ball Test Day 3 Report

After India’s declared their innings on 36, Australian openers Joe Burns and Matthew Wade came out to chase the target. The two of them looked confident from the start and added 70 for the first wicket. Australia then lost Wade and Marnus Labuschagne in quick succession. However, Burns kept his cool to take his team home in style hitting the winning runs with a six and winning the match for his team. 

The Vodafone Player of the Match is Aussie skipper Tim Paine for his crucial knock and outstanding work behind the stumps! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/dtKyBorruO

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 19, 2020

Australian skipper Tim Paine was awarded the Man of the Match for his 73 in the first innings and his overall impressive captaincy throughout the game. 

“Full credit to our bowling attack again. Nice to get off to a good start. Chuffed with the way we bowled in this Test. Still a bit of work to do with our batting. Burns is a really important part of our team. All cricketers know how hard it is to come out of a rut like that” Paine said at the presentation giving his bowlers the due credit for swinging the match their way in day 3.

With Virat Kohli missing from the last three games, the Indian think tank will have a lot of thinking to do before the Boxing-Day test match in Melbourne in a week’s time. 

Brief Scores

Australia 191 (Paine 73, Ashwin 4-55) and 93 for 2 (Burns 51*) beat India 244 (Kohli 74, Starc 4-53) and 36 (Hazlewood 5-8, Cummins 4-21) by eight wickets