PERTH, November 24 (ANI): Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century helped the visitors to set a total of 534 runs for Australia in the opening Test of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the Optus Stadium on Sunday.
At Stumps on Day 3, Australia are 12/3 as they still need 522 runs on the remaining two days to win the match.
India resumed the last session from 359/5 after 110 overs, with Virat Kohli (40*) and Washington Sundar (14*) unbeaten at the crease. India completed the 400-run mark in the 125th over of the innings.
The sixth wicket to fall was of Washington Sundar. Nathon Lyon dismisses Sundar for 29. After 410/6 after 125.5 overs. Virat Kohli completed his 30th Test ton and following that Team India declared the innings 487/6 in 134.3 overs.
For Australia, Lyon picked two wickets in the third innings and one wicket was taken by Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh in their respective spells.
India set a target of 534 runs for the hosts to win the match. Openers Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja took the field in order to chase down this mammoth total.
Till the end of day’s play on Day 3, the hosts lost three wickets at just 12. Batters to get dismissed were McSweeney (0), Cummins (2), and Marnus Labuschagne (3).
Earlier in the second session from 275/1 after 84 overs. However, Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 25 on the very first ball of the session.
India reached the 300-run mark in 91 overs.
Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal then built a 38-run partnership before Jaiswal was dismissed for a well-crafted 161 by Mitchell Marsh, caught at point by Steve Smith, leaving India at 313/3.Rishabh Pant was the next to fall, managing only a single run before being stumped by Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey off Nathan Lyon’s delivery.
Dhruv Jurel soon followed, also scoring just one run before being dismissed by Pat Cummins, reducing India to 321/5.
Australia took four wickets in this session, with Cummins, Lyon, Hazlewood, and Marsh each claiming one wicket.
Recapping the Test match of the Perth Test on Day 3.
India resumed Day 3 from 172/0 with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul unbeaten on the crease. India’s lead currently stands at 218 runs.
Jaiswal completed his 100-run mark in the 61st over of the innings with the help of eight fours and three sixes.
Team India touched the 200-run mark in the 63rd over of the innings.
KL Rahul was the first wicket to fall on Day 3 as he went back to the pavillion after scoring 77 runs which was laced with five boundaries in his innings. The right-hand batter got dismissed on the bowling of left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc when the team score was 201.
Following Rahul’s dismissal, left-hand batter Devdutt Padikkal came out to bat along with Jaiswal. Till the end of the first session on Day 3 of the Perth Test, both the players have put on an unbeaten partnership of 74 runs from 127 balls.
Starc is the lone successful bowler for The Baggy Greens. So far in the third innings of the ongoing Test match, the speedster has bowled 19 overs where he has conceded 82 runs and picked one wicket. The fast bowler has also bowled two maiden overs in his spell so far.
Recapping the Perth Test so far, the Indian team made a fine comeback in the first Test against Australia after getting bundled out for 150 in the first innings in Perth. The fast bowling unit brought things back on track as the Jasprit Bumrah-led side bowled out the hosts for 104 in their first innings.
While the stand-in captain Bumrah scalped fifer, Harshit Rana who made his Test debut alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy in this match, also showed his skills.
Scores: India 150 and 487/6 d (Yashasvi Jaiswal 161, Virat Kohli 100, Nathan Lyon 2/96) vs Australia 104 and 12/3.
From Ch 7 & Ch 7 +:
CYMI: Seven’s team spoke ahead of Kohli’s century –
Finch: “It’s been a wonderful innings. Just a game within a game. That is what Test cricket is all about. Virat Kohli, a lot of talk leading into this series but he has answered the critics today. A brilliant platform set. Nitish Kumar Reddy, he has played a part here, 37 from just 26.
Gavaskar: “That is smart cricket, giving Virat Kohli the strike. Just a boundary away now. Getting towards his 30th test hundred.”
Brayshaw: “ Is it going to get there… yes it is! Virat Kohli has made a massive statement here in Perth.”
Gavaskar: “He doesn’t know, he doesn’t realise! Oh! Now he realises! Now the helmet comes off, the bat is raised. To the crowd, to the skies, what a century this has been. From one of the greatest players in the game. Absolutely magnificent effort from Virat Kohli. And Jasprit Bumrah has called the declaration. He was waiting for that. Waiting for that hundred. He has got it.”
ICYMI: Seven’s Simon Katich and Matthew Hayden on Jaiswal’s dismissal –
Katich: “Absolute disbelief from the young man, he cannot believe what he has just done, he hit a short ball from Mitch Marsh straight to backward point to Steve Smith, he does not drop those, and this magnificent 161 comes to an end. His first tonne in Australian conditions. The superstar of Indian cricket trudges off, but what a magnificent knock from the young man
Hayden: “He has done something very special, a maiden first-class test 100 in these conditions, a record-breaking partnership of all time against Australia in Australia with K.L. Rahul, that is just superb, he set up the match and has taken it to the next level. It’s 3/313.”
