Sydney: India buried a dispirited Australia under a mountain of runs with Rishabh Pant (159 n o, 189b, 15×4, 1×6) and Ravindra Jadeja (81, 114b, 7×4, 1×6) adding a dash of strokeful aggression to the sedate proceedings in the fourth and final Test here Friday.
India put together their second highest team total on Australian soil, piling up 622/7 declared on the second day of the match.
In reply, Australia were 24/0 in the 10 overs that the deflated side had to face after toiling all day on the field. The score could have been different had Pant not missed a sitter behind the stumps to give Usman Khawaja (5 batting) a life. Marcus Harris (19 batting) was giving him company in the middle at Stumps.
This was after series top-scorer Cheteshwar Pujara (193, 373b, 22×4) missed out on what would have been a well-deserved double hundred adding 63 runs to his overnight score.
Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to claim a hundred Down Under with an unbeaten knock that came on the second day of the match. This was his second Test hundred, the first being in England earlier this year.
The Australian bowlers were also tormented by Jadeja and the home team’s desperation for a breakthrough resulted in even top order batsman Khawaja being pressed into the attack. Pant put on 204 runs for the seventh wicket with Jadeja.
Post tea, the hosts simply waited for the declaration to come as India crossed 600. However, dismissal of Jadeja, who scored his 10th Test half century, off Nathan Lyon (4/178) led India’s declaration.
This was after Pujara was dismissed as India were placed at 491/6 at tea. He walked off to a standing ovation from the SCG ground, as Jadeja took guard. Post lunch, there were no signs of India speeding up the run-rate in order to declare quickly as the two batsmen batted as resolutely as in the morning.
Earlier, India reached 389/5 at lunch after starting at overnight 303/4. Pujara took his fifth-wicket partnership with Hanuma Vihari (42) to 101 runs. In contrast to how they went about on day one, the duo came out with the intent to grind down the Australian bowling attack and looked content with batting for time.
