India vs Australia LIVE Score, 4th Test Day 3: Rain delays proceedings after Reddy, Sundar stand leaves AUS stunned

India vs Australia LIVE Score, 4th Test Day 3: Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar have anchored at MCG

Reddy mounted a counter-attack from India, but Australia finished the first session well ahead, getting the wickets of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja to reduce the visitors to their last recognized batting pair. Reddy struck on 40 off 61 balls when Lunch was called and India were 244/7, trailing Australia by 230 runs.

Reddy started well, but India continued to take almost entirely unnecessary risks by running between the wickets at that stage. He came into the middle within the first hour of play after Rishabh Pant threw away a good start trying to go after Scott Boland. India still trailed by 280 runs. Ravindra Jadeja at the other end took 24 balls before getting the first run of the day. Jadeja’s vigil was finally ended by Lyon in the 65th over. It is now up to India’s last handyman to get them out of jail. There were two mix-ups during the first hour of play. Pant sent Jadeja back in the first and it was the reverse in the second.

A cardinal rule of Test cricket is that matches can be turned on their heads during a session, regardless of the stage of play, and the end of day two of the Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground continued to prove that . Three wickets in four overs late in the day left India heading for stumps, with Australia in the lead and now certainly odds-on favorites to take a 2-1 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India ended day two on 164/5, still trailing by 310 runs and caught in the now familiar no man’s land of running out of batsmen with a mountain of runs still to try to climb. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja will stay overnight as they have faced just seven deliveries and faced the proposition of fending off a fresh Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in the morning. While Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are still in the tank – two very capable batsmen, with the duo currently at the crease also capable of turning matches around – 310 is still a daunting figure, especially against an Australian attack that has slumped in a good rhythm this series.

India looked to have done well after a few early setbacks, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli both looking good as they began to stitch together a century partnership in the third session at the MCG. Jaiswal had started to take the attack to Australia’s bowlers, quickly adding up the runs, while Kohli looked focused and intent on staying at the crease to register a big score, leaving his bug-bear livers outside the off-stump and rotating the strike. Disaster struck the duo just as they reached the 100-run mark in their partnership, when a mix-up saw young Jaiswal out to dry and run out on 82, which looked a memorable big score at the MCG.

The dismissal, which came out of the blue and totally against the run of play, shattered the focus and commitment that Kohli had shown. He eventually settled for one in the fifth-sixth off Scott Boland, needing only one more error from a batter who is in the eye of a media storm Down Under. Night watchman Akash Deep was about to depart, a dubious move made worse when a thick edge on his thigh pad ran up and was caught for a 13-ball duck.

For Australia, a bit of chaos and luck going their way means they find themselves in an excellent position heading into the rest of the Test match. Pat Cummins and his men will expect to finish off the rest of India’s batting with a healthy lead still in hand, giving them two or three sessions to allow the likes of Sam Konstas and Travis Head to bat in their preferred way by taking a attack to the Indian bowler and balloon the lead even further in the third innings, while saving plenty of time on days four and five to try and bowl India without fear of a big target being chased down.

The key for India will therefore be to strike on time on day three, to try and prolong this match as much as possible and ensure that it is not a comfortable situation for Australia in terms of when to call their declaration. Pant needs a big innings in Australia but needs to survive the opening and stay in the fold to ensure he can do it. He will be the main batsman Australia will be wary of, but he will also have plenty of support from Jadeja, Reddy and Sundar. Cameos of 40-50 runs from that trio will ensure that India can avoid the follow-on, but the requirement will be for Rishabh Pant to come through and put up a big score to ensure that India at least try to reach the 350-run mark in this round.

India are not quite out of it yet, with plenty of potential to try and spark a big comeback as they have become so used to down under, showing plenty of fighting spirit and making a skill out of staying in the game long enough to put pressure on Australia. This is a fact that the hosts will be aware of and therefore will try to nip in the bud before it even becomes a concern. The first innings of bowling with the batsmen slightly uncertain in the morning will be key: if Pant can be dismissed early, it opens up a chance to ensure Australia are on the brink of a result potentially by stumps on day three itself.

The equation is simple: the batting conditions are still positive and Pant is a classic. Can the rest of the Indian all-round core provide enough support to keep the visitors interested and in the hunt for a positive result in Melbourne? Or will Australia run through the battle to seal a memorable Boxing Day Test 2024?

Things to look forward to on Day 3 of India vs Australia 4th Test:

– Reddy and Sundar’s partnership stood at 105 off 195 balls at the end of the second session

– Early Tea was taken at the MCG, India were 326/7, trailing Australia by 148 runs

– The Reddy-Sundar partnership went past 100 in 190 balls

– Reddy and Sundar’s partnership went past 50 in 111 balls

– Reddy brought up his half-century in 81 balls

– Nitish Kumar Reddy batted on 40 off 61 balls at the end of the first session

– India 244/7 at lunch, trail Australia by 230 runs

– Ravindra Jadeja fell to Nathan Lyon on 17 off 51 balls

– Rishabh Pant was dismissed by Scott Boland on 28 off 37 balls with India still trailing by 280 runs

– India resumed at 164/5, trailing Australia by 310 runs

– India started the day 111 runs away from avoiding a follow-on