Vihari, Ashwin Help India Draw Sydney Test Against Australia (Report)
Contrasting half-centuries from Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara, followed by an exemplary display of grit and determination by Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin helped India draw the third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Brief scores: Australia 338 & 312/6 dec vs India 244 & 334/5 (Rishabh Pant 97, Cheteshwar Pujara 77, Hanuma Vihari 23*, Ravichandran Ashwin 39*; Josh Hazlewood 2/39)
Sydney Test, India vs Australia Day 5 Report
They resumed day five with India 98-2, needing a further 309 runs after being set a huge 407 to win when Australia declared their second innings at tea Sunday on 312 for six.
Australia had already removed openers Shubman Gill for 31 and Rohit Sharma for 52 before stumps on day four, and when Nathan Lyon accounted for captain Ajinkya Rahane without adding to his overnight score of four in Monday's second over, the end appeared nigh.
But Pant, who took a nasty blow to his elbow while batting in the first innings and didn't keep wicket on Sunday, surprisingly came in at number five ahead of Vihari and produced some fireworks.
Pant and Pujara shared a 148-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The duo scored runs at a brisk pace and in fact, not only put India in a position to draw the Test but also gave the visitors an unlikely hope of an improbable win.
Pant -- after scoring 97 runs off just 118 balls with the help of 12 fours and three sixes -- got out against Nathan Lyon in the second session and provided Australia an opening. The game tilted further in Australia's way when Pujara -- who scored his second half-century of the match during his 77-run knock -- got out bowled, courtesy a peach of a delivery by Josh Hazlewood.
However, it was then that Vihari and Ashwin came into their own and first helped India end the second session at 280/5 on the final day.
The experienced pair continued to show great character during the final session as well and survived some nervy moments during the course of their unbeaten 62-run partnership which saw the team end the match in a historic draw. Both the batters batted for more than three hours each during the course of their innings and declined Australia with an opportunity to go 2-1 up in the ongoing four-Test series.
India reached 334/5 after batting for 131 overs before both the teams decided to shake hands on the final day of the Test match. Vihari, who batted with a sore hamstring throughout the course of his innings, showed great resilience and remained unbeaten on 23 after facing 161 deliveries. He was supported brilliantly by Ashwin who also suffered a lot of blows on his body but didn't throw away his wicket and remained not on 39 from 128 deliveries.
After Australia won the first Test in Adelaide by eight wickets then India bounced back in Melbourne by the same margin, the series now heads to Brisbane later this week for the final chapter.
It will be a depleted India again at the Gabba, with fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav and batsmen KL Rahul out injured and question marks over all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who dislocated his thumb in Sydney.