India avoids follow-on, reaches 252/9 at stumps on rain-hit day 4

Brisbane: India avoided the follow-on, scoring 252 for nine when bad light forced early stumps on day 4 of the third Test against Australia on Tuesday.

Ravindra Jadeja (77) and KL Rahul (84) led India’s fightback, but once they were dismissed, Jasprit Bumrah (10) and Akash Deep (27) helped push the total forward, with a heroic last wicket stand of 39 off 54 balls.

India, however, still trail by 193 runs.

For Australia, skipper Pat Cummins was the most successful bowler, taking four wickets for 80 runs, while Mitchell Starc claimed three for 83. Nathan Lyon (1/54) also picked up a wicket on a day when Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the match due to injury.

Jadeja kept India’s hopes alive with a sturdy innings, sharing a 53-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy (16), who Cummins dismissed in the post-lunch session, which was curtailed by a rain interruption lasting just over an hour.

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Earlier, opener KL Rahul played a crucial role in India’s fightback, contributing a solid 84 as he and Jadeja added 67 runs.

Resuming the day at 51 for 4, India lost their captain Rohit Sharma (10) early, but Rahul stood firm at the other end, bringing up his 17th Test half-century off 85 balls.

The five-match series is currently tied at 1-1.

Scoreboard at the end of day four of the third Test between India and Australia here on Tuesday.

Australia 1st innings: 445

India 1st Innings:

Yashasvi Jaiswal c Mitchell Marsh b Mitchell Starc 4

KL Rahul c Steven Smith b Lyon 84

Shubman Gill c Mitchell Marsh b Mitchell Starc 1

Virat Kohli c Alex Carey b Hazlewood 3

Rishabh Pant c Alex Carey b Cummins 9

Rohit Sharma c Alex Carey b Cummins 10

Ravindra Jadejac Mitchell Marsh b Cummins  77

Nitish Kumar Reddy b Cummins  16

Mohammed Siraj c Alex Carey b Mitchell Starc 1

Jasprit Bumrah  batting 10

Akash Deep  batting  27

Extras (B-4, LB- 2, W-1, NB-3,)  10

Total ( For 9 wickets in 74.5 Overs)  252

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-6, 3-22, 4-44, 5-74 , 6-141, 7-194, 8-201, 9-213.

Bowling: Mitchell Starc 24-3-83-3, Josh Hazlewood 6-2-22-1, Pat Cummins 20.5-2-80-4, Nathan Lyon 21-0-54-1, Travis Head 1-0-1-0, Mitchell Marsh 2-0-6-0.