After two defeats and in the absence of skipper Pat Cummins, David Warner and a few others, Australia were expected to succumb in front of Indian off-spin duo – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the 3rd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but stand-in skipper Steven Smith guided his side to an unprecedented win in Indore.
With that remarkable 9-wicket victory on Day 3 of the 3rd Test, Australia became the first team to qualify for the World Test Championship Final, while pushing Team India into a tight situation. Rohit Sharma and Co. will need to secure a win in the fourth Test if they are hoping to set up a clash against Australia in the WTC final.
Talking about the 3rd Test, Indian batters failed miserably in their own den as they could only score 109 in 1st innings and 163 in 2nd innings in Indore. After left-arm orthodox Matthew Kuhnemann bagged five-fer in 1st innings, Nathan Lyon was in his element during 2nd innings as he picked up eight wickets. India could only manage to give 76 as a target to Australia by the end of Day 2 of the 3rd Test.
While chasing, Australia suffered an early blow as Ashwin dismissed Usman Khawaja who was out for a duck, but Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne held their fort and guided their side to a comfortable win.
India’s defeat was least expected but it for sure gave birth to some interesting reactions on the internet. Many Indian cricket fans pointed out that the defeat is an awakening call for the team while few claimed that batters need to step up if India is eying the WTC final.
Check out reactions.
