Cheteshwar Pujara once again proved to be a saviour for Team India as he played a defining knock of 59 runs in the second innings of the host nation and helped his side diffuse the lead secured by Australia.
Trailing by 88 runs, India started their second innings of the third Test on a poor note as their batting line-up collapsed terribly.
Pujara was the only player for the home side to hit a fifty. The 35-year-old test specialist batted resiliently for India and stitched some crucial partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (26) and Ravichandran Ashwin (16). However, in the end, he fell victim to Nathan Lyon and was caught by Australia’s standing captain Steve Smith at slip.
On the third ball of the 56th over, Lyon bowled a leg-side delivery to Pujara, which the latter attempted to flick for a boundary but ended up getting an inside edge to the red leather instead. Smith made no mistake at the slip and pulled off a stunner to send the Saurashtra batter back to the pavilion. The 33-year-old Aussie cricketer first expected the ball to go on his right, but at last, he dived towards his left and grabbed a stunning catch. Smith was seen pumped up after the dismissal.
Here’s the video:
Could this be a match-turning catch by @stevesmith49 to dismiss @cheteshwar1 for a determined 59 #INDvAUS #classic pic.twitter.com/RFHO4lEdWV
— simon hughes (@theanalyst) March 2, 2023
Following Pujara’s wicket, India got bowled out for 163 and managed to set a target of mere 76 runs for the visiting side. Lyon picked an eight-wicket haul for Australia and played a significant role in dismantling the Indian line-up in their second innings on Day 2 of the third Test. Mitchell Starc and Matthew Kuhnemann also scalped one wicket each for the touring party.
Notably, if Australia wins the Indore Test, then the fourth and final match will be a must-win game for India to stay alive in the World Test Championship 2023 final race.
