Team India completely annihilated Australia on Day 3 of the Perth Test on Sunday. Having set a target of 534 runs for Australia in the fourth innings, Team India has already dismissed three Aussie players. By the end of the day, the hosts are struggling at 12/3 and are 521 runs behind. India looks well on course to go 1-0 up in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The main architects of India’s batting dominance on Day 3 were Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli. Here is how they delivered a batting masterclass in Australia’s own backyard.
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On Day 3, the visitors resumed from their overnight score of 172/0 with Yashasvi Jaiswal being unbeaten on 90 and KL Rahul being 62 not out. In the 62nd over, Jaiswal completed his ton in his very first Test match on Australian soil. The left-handed batter brought up his century by upper-cutting Josh Hazlewood’s delivery for a six behind the wicket. In the 63rd over, he completed 200-run partnership with Rahul. After Rahul got out with India’s total in second innings being 201, Jaiswal teamed up with No.3 Devdutt Padikkal to strike a 74-run partnership. Padikkal got out when India’s total was 275. By this stage, their partnership had already taken India’s total lead beyond 300 runs. But Team India wasn’t in the safe zone yet and the Jasprit Bumrah-led visitors needed to score more runs to set a massive target for Australia.
With India being 275/2, Virat Kohli walked to the crease. The onus was now on a well-set Jaiswal and ultra-experienced Kohli to take India to a decisive position in the match. The duo struck a partnership during which the 22-year-old Jaiswal completed 150 runs for the fourth time in his career and joined the elite list comprising Don Bradman, Javed Miandad, Greame Smith and Sachin Tendulkar who have most 150-plus scores before turning 23. Jaiswal’s partnership with Kohli added 38 more runs to the team total before the left-handed star was dismissed off Mitchell Marsh, having scored 161 off 297 balls.
After Jaiswal went back to the pavilion with India’s total in second innings being 313 runs, the visitors lost two more wickets as Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel were dismissed. India’s second innings total suddenly went from 313/3 to 321/5. Just when Australia felt that they were back in the game, it was time for Kohli’s brilliance. Battling a form slump, Kohli slowly but steadily gained his control in the innings and masterfully stitched 89-run partnership with Washington Sundar for the sixth wicket. When Sundar got out, India was 410/6 with a total lead of 456 runs. Nitish Reddy walked in as No.8 and he gave the much needed support to Kohli. The duo added 77 more runs to the second innings total. Kohli brought up his 81st international century and 30th Test ton during their partnership and India reached 487/6, with a total lead of 533 runs.
It was Kohli’s seventh Test ton on Australian soil and he broke legend Sachin Tendulkar’s record of hitting six Test centuries for India in the country. He is now jointly tied with Sunil Gavaskar (seven Test tons in West Indies) for hitting most Test hundreds in an away country for India.
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