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Brilliant half-centuries from KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja and a fine display of defiance and defence from tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep helped India prevent follow-on against Australia as a rain-affected day three at Brisbane concluded on entertaining note on Tuesday.
At the end of the day's play, India was 252/9, with Akash Deep (27*) and Bumrah (10*) unbeaten. They trail the Aussies by 193 runs. India started the final session at 201/7, with Ravindra Jadeja (65*) and Mohammed Siraj (1*) unbeaten. In the first over itself, Mitchell Starc removed Siraj for just one run, with wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey taking a brilliant diving catch. India was 201/8. Jadeja continued his resilient batting, smashing some boundaries. However, a poor shot into the air landed in the hands of Mitchell Marsh at deep mid-wicket. Jadeja was gone for a brilliant 77 in 123 balls, with seven fours and a six. India was 213/9 in 66 overs. The fresh pair on the crease was Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep. The pair frustrated Australians with their patience and some surprisingly good strokes that had the dressing room enjoying it. They were able to prevent the follow on for India as they touched the 246-run mark. Akash Deep smashed one into the air for a huge six, ending the day without any further loss of wicket and some entertainment for Indian fans. As both sides walked back to take Tea, India's score read 201/7, trailing by 244 runs, with Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj unbeaten with scores of 65(109) and 1(7), respectively. The majority of the second session was consumed by unrelenting rain, making its appearance at the stroke of the first session. In the limited action on offer, Nitish and Jadeja effortlessly negated the threat posed by Australian bowlers. One contrasting point that was noticeable to the naked eye throughout the play was the shift in Nitish's approach. Nitish made a name for himself by making power-hitting look like a piece of cake. He resorted to his defensive expertise and looked comfortable while holding on to his wicket. Jadeja, on the other hand, brought out his sword after to celebrate his hard-fought Test fifty. With Australia craving for a breakthrough, captain Pat Cummins introduced himself into the attack. Cummins tried to ask certain questions from Nitish, but the young all-rounder remained firm in his stance.Nitish (16) dealt with each delivery cautiously but eventually chopped the ball back into the stumps. Mohammed Siraj was firm in his approach, with Jadeja trying to play most of the deliveries. The weather gods returned to bring an end to the session, which left Mitchell Starc visibly infuriated as he was seen protesting with the umpires. Earlier in the day, KL Rahul came out to bat alongside skipper Rohit Sharma and took the stride with fortune on his side. On the first ball of the day, Rahul gave away a healthy edge straight to Steven Smith, stationed at the second slip. The moment when the ball connected with the bat, Rahul quickly turned back to see the outcome of his half-hearted shot. Smith got both of his hands into play, but the ball just didn't stick in them. The relief was clearly visible on Rahul's face and his body language. With a sigh of relief and a hand on his head, Rahul summed up the emotion every Indian cricket fan experienced at that moment. With Rahul living an extended life, he punished Australian bowlers with some delicious cover drives. On the other hand, Rohit decided to tread with caution. He avoided engaging in deliveries travelling in the fourth or fifth stump line. However, in the battle of captains, Rohit wasn't as lucky as his partner. His resolve finally gave away when he tried to push for a drive. With his feet rooted to the ground, Rohit edged it straight to Alex Carey and returned cheaply with 10(27). Even after Rohit's fall, Rahul upped the ante to keep the pressure away from the Indian team. He gave fans something to cheer about after notching up his 17th Test fifty. While India lost its skipper, Australia had concerns of their own when Josh Hazlewood was pulled out after a suspected calf injury after the drinks break. Rain came in to make its presence felt for a brief period, offering both teams enough time to figure out their course of action. With Hazelwood out of action, Rahul decided to make the most of the opportunity, with Ravindra Jadeja playing second fiddle to him. Australian bowlers started to leak runs, with India looking to end the session with 150 on the board. However, the circle of life came to an end when Rahul tried to chop away the ball off Nathan Lyon. Smith, guilty of dropping one, sprung off the ground like a cat to take a stunning one-handed catch. As Rahul walked back with 84(13), Nitish came in to lead the counterattack. Without wasting any time, Nitish got off the mark with a sublime drive to pick up a boundary. Jadeja was not intimidated while facing Lyon and pulled out a clean sweep shot to showcase his knack for scoring runs, with India fighting hard to avoid a follow-on. The duo managed to see off the session with their unbeaten 26-run stand. Brief Scores: India: 252/9 (KL Rahul 84, Ravindra Jadeja 77, Pat Cummins 4/80) vs Australia: 445/10 (Travis Head: 152, Steve Smith: 101, Jasprit Bumrah: 6/76). (ANI)
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