BRISBANE: Ravindra Jadeja stonewalled the Australian bowlers with a characteristically gritty fifty, guiding India to 201 for seven at tea on a rain-interrupted fourth day of the third Test on Tuesday. Jadeja (65* from 109 balls, 6×4) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (16 from 61 balls) added 53 runs for the seventh wicket, ensuring that KL Rahul’s classy 84 would not go in vain.
India still trails the hosts by 244 runs, but more importantly, they are now 45 runs closer to avoiding the follow-on and forcing the Aussies to bat again, which would almost certainly guarantee a drawn match. Mohammed Siraj, who was promoted to No. 8, is accompanying Jadeja on 1*.
Jadeja’s selection ahead of R. Ashwin and Washington Sundar may not have pleased everyone, but the left-hander showed the value he brings as a batter in this innings. In Australia, Jadeja now averages over 54, and his last four innings on these shores are: 65*, 28*, 57, and 81.
The 36-year-old scored a significant portion of his runs either down the ground or square of the wicket, allowing him to accumulate runs without the risk of being caught behind or in the cordon. Jadeja brought up his 22nd fifty in Test cricket off 89 balls, with his innings also featuring effective sweep shots against off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Nitish deserves credit for providing solid support to Jadeja, as batting for time was more important than accumulating runs, given the weather conditions in Brisbane. However, a stroke of misfortune ended Nitish’s stay when he dragged Pat Cummins’ rising delivery back onto his stumps, just moments before the teams broke for tea after another rain interruption.
Earlier, Rahul exhibited admirable technical skill to withstand the stern challenge posed by the Australian bowlers, making a resolute fifty. Rahul (84 from 139 balls, 8×4) and Jadeja added 67 runs for the sixth wicket before Rahul fell to a remarkable catch by Steve Smith at first slip off Lyon, as the home side regained momentum.
Resuming from their wafer-thin overnight score of 51 for four, India needed someone to step up and show fight, and Rahul rose to the occasion. There was a moment of fortune for Rahul when Smith spilled a regulation catch at second slip off the first ball of the day from Cummins. Rahul was on 33 then, and a quick look upwards and a silent prayer showed how much he valued that reprieve. He made the most of it, eventually notching his 17th Test fifty.
Once he overcame some early haziness, Rahul looked a class apart from the rest of his colleagues. The Aussies employed three slips and a gully, leaving vast expanses of the ground open for him to play his favourite shot — the cover drive or drive in front of point. Rahul, however, was prudent enough not to play that shot until the bowlers pitched the ball in his driving arc.
Rahul’s sagacity shone in his defense as well — with soft hands, playing close to his body. Cummins tested him with a fifth-stump line outside off, but Rahul either wisely left the ball or tucked his bat behind his pads. Perhaps, he had been watching footage of Cheteshwar Pujara on how to tire out the Aussie pacers.
However, captain Rohit Sharma (10) will rue missing another opportunity to play a significant innings on Australian soil. Cummins pitched one close to off-stump, and Rohit poked at it with hard hands, with Alex Carey doing the rest behind the stumps.
The absence of injured pacer Josh Hazlewood, who left the field after bowling just one over, reduced the intensity of the Aussie attack.
