Australia and India had their fair share of moments in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series so far. The hosts won the Test opener by 8 wickets. The visitors suffered humiliation as they registered the lowest ever total in Test cricket. India was skittled out for 36.
After a debacle at the Adelaide Oval, the visitors bounced back in the Melbourne Test. Ajinkya Rahane & Co scripted history by beating Aussies in the second Test match by 8 wickets. Rightly so, they leveled the series at 1-1. Rahane was named the man of the match for his incredible century at the MCG.
Rahane who is leading the team in Kohli’s absence has a 100% winning track record in Tests. Talking about the third Test match at Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first.
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj provided an early breakthrough by getting rid of David Warner for just 5 runs. The left-handed batsman who returned from injury wasn’t up to his best as he departed cheaply.
Pant falsely claims Will’s catch
Despite losing David Warner early on in the game, Will Puckovsi and Marnus Labuschagne took the game away from the visitors. The duo added a vital 100-run partnership for the second wicket.
While things were moving smoothly for the Aussies, they were handed a sudden shock in the form of Navdeep Saini. The right-arm fast bowler trapped the set batsman Will Puckovski for leg before wicket.
The right-handed batsman departed after making a well-made 62. Before he got out, he was dropped twice by Rishabh Pant. Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a brilliant delivery and Will got inside edge as the ball went to Pant’s gloves pretty quickly.
The wicketkeeper dropped a catch. Then again, Siraj bowled a short-pitched delivery and Will Puckovski ended up lofting the ball high up in the air as it went behind Rishabh Pant.
The wicketkeeper quickly ran in order to catch the ball. After taking an improper catch, he was seen celebrating with his teammates. Will Puckovski didn’t depart as he had doubts whether Pant had clearly taken a catch or not.
However, as it turned out, the replays showed that he didn’t take a catch properly as he grounded it. The video of Pant falsely claiming Puckovski’s catch despite grassing it has gone viral on the internet.
Watch the video below
Australia in driver’s seat
After a sub-standard batting display in the second Test, the hosts built a solid platform with the bat in the third Test at the SCG. Indian bowlers namely Siraj and Saini took a wicket apiece.
On the other hand, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are batting on 67 and 31 respectively. Marnus hit 8 fours to his name while Smith hit 5 fours. The hosts ended Day 1 with 166 for the loss of 2 wickets.
