India played a classical test match cricket in the 3rd test at iconic Melbourne cricket ground that saw the Australian fielders get tired fielding for over one and a half day. Indian batters took the defensive approach throughout the innings and Australian bowlers had no clue to get through their defense. Even the most attacking players like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant had strike rate under 60.
India declared their innings at 443/7 and asked Australia to bat for last six overs of the second day. The visitors are currently 6/0 and will hope to close out the test with a draw which will be the ideal results for them considering India’s vast 1st innings total.
Meanwhile, former Australian great Ricky Ponting terms Cheteshwar Pujara’s innings of 106 runs of 319 balls, a reason which can constitute to India losing the test match.
Indian batsman were good enough to defend and make the Australian bowlers get tired but this strategy didn’t go well with Ponting.
“If India go on and win the game, it’ll be a great innings (but) if they haven’t got time to bowl Australia out twice, it could be what actually costs them the game .I think it’s always hard for India to push the run rate along when Pujara’s there. He’s just made another hundred, his second of the series, so he’s playing well and doesn’t really look like getting out,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.
“But he just locks himself in this little bubble where scoring doesn’t seem to faze him at all. They have got other guys in their side who are stroke-makers but if those guys don’t come off, the scoring rate is always going to be hovering around that two runs an over mark, which makes it pretty hard to win Test matches, especially on flat wickets like we might have here,” he added.
Ponting further said that Indian batters lacked the intent to score runs after the dismissal of Pujara. He opined that Indian batsman wanted to stay long on the crease but they still don’t have enough run on the board.
