India vs Australia 3rd Test Day 3, Match highlights: Cheteshwar Pujara’s century keeps India fighting against Australia

4:39 pm: Josh Hazlewood with the last over of the day. Saha to try and get the patient job done and see off things without throwing away a wicket at this stage. First three balls and no harm done as Hazlewood produces three bounces. Fourth one swings in and Saha defends. Fifth delivery is defended as well. And safely played by Saha. STUMPS!

4:36 pm: Two overs to go in the day. O’Keefe has the first. Saha with a neatly played reverse sweep which is kept low and runs off to the boundary.

4:30 pm: Saha and Pujara successfully evading the spin of O’Keefe. The leftie bowling from over the wicket

4:21 pm: Some signs of exhaustion as Pujara runs two. Not pacing through but he has enough time to go for a comfortable two. Didn’t try to play it hard off Hazlewood. Just the timing doing the work for him. Next delivery is a bouncer and he rocks on the backfoot to pull and keeps the ball down. No trouble. Single taken.

4:11 pm: Steve O’Keefe bowling around the stumps to Saha. The wicketkeeper batsman looks solid.

4:02 pm: It hasn’t been a poor series for Kohli alone. Ashwin, normally a strong batsman, has scored only 23 runs in the five innings. 1, 8, 7, 4 and 3 today

3:57 pm: Saha sweeps and gets four behind square. Gets off the mark as well. Steve O’Keefe coming round the wicket to Saha and pitching it up to the batsman.

3:50 pm: Wriddhiman Saha and Cheteshwar Pujara have 40 minutes to play out before stumps. India are 328 for the loss of six wickets. Trial Australia by 123 runs

3:44 pm: Review! Australia appeal for a caught behind but the umpire denies it. Australia review. It looks close to the gloves. Ashwin says he hasn’t gloved it. There is a spike on UltraEdge. WICKET! Ashwin has to go. There is a spike. Ashwin talks to the umpire while walking back

3:41 pm: the scoring rate continues to be slow for India. Ashwin and Pujara at the crease. Pat Cummins once again after a maiden over from Steve O’Keefe

3:36 pm: Two sounds as Ashwin defends one from Pat Cummins. It lobs up in the air and Cummins tries to catch, leaping in the air. He has come a bit ahead and has to bend behind. Touching the finger tips only

3:30 pm: 113 overs gone and India are 326 for the loss of five wickets. Time for drinks in Ranchi. India still trail by 125 runs. One hour of play still remaining in the day’s play

3:13 pm: Ashwin is the new man in for India. Half of the Indian batting line in back in the hut. Pujara still out in the middle for the hosts

3:07 pm: GONE! Josh Hazlewood has silenced the crowd in Ranchi. That silence preceded by the sound of the timber. Lovely delivery angled in to the right hander and gap between bat and pad is breached to remove the off stump. Nair goes for 23 and India are 320/5. Pitched outside the off stump, length delivery and grazes the pad to go on and hit the off stump. Superb delivery!

2:59 pm: Drop in energy now for Australia as they look for another wicket. The partnership moving towards the 50-run mark as India are 317/4

2:48 pm: Nair now looks comfortable in the middle. Hazlewood and Lyon operating in tandem

2:37 pm: CLOSE! Beautiful bowling by Nathan Lyon and he nearly breaks his wicketless run that has stretched beyond 50 overs now. Tossed up for Karun Nair and it finds the gap between bat, pad and everyone else. Goes for four byes

2:35 pm: Welcome back for the final session on Day 3. Pujara and Karun Nair in the middle. Hazlewood first up with the ball

2:23 pm: It has been all Pujara in that session. He has paced his inning beautifully and barring him, Australia have found a way around for other Indian batsmen

2:10 pm: TEA! India are 303/4 at Tea and trail Australia by 148 runs. That session produced 110 runs with two wickets lost – Kohli and Rahane. 

2:07 pm: Full and outside off and Nair plays it towards cover for a single. Brings up India’s 300

2:02 pm: FOUR! Karun Nair rocks on to his back foot and cuts it for a four. That ball was short and there to be smacked and it was by the new man in

2:00 pm: Cheteshwar Pujara has paced his innings beautifully. 50 from 155 balls and 100 from 214 balls. 59 balls for the second fifty

1:54 pm: This series

Steve Smith – 350

KL Rahul – 282

Cheteshwar Pujara – 246*

1:50 pm: CENTURY! Pujara gets to his century in style. A boundary through the covers and that’s his 11th Test century and 4th in the domestic season. What a sublime innings full of patience and more importantly, the first hundred by an Indian this series

1:40 pm: GONE! That is poor from Rahane. Tries to play a short ball from Cummins over the keeper and the slips region but edges it behind to Wade. A bouncer was in the offing with two men available for the hook and it has done the job. 

1:38 pm: Fours accumulating for India. One from Pujara who is on to 95 and then a bye which evades Pujara and then Wade behind the stumps.

1:31 pm: Four byes! Ball staying low way too often now. This one by Cummins though is wide of the leg stump and goes for four byes. Physio came out to check Pujara’s hand at the break between the two overs.

1:19 pm: Post the drinks break, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon have been the bowlers employed. Changing things around are Australia

1:09 pm: Ajinkya Rahane comes down the track and Lyon tries to send it outside off for a possible stumping but the India batsman drives it through extra cover for a four

1:07 pm: Pujara moves into the 80s with a touch of luck his way. Plays against the turn and away from his body to get a thick outside edge which flies past the slip fielder

12:59 pm: Meanwhile Pujara staying firm and steady despite the psychological setback. Two deliveries by Cummins going for fours.

12:55 pm: Kohli this series: 0, 13, 12, 15 and now 6. A collective 46 runs in five innings at an average of 9.2. Oh no! He was dismissed in similar fashion in the first Test and now again. Drive at one outside off, full and taken in the slips. Then Starc was the bowler, now Cummins

12:50 pm: Ajinkya Rahane is the new man in for India

12:47 pm: GONE! And Virat Kohli’s poor run in the series continues. He goes for six and Cummins strikes. Gets a thick outside edge and it is taken by Smith at second slip. Checking whether it carried is a mere formality. Wide half-volley without any foot movement and the ball takes a thick edge which goes flying to Smith at second slip who latches on to a sharp chance. 

12:44 pm: New ball is taken and Cummins is the first to use it. Pujara to face. Second delivery is clipped off the pads and finds the midwicket boundary. Third ball of the over goes for three runs as Maxwell saves a single with a Kohli-like dive

12:41 pm: FOUR! Pujara reaches the pitch of the ball after coming down to Lyon. Drives this straight of mid-off and there is no air to this shot. Down the ground all along. 80 overs bowled. New ball due and reviews reset as well

12:38 pm: Looks like Australia are waiting for the new ball as Josh Hazlewood is taken off the attack. Lyon and O’Keefe continue

12:28 pm: FOUR AND FOUR! Pujara with two cracking fours to O’Keefe and it brings up his fifty from 155 balls. Comes down the wicket a touch, plays it with the spin and finds the gap between mid-off and cover

12:19 pm: Kohli opens his account with a single to O’Keefe. But the pace bowlers could be a difficult job. Bang it short and that right shoulder could be tested if he’s not 100%

12:15 pm: First runs of this session as Pujara plays it late to Hazlewood and beats the two fielders on the on-side to bring up a boundary.

12:10 pm: Kohli plays the first two balls with ease and comfort.

12:08 pm: Underway for the second session of play. And a welcome sight for the fans. Virat Kohli steps up to take crease.

11:48 am: O’Keefe skipping lunch and continuing to get some tips to create the most impact – like he did in Pune

Just as at Pune, Steve O’Keefe skips lunch & head back to middle with spin coach Sri Sriram. He took 6-12 after their 1st Test chat #INDvAUS

— Andrew Ramsey (@ARamseyCricket) March 18, 2017

11:45 am: Sensational first session of play in Ranchi. It had strong bowling, testing deliveries, pressure on the batsmen, powerful strokes and then a brain fade to culminate things. 73 runs added to India’s score in that first column with Vijay falling for 82. Australia have no reviews left and they have been hurt by that already. Kohli, in all whites, looks ready to come on next when play begins after Lunch

11:30 am: LUNCH! India go into lunch at 193/2 and trail Australia by 258 runs

11:29 am: GONE! Moment of brain fade there from Murali Vijay. Lapse in concentration right before lunch. He’s gone for 82 as O’Keefe gets the wicket and Wade has him stumped. Would have been the final few balls in the first session and he’s thrown his wicket away. Jumped out of the crease to play it for a big hit but he’s missed the ball completely. Huge gap between bat and pad and that is where the ball heads and Wade has the simple job of whipping off the bails. 

11:26 am: Loud appeal and Hazlewood looks distraught. Murali Vijay is caught on the back leg as the ball pitches on middle and leg. That looked to be missing leg. Meanwhile that completes the 100-run stand. Vijay playing across the line and he’s survived this

11:24 am: Loud appeal for bat/glove and then catch on Pujara. Hazlewood bangs it in short and it is not a confident effort from Pujara to defend. Throws up his arms to protect his face and the ball gets the arm guard

11:23 am: FOUR! Josh Hazlewood with an overpitched delivery to Pujara who pushes at it to find the boundary. Desperate dive by the fielder at mid-on but it does enough to beat him to pace

11:21 am: Inching towards lunch now. Under 10 minutes left now. O’Keefe goes for a four and five runs in that over

11:12 am: Backward short leg removed as Nathan Lyon comes on to bowl. A slip and then a forward short leg in place. Clearly the attacking intent doing the job for India

11:07 am: FOUR! Hazlewood comes into the attack to replace Steve O’Keefe. The left arm spinner went 13 overs without picking up a wicket this morning. Half volley from Josh and Pujara leans into the shot and this runs to the mid-on boundary

11:04 am: Previous boundaries for India came after 13 overs and 12 overs but now they’ve got two in four balls. Much needed that

11:00 am: Murali Vijay with a four to alleviate some nerves. A slog sweep over midwicket and it runs away to the boundary. First four in over 12 overs. Make that another boundary courtesy Vijay, this time to Lyon, with another sweep. Played from outside the off stump and wide of the backward short leg. Stays down the ground throughout. A well controlled shot that.

10:45 am: Appeal for a bat-pad and take by forward short leg on Vijay off Nathan Lyon but this is given not out. Australia have no reviews left even as they look convinced. And they should be. Clear inside edge there and Vijay survives

10:40 am: Australia review as Pujara is caught lbw. Or so they think. Umpire’s decision is not out. Saved by the inside edge and there’s definitely bat first. Australia lose both reviews. Pujara tried to defensively play it down with Steve O’Keefe getting it to pitch on middle and leg. Bat and pad very close to each other

10:31 am: DRINKS! India are 144/1 with 24 runs added in the first hour of play. No wickets lost. Australia have made some nearly-there chances but nothing to drive home though

10:24 am: Really good close to the over as Pujara tries to defend his way out of things. First it carries on the bounce to forward short leg, then spins away and Wade makes a sharp collect down the leg side and then on the off side, there is some gorgeous turn  but the Indian batsman doesn’t follow the ball

10:22 am: Loud shouts of catch as Murali Vijay tries to go over the top. Miscue there and didn’t look comfortable at all. Played from the inner half of the bat and chips up. Luckily for him though, no fielder at mid-off

10:15 am: Poor delivery from O’Keefe and Pujara makes the most of it. Short of length, straight and plays it past the midwicket region for a boundary

10:07 am: FIFTY! Murali Vijay steals a quick run and brings up his half century from 129 balls. Six fours and a six in that innings. Playing his 50th Test, this is a good time as any to play big and score big.

9:58 am: Josh Hazlewood pings Murali Vijay on the shoulder. Expected the ball to jump up higher but it doesn’t and hits him bang on the shoulder. No sign of pain though.

9:52 am: Nathan Lyon warming up as O’Keefe continues. Short leg moves to short mid-off for Murali Vijay.

9:36 am: O’Keefe to bowl from the other end. And Murali Vijay comes down the track on the fifth delivery and smacks it straight down for a six. Maintains some gap between himself and the ball and sends it over the long-on region for a six

9:30 am: First ball of Day 3. Cheteshwar Pujara to face the first delivery as Josh Hazlewood comes darting in from over the wicket. And calmly plays it for a defensive stroke. Oh wow! The ball stays really low to Vijay. Nearly carries to Wade on the bounce too.

9:15 am: Virat Kohli practiced in the nets in the morning including facing left arm spin – to counter Steve O’Keefe. He did play plenty of shadow shots in the dressing room under the camera lens but away from it, he was readying himself for whenever he is asked to come on to bat. Umesh Yadav had said on Friday that Kohli will bat and it looks to be the case. That’s obviously good news for India.

India vs Australia, 3rd Test Day 3 PITCH:

The rough here in Ranchi is outside the left hand batsman’s off stump and not the right hand side. This would be good news for India and bad news for Australia whose lineup has more left armers than the hosts do. India could very well continue well on this surface barring any silly mistakes. Cracks have deepened. Batting won’t be easy says Sunil Gavaskar. Adds it won’t be easy till lunch or near the time. Grass won’t be a factor as it has gone from the surface. Verdict from Gavaskar and Bret Lee is that if India can survive the first session onslaught, they would be in a good position.

08:45 am: Hello and Good Morning on Day 3 of this Ranchi Test. This one is evenly poised after the first two days but things could change from here if the pitch has indeed developed some cracks as was expected. India still stand 331 runs to matching Australia’s first innings score so plenty of work to be done for the hosts

India vs Australia 3rd Test Playing XI:

Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma

David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood

India vs Australia 3rd Test, Day 3: Reactions from Day 2

Umesh Yadav: “It’s difficult to stop singles on this wicket. They took four and half sessions to score 451, on an average 100 per session. Like we saw today in our batting we scored 120. It may look differently but it’s not easy to bowl on this wicket.” (Read what he had to say)

Glenn Maxwell: “I know how bad it felt when I played that last game in Dubai and didn’t play again. I just wanted to make it count. I was in a place where I doubted whether I’d play Test cricket again, whether I’d have a chance to put the cap back on.” (Read what he had to say)

India vs Australia 3rd Test Day 3 Preview at Ranchi: The third day of the Ranchi Test will see India resume from 120/1 and still trail the visiting Australia by 331 runs. KL Rahul and Murali Vijay gave India a solid foundation before the former fell once again without converting a good start into a big score. Cheteshwar Pujara is the other unbeaten batsman for India

India vs Australia 3rd Test, Match Umpires

Ground Umpires: Chris Gaffaney and Ian Gould
Third Umpire: Nigel Llong
Match Referee: Sir Richie Richardson