Pat Cummins has donned the superhero cloak, both with the bat and the ball, for the Aussies at the MCG, but it looks like a losing battle. With 141 runs required on the final day with just two wickets in hand, can Australia avoid the inevitable?
Jadeja gets his third and puts an end to Paine's resistance. The Aussie skipper bottom edges it to Pant, who gathers it cleanly this time.
Head's gritty innings of 34 comes to an end. He drags one on to the stumps from Ishant. India is just four wickets away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Cummins comes in to try to deny the inevitable. Rishabh Pant has been in a chirpy mood ever since Paine walked out to the middle. Michael Clarke noted before the start of day's play that there is 80% chance of rain tomorrow...
THIRD SESSION
FOLLOW LIVE
Tea break and India would be very content with its position in this Test. Australia is five down and is just one partnership away from having its tail exposed. India could wrap this up by the end of day's play.
Shaun Marsh came out attacking after lunch and looked Australia's likeliest hope for an unlikely crack at this target. He would probably feel a bit unlucky with his dismissal. Bumrah pinned him leg before but the ball appeared to be going down the leg. Marsh reviewed the decision, but the ball was clipping the leg stump.
Khawaja, who promised more with a 72 in the second innings at Perth, has endured another failure here in Melbourne. He got a start here before being undone by a peach of a delivery. Shami angles one into the stumps with pace and traps Khawaja plumb on the back leg, who plays inside the line.
SECOND SESSION
The teams break for lunch with first session belonging to India. India added 52 more runs before setting Australia 399 to chase in the fourth innings. Then Bumrah struck with his second ball when he induced an outside edge of Aaron Finch for a catch in the slip. Marcus Harris, who had played himself in, perished after Jadeja got the ball to turn out of the rough to be caught at short leg. Jadeja looks dangerous on this pitch with the ball spitting from the rough outside the left-handers' off stump.
Pant tonks Jos Hazlewood for a massive six before he ramps one into the gloves of Tim Paine. Kohli declares with India 398 runs ahead. Cummins was the star of the innings with six wickets which included his four-wicket burst last innings. A daunting task ahead for the host on an unpredictable pitch.
Mayank's superb run on Test debut comes to an end. Undone by the low bounce as a Pat Cummins' delivery takes his inside edge and rattles the stumps. A well deserved fifer for Cummins, who has toiled hard on all three days of this Test. Mayank falls eight runs short of his second fifty of the match.
There were some stop-start showers in the morning but the covers are off now and we should see play commence on time. All eyes will be on India captain Virat Kohli with talk of more rain on day four five. Does he feel India have enough runs on the board to force a declaration or will he want Rishabh Pant and Mayank Agarwal to get few more runs on the board before putting Australia in to bat again?
FIRST SESSION
Recap:
Australia resumed day three on eight for no loss and was outdone by a stunning spell from Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed career-best figures of 6/33. The Aussies were bucked up for 151 and trailed India by 292.
Interestingly, the Indians did not opt for the follow on and came back to bat. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood gave India a mighty fright and left the visitor struggling at 54 for the loss for five wickets, with a lead by 346 runs at stumps on Day Three. Cummins came all guns blazing and accounted for the top order, barring Mayank Agarwal, in a splendid spell of bowling.
Australia will come with its noses ahead on the fourth day morning but India, with a 345-run lead, might have a slender advantage. Here's the third day's report
Another interesting bit of information is that Bumrah became the first Asian bowler to take five-wicket hauls in South Africa, England and Australia.
He has figures of:
5/54 vs South Africa, Johannesburg
5/85 vs England, Trent Bridge
6/33 vs Australia, Melbourne
Read more on the pacer's magical 2018: Bumrah sizzles in debut year
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