Australia needs to score 76 runs to win the third Test against India. Nathan Lyon ripped through the Indian batting order with his immaculate line and length. He took 8/64 and bowled out India for 163 in the second innings, leaving Australia to make 76 and make the series 2-1.
After trailing by 88 runs, India lost four wickets by the time they were even. The Indore track is a nightmare for the batters. It is hard for them to survive on such a track.
Old warhorse Cheteshwar Pujara coped with the Australian spinners valiantly and scored a crucial 59 runs. Shreyas Iyer went for the counterattack but could not survive for a long period; he played a cameo of 26 off 27 deliveries. Mitchell Starc short circuited Iyer’s hope. After that, Lyon bowled tirelessly and made the lives of the Indian batters difficult.
Scoring 76 runs on the third day has looked like an easy target. But scoring the small total may pose some difficulty for the visitors. If Indian bowlers take 4 wickets for 25–30 runs, then the match can be entertaining. Overall, Australia is the hot favourite to win the Indore Test.
Steve Smith is looking optimistic after taking over the captaincy in the absence of Pat Cummins. He took a sharp catch of Pujara and turned the match in favour of Australia.
In fact, this Test will be over on the third day, like the first two matches of the Border Gavaskar Trophy.