Ravichandran Ashwin returned with a three-wicket haul on Thursday to help India skittle out Australia for 197 in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar. Ashwin’s performance, in which he took the wickets of Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey and Nathan Lyon, helped the hosts limit the visitors’ lead. The three wickets also meant that Ashwin now has 689 international wickets, surpassing Kapil Dev (687), to be the third-highest wicket-taker for India across formats. Anil Kumble (953) and Harbhajan Singh (707) hold the top two places.
Talking about the match, Australia lost their last six first innings wickets for just 11 runs on Thursday as they collapsed to 197 all out on the second morning of the third Test against India.
India were 13-0 at lunch in their second innings in Indore, trailing by 75 runs, after captain Rohit Sharma (5) and Shubman Gill (4) negotiated a tricky 10-minute period before the interval safely.
Resuming on 156-4, Cameron Green and Peter Handscomb did well to survive the first hour on a spinning pitch with unpredictable bounce, but once they departed India mopped up the rest of the order in a hurry with seamer Umesh Yadav taking three wickets.
The tall Green used his long stride to neutralise India’s spin attack, remaining busy between the wickets as Australia looked to build a solid lead and come back in the four-Test series after defeats in the first two matches.
But after the drinks break Handscomb departed for 19, caught by Shreyas Iyer at short leg off Ravichandran Ashwin, having added 12 to his overnight score.
The next over Cameron Green fell for 21, trapped lbw by Umesh, who then bowled Mitchell Stark for one, sending the left-hander’s off stump cartwheeling towards wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.
Alex Carey departed for three, lbw to Ashwin, Umesh bowled Todd Murphy for a duck and Nathan Lyon was bowled by Ashwin for five.
Ravindra Jadeja had taken all four Australian wickets on Wednesday, including Usman Khawaja who made a stylish 60, and finished with figures of 4-78. Ashwin took 3-44 and Umesh 3-12.
India won the toss and batted on the first day Wednesday only for Australia’s spinners to bowl them out just after lunch for just 109, with Matthew Kuhnemann taking five wickets.
With AFP inputs
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