India rides controversy, broken bones, and a torn hamstring to pull off an unlikely draw at the SCG
Australia tried every trick in the book, from false bravado to silly verbal baiting, but India just had too much focus to let all that deter them.
Day 5 was a tale split in two parts: Before Rishabh Pant (BRP if you will) and After Rishabh Pant (ARP).
Before Rishabh Pant (BRP)
The day at SCG started with the dice heavily loaded in Australia’s favour. Set a target of 407 and starting the day at 98/2, victory was virtually out of the equation for India even before a ball was bowled. The start for India was a terrible one. They lost their captain, and centurion from the last test, Ajinkya Rahane early, the score 102/3 at that stage.
Next up, was Rishabh Pant, and what followed is the true embodiment of what you’d see once in a blue moon!
Rishabh Pant was all ‘ beast mode’ and Cheteshwar Pujara all ‘zen’, as they complemented each other wonderfully and started to build a partnership.
Rishabh Pant showed why India was desperate to have him in the team, even with his shoddy wicket keeping. Pant treated Nathan Lyon like he was a club level off spinner, tonking him for sixes over mid off, mid on, to even extracover. Even the pacers couldn’t contain him, as he cut and pulled them at will. In between all this he batted with pain, got hit on the helmet but still went on. But like all good things, this too came to an end, on 97 he played one shot too many, and perished, India 250/4 at that point.
After Rishabh Pant (ARP)
Once Rishabh was gone, India’s chances for a win were gone too. The only option left was a draw. But that too looked highly unlikely considering one of the remaining batters Ravi Jadeja would bat with a dislocated thumb. Hanuma Vihari joined Cheteshwar Pujara in the middle with more hope than belief. As time went on he started to look comfortable in the middle, but just as the Indians were getting their hopes up to avoid a defeat, the Aussies fought back and got Pujara out.
India 273/5 at this point and 40 odd overs left to play India were again in a spot of trouble. Infact what made matters worse was that it looked like Hanuma Vihari had torn his hamstring. But Vihari battled on, and was supported wonderfully by Ravi Ashwin.
A special mention for Tim Paine, the Australian captain, who tried to sledge Ravi Ashwin, but lost his own concentration and dropped a dolly.
Moral of the story: do your job and keep your mouth zipped.
In the end Vihari faced 161 balls, and Ashwin faced 126 balls to pull off one of the most unlikely draws, India finished on 334/5.
Maybe the racism scandals did play a part in the fight that the Indians showed in the second innings, we will never know that for sure, but the way their batsmen batted in the second innings was something extraordinary.
And with this result, the momentum is with India now. The fourth and the last test will be played at Brisbane, where the Aussies have a great record, and haven’t lost in the last 30 odd years. But, with this Indian team, the motto is, RECORDS ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN.
