3rd Test
Day-4 Afternoon Session Highlights:
Ravindra Jadeja has played an important role for India team in the second session
At The Tea of Day-4:
India scored 201/7 (1st Innings), where as Australia scored 445 (1st Innings).
So, finally India trail by 244 runs.
Australia continued to race against time to secure a victory in the Brisbane Test, with a shortened second session on the fourth day.
Just 13.2 overs of play were possible between Lunch and Tea, during which India added 34 runs for the loss of Nitish Reddy.
The visitors remain 45 runs away from forcing Australia to bat again, hoping that will consume more time as they fight to save the Test.
To achieve that goal, Ravindra Jadeja (65*) will need to carry much of the load, supported by the three fast bowlers.
Playing his first Test of the series, Jadeja was largely untroubled by the softer Kookaburra ball, forming partnerships of 67 and 53 with KL Rahul and Nitish Reddy, respectively.
After a delayed start to the post-lunch session, he reached his half-century with a beautifully timed on-drive for four, followed by another boundary that was unintentionally gifted to him when the ball brushed his thigh pad and ran to the fine-leg fence.
A rain delay of 67 minutes interrupted play after 2.5 overs, but when action resumed, Jadeja and Reddy calmly saw off a spell from Mitchell Starc.
However, Cummins made an immediate impact upon his return, drawing an uncertain poke from Reddy that resulted in an inside edge onto the stumps.
Mohammed Siraj survived a few nervous moments before rain forced the umpires to call for Tea.
Earlier in the morning, India added 116 runs at 3.74 runs per over across 32 overs.
A significant contribution came from the 67-run partnership between Rahul and Jadeja.
Rahul was fortunate early on, benefiting from a dropped catch by Smith off the first ball of the day, and he played fluently for his 84 before being dismissed by a brilliant fielding effort from the same fielder who had reprieved him on 33.
India lost overnight batter Rohit Sharma to a probing burst from Cummins.
The Australian captain set him up with a sharp, short delivery followed by a full ball that wasn’t quite full enough for the drive.
Rohit, sensing a rare scoring opportunity, reached for the ball and edged it to the keeper.
Apart from that misstep, Rahul was flawless, displaying solid technique and good decision-making.
He picked only the fuller deliveries to play his shots, particularly favoring the square drive over a more expansive one toward extra cover.
He patiently waited for the bowlers to bowl straighter to him, which he then flicked, tucked away, or drove.
As has been the case this summer in Australia, Rahul and Jadeja found the going easier once the Kookaburra ball had seen more than 30 overs.
With Jadeja playing confidently, Rahul reached fifty and seemed well on his way to a century before an attempted cut shot off Lyon found Smith in the air, ending their promising 67-run partnership.
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