2nd Test: Pujara, Rahane raise India's hopes; hosts lead by 126 runs

Cheteshwar Pujara raises his bat after scoring 50 runs during the third day of the second cricket Test match between India and Australia at The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on March 6 2017 PicAFPCheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahanes unbeaten partnership and KL Rahuls fifty propels India to 213 for 4 in their second innings vs Australia at stumps on Day 3 of the second Test at Bangalore on MondayThe wicketless third session helped India get a sizeable second innings lead at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium At stumps Pujara 79 not out and Rahane 40 not out were at the crease with an undefeated fifth wicket stand of 93 runs Opener Lokesh Rahul contributed with a handsome 51 up the orderWith triple centurion Karun Nair and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha still to come India can go back to the team hotel a little more confident than on Day 2Indian batsmen gave a far better account of themselves to keep the hosts afloat on another captivating day as they erased a first innings deficit of 87The side is now looking good to post a fighting score for thevisitors on a crumbling surfaceAustralia had scored 276 in their first innings with leftarm spinner Ravindra Jadeja returning with best figuresof 6 for 63 among the bowlersPujara showed admirable temperament and was helped byflamboyant opener Lokesh Rahuls 51 second halfcentury of the matchThe unbroken 93run fifthwicket partnership betweenPujara and Rahane could prove to be adefining oneThis was also the first time in the series that India managed to pull through a session without losing any wicketPujara played 173 balls to hit six boundaries while Rahane also consumed 105 balls to hit three boundariesLot of credit should be given to Rahul who played both pacers and spinners well during his 85ball knock that hadfour boundariesIt took an absolute blinder from Australian skipper Steve Smith at first slip to remove Rahul who also completed 1000Test runs in his careerRahane on his part is playing one of the most crucial knocks of his career under pressure displaying good techniqueand sound temperament needed in this scenarioThe duo had come to the crease when India were 120 for 4 with only a 33run lead and six wickets in handWith three successive innings being a saga of middle and lowerorder collapse Pujara and Rahane showed a judiciousblend of caution and aggression in their strokeplayKnowing fully well that defending on this track would beout of question both the batsmen kept the scoreboard tickingwith a fair amount of singles and doublesImportantly both played the spin duo of Nathan Lyon 069 in 27 overs and Steve OKeefe 128 in 16 overs wellLyon again got turn and bounce but the strategy to wait forthe offbreak to turn helped them negate his threatFor a change they didnt play OKeefe for the turn and that helped them negotiate the leftarmer betterFor Australia Josh Hazlewood 357 in 16 overs was the pick of the bowlers He cleaned up Abhinav Mukund 16 andRavindra Jadeja 2 who was sent up the order to prop up thescoringKL Rahul Pic AFPEarlierVirat Kohli failed once again as India lost four wickets to slump to 122 for four at tea on the third day Kohli was dismissed for 15 from 25 ball in a contentious decision to the stunning silence of the big home supporters at the stadiumField umpire Nigel Long gave Kohli out LBW off Josh Hazlewood five over before tea break and Kohli who gestured that the ball hit his bat first took DRS immediately After a long review TV Umpire Richard Kettleborough said there was no conclusive evidence to rule its bat first or pad first and ruled in favour of field umpires decisionA furiouslooking Kohli left the ground showing his displeasure but with the lost of the crucial wicket Indias chances in the Test took a beating Kohli had scored 0 and 13 in the two innings of the first Test and 12 in the first innings of this TestJust before tea break Ravindra Jadeja who was promoted up the order was dismissed by Hazlewood for 2 after facing 12 balls as Australia took honours in the the postlunch session India are now just 35 runs ahead with six second innings wickets remainingIndia had begun their second innings on a positive note with runs coming at a good pace and opener Lokesh Rahul hitting a 85ball 51 with the help of four boundaries while onedown Cheteshwar Pujara showing signs of playing a muchneeded big inningsAt the break Pujara was batting on 34 from 75 balls while Ajinkya Rahane was giving him company on 2 Pujara was lucky to have been dropped while batting on four by Steven Smith at slips off Nathan Lyons delivery Hazlewood led the Australian attack bagging three wickets for 37 runs and Steve OKeefe claimed one wicket for 15 runsAfter scoring 38 for no loss at lunch India lost their first wicket on the fourth ball of the second session when Hazlewood cleaned up Abhinav Mukund after he had put on 39 runs from 64 balls with Rahul for opening wicket RavindraJadeja Pic PTIUnlike his first innings Mukund showed glimpses of confidence even as he smashed a boundary and a six off Mitchell Starc When he departed the Indian opener had scored 16 runs off 32 balls compared to his zero in first inningsRahul who has been one of the better performers of the Indian side this series smashed a delightful 51 runs off 85 balls with four boundariesThe Indian opener who topscored in the first innings with a determined 90 was scalped by Steven OKeefe with Steve Smith taking a stunning diving catch to his right at slips immediately after drinks break Rahul departed after a 45run stand for the second wicket with PujaraIn an interesting move Jadeja walked into the field after the departure of Kohli Jadeja could not justify the promotion as he managed to score just two runs before he was dismissed by HazlewoodEarlier leftarm spinner Jadeja grabbed three wickets in 10 balls to polish off the Australian tail as India bowled out the visitors for 276 in their first inningsJadeja removed wicketkeeper Matthew Wade 40 Nathan Lyon 0 and Josh Hazlewood 1 in quick succession after offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed Mitchell Starc as the first wicket of the third morning session Australia took a crucial first innings lead of 87 runs on an unpredictable pitchThe visitors took to the field today with a desire to consolidate on their overnight score of 237 for six but could add only 39 runs in 164 overs while losing four wickets After the departure of Starc Australia lost their remaining three wickets for just seven runs in 44 overs with Jadeja claiming all of themAt one stage Jadeja was on a hattrick after he removed Wade and Lyon in consecutive deliveries of his fourth over of the day But Hazlewood denied him the feat as the Australian took a single with a defensive pushJadeja though had the last laugh as he removed Hazlewood in his next over as the batsman attempted a big swipe only to end up skying it to longon for Lokesh Rahul to take the catch Jadeja ended with innings figures of 6 for 63 in 214 oversBefore Jadeja ran through the Australian tail Ashwin picked up the first wicket of the day by sending back Mitchell Starc for 26 Starc was holed out in the deep with Jadeja taking the catch Ashwin ended with innings figures of 2 for 84 from 49 overs