India have pulled off the greatest escape at the SCG in more than 50 years, holding on to draw a thrilling third Test against Australia.
Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin batted through 256 balls to save the match and allow India to finish 5-334.
It left India’s score short of the 407 required for victory, but their 131-over effort to survive would have felt like a win to the tourists.
The draw capped one of India’s most resilient efforts in memory, keeping the series level at 1-1 with the final Test to begin in Brisbane on Friday.
Vihari batted through the final session with a hamstring injury, while Ravindra Jadeja, who has a dislocated thumb, was due to be the next man to bat.
Australia also only had themselves to blame, with Tim Paine grassing three chances including one diving in front of David Warner from Vihari with 8.1 overs to go.
The only other real chance came when on the second ball of the final session when Ashwin was given out caught behind, only for a review to show the ball had hit his arm guard.
Vihari batted through 161 balls for 23, while Ashwin churned through 128 deliveries for his 39.
“I thought we would create enough chances to win the game and I thought we did,” Paine said.
“It’s a tough one to swallow, particularly given my situation … we just didn’t hold our catches, myself in particular.
“You have to cop the blame for that, wear it, and move on to Brisbane.”
Not since South Africa batted through 117 eight-ball overs in 1964 to deny Australia has a team faced more balls to survive at the SCG.
And perhaps more incredible was the fact that for half of Monday, it looked like India could do the impossible and win the match after some Rishabh Pant heroics.
Nursing an injured elbow, Pant scored a rearguard 97 from 118 balls after India lost captain Ajinkya Rahane to Nathan Lyon in the second over of the day.
He was able to ride his luck after Paine dropped him on both three and 56 off the offspinner,.
The aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman hit three sixes and 12 other boundaries in his knock, regularly taking Lyon on down the ground.
At one stage he hit the tweaker for a six inside out over cover, before clearing Pat Cummins and the rope at long on the next ball.
It came as part of a 148-run stand with Cheteshwar Pujara, who held one end in his typical resolute style as Pant exploded at the other.
And for a moment, Australia must have seen flashes of Ben Stokes at Headingley in 2019.
But in an instant the match turned again.
Eying his third Test century, Pant again attempted to take Lyon (2-114) down the ground but this time only succeeded in miscuing to Pat Cummins at gully.
Hazlewood (2-39) landed another blow before before tea, with a ball that seamed away from Pujara and took his off stump on 77.
That coincided with Vihari suffering his hamstring injury early as he completed a quick single, forcing India to shut up shop with Australia sensing a real opening.
From there India scored just 62 more from the remaining 42.4 overs but crucially lost no further wickets to save the game.
“It was all about character,” Rahane said.
“The fight to the end. Really happy with the way we fought in this game.”
Micko
Roar Rookie
Great in hindsight! :stoked:
dat
Roar Rookie
India have very little chance going into Brisbane,even before considering the enviable record Australia have there. Bumrah is said to be, likely to miss the game. Both Pant(who was send for scans immediately after he was out in the first innings) and Ashwin were on heavy doses of pain meds durring the 4th innings play ,with the latter especially being a concern for the next match. Vihari and Jadeja have both been officially ruled out for a month atleast. Even Mayank was send for scans after a training mishap yesterday. It's looking more and more likely india will just pick the 10 uninjured players remaining and add pant to it and hope they can eek out a draw. If Ashwin doesn't make the 11 ,kuldeep who played 6 tests so far will be the most experienced bowler in their 11 ,which doesn't exactly inspire any confidence in the attacks ability to take 20 wickets.
Brian
Guest
To be fair the attack both in Melbourne and Sydney needed its fielders to hold their catches. Having said that if Rahane had not run out Kohli in Adelaide the whole series would be over by now
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
It suggests depth more than anything. With the way BBL dominates a large portion of our summer it's a big failure on our part not to be more of a force in international T20 not that I care about that form.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You might have the wrong cricketers there...or you are trying your hand at comedy?; "horrendously roundarm" indeed. You're not mixing him up with Garry Lyon the footballer, are you? "Garry" is only Nathan's nickname. Regarding Ashwin, his action is high but the rest lacks athletic fluency. It's like comparing Alan Connolly with Graham McKenzie. You'd be the Connolly fan.
Micko
Roar Rookie
True, but I wouldn't have a clue. Bernie seems to be a stats guru, and Matth likes delving into these things, so maybe we should ask them I guess.
Micko
Roar Rookie
And I admit I'll have to say Lyon as well. He tends to get shown up on flatter tracks against better opposition (i.e. India). Tim May had a lot more variation to his bowling than Lyon does.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
But what are the actual numbers? Sorry, it just how my head works, I like data. 4 out of last 5 time aust got to day five bowling they lost? Which countries have the best success rate bowling to win on day five. All team management would be on that data now days.
Micko
Roar Rookie
It seems to be a modern thing. On dead pitches not offering much our dumb modern fast bowlers don't have the brains to have more variety with their bowling.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yeah I'm a fan too, it's just that he's a bit like the character in that nursery rhyme at times ... When he is good his is simply outstanding, but when he is bad ...
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
I'm a big fan of Tony (Starc). This sport absolutely needs high quality left-arm quicks to continue to retain its charm. Reckon we haven't had one since Wasim Akram - who was simply the greatest bowler ever along with Sir Richard Hadlee, Warne, Malcolm Marshall, and McGrath - up until the arrival of Starcy (Mitchell Johnson notwithstanding).
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Hazlewood, by rights, should perform well in India as long as Cummins fires. Not so convinced about Starc.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yeah as long as it is only that once in a decade occurrence, no problem.
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
What about when one of those iffy batting lineups manages to dig in really deep and achieve something that only seems to happen once a decade on average? How does that mesh in with everything else? I still reckon it was a terrific surface for Test cricket – all three results were possible in the lunch session on Day Five of the Test – which is exactly what you need from a Test surface. Speaking objectively, this one was a far better surface than the one for the first two Tests. The Baggy Green seamers will have their ultimate Test next year – when they go up against the Indian batting line up once again, only this time in India. That tour, more than any other, is what will separate the men from the pretenders in this Aussie attack.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
No don't need a raging greentop, but when two excellent attacks bowling against two rather iffy batting line ups only get 9 wickets across some 200 overs on days 4 and 5, there is certainly something not quite right.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
I just read about that. Come in you players. Poor.
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Actually Lyon's action is horrendously round-arm whereas Ashwin has a lovely classical high-arm action that generates tremendous loop. Don't know what you're talking about? Also, gotta love Ashwin's variations. His carrom-ball can be lethal.
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
If this lot honestly need a raging greentop to succeed, maybe they're not really as good as we think they are?
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Good sides always look to fight back hard. India are, lest we forget, the only side in the world that are ranked in the top three in all three formats - Tests, ODIs, T20Is. That, more than anything else, suggests exceptional quality to me.
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Is it though? The ‘strayan captain is no less than a national ambassador – and he only even got the job due to the horrendous happenings over in South Africa in 2018. His behaviour suggests that the Baggy Greens are reverting to type – which is why it’s so disturbing. Kids around Australia watched Paine sledge Ashwin during, what was frankly, a heroic batting performance and thought to themselves: “Hey, you know what? It’s totally okay to talk trash to the opposition during a tense game”. That, sadly, is how a nation’s sporting culture is reinforced over time. Paine ought to be a role model by setting the right example – not just for the millions of Aussie kids, but for the hundreds of millions of Indian kids watching as well! Sadly, he let us all down yesterday :unhappy: