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3rd Test, Day 2: Nathan Lyon grabs eight; Australia need 76 to win Indore Test | Cricket News – Times of India


NEW DELHI: Nathan Lyon grabbed eight wickets as Australia skittled India for 163 on the Day 2 of the third Test at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. With three days remaining in the Test match, Australia now need 76 runs to win the third game.
Cheteshwar Pujara top-scored for India with a gritty 59, while Lyon was the pick of the Australia bowlers, claiming 8 for 64, fourth best figures by a visiting bowler in India.
Rohit Sharma‘s men are 2-0 ahead in the four-Test series. India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after winning the Delhi Test.

Having skittled India for just 109 on day one thanks to five wickets from spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, Australia hoped to build a strong lead.
Resuming at 156-4, Australia crumbled and lost their last six wickets for just 11 runs.
India pacer Umesh Yadav (3/12) and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3/44) ran riot in the morning session. Jadeja was the wrecker-in-chief for India as he claimed 4/78.
India, in their second innings, sensed their chance, and openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill survived a tricky 10 minutes before lunch.
But after the break, Gill was beaten for spin as he tried to hit across the line and was bowled middle stump for five by Lyon.
Skipper Rohit was then trapped lbw by the spinner Lyon for 12.
Virat Kohli looked to take on Kuhnemann, cutting the spinner for a glorious four, only to be trapped lbw the following ball for 13, sending a hush around the rowdy Indore ground.
Pujara gave the home crowd something to cheer about, reducing the deficit by smashing Kuhnemann for a succession of boundaries.

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Cheteshwar Pujara (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Lyon though proved a handful, particularly for Ravindra Jadeja, who was out lbw for seven just before the break to leave India reeling.
Pujara top scored for India, hitting 59 off 142 balls before being dismissed by Lyon. Smith took a stunner at leg slip to show well-settled Pujara the exit door.
This was the 13th time Pujara was dismissed by Lyon in Tests – the most an Indian batter has got out to a bowler.

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Nathan Lyon (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“It is a tough pitch to bat on. It is not easy and you need to trust your defence, you need to make sure to get to the pitch of the ball and try to judge the length early. I know it is not enough but still there is a chance (to win). You need to do that on such pitches, if you keep defending then there’s one ball which will bounce and hit your glove, you need to find the right balance between attack and defence. Whenever I got a loose delivery I tried to put it away,” Pujara said after the match.
“When he (Lyon) bowled round the wicket, his line changed a bit, he was bowling middle and leg-stump line rather than on off-stump, I just wanted to rotate the strike. I wanted to hit it to square leg but because of the slowness of the surface it took the ball to leg slip. It was a brilliant catch by Smith. Bit disappointed, the way things were coming along.. a partnership with Axar, we could have gotten a few more. I am learning few more shots and if there’s a situation or demand then you get few quick runs, I have been working on that and I’m confident that whenever it is needed I can play the (big) shot,” he added.
Lyon then removed Umesh (0) and Mohammed Siraj (0) to skittle India for 163 runs. Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 15.
India have set Australia a 76-run target in the Indore Test.
(With agency inputs)





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