3rd Test

 Day 1

The test would be David Warner's first of the series. Having suffered an injury in the ODI's, Warner returned to the 11, taking place of Joe Burns as opener. The game began with India in control as Davey was restless in his batting and running, desperately trying to slash every ball. It was Siraj who bowled the fuller ball outside the off, and as Warner said "live by the sword, Die by the sword". Exactly that took place, as Warner tried to drive it, taking the outside edge and handing Pujara an easy catch. The score was 21-1 in the 7th over, when rain came into play, delaying the match by almost two hours in between. It was around 9:30 IST that play resumed, and what continued was an audacious assault by the young guns, Pucovski and Labuschagne. The two went on scoring freely and batting beautifully on a wicket that had nothing in it for the bowlers. The fielding fever that had caught India in the first test and Australia in the second, came back to haunt India as Will Pucovski was given three lives. Dropped twice by Pant, and a missed run-out chance allowed him to continue the batting and take the game well and truly away from India. 

They brought up their 50 partnership, and along with that came Will Pucovski's 50 in his debut test match, at the SCG. It was an inswinging delivery from debutant Navdeep Saini that ended Will's stay at the crease. Through the whole of his innings, Pucovski had shifted on, covering his stumps, and all that was needed to get him out was a delivery into his pads that beat him through pace. Saini was elated as his first test wicket ended the Partnership of Will and Marnus, that was worth exactly 100 and was Australia's first 100 run partnership of the series. The new man in was Steve Smith and as the innings progressed, chaos ensued. Smith, looking in control for the first time in this series, wrecked havoc among the Indian bowlers, not allowing any of them to settle while bowling to him. The day ended with Australia in the driver's seat at 166/2.

Day 2

The first session showed the determination of the Indians as they fought back seizing control of the game. The first hour of the day was played out by the Smith-Marnus duo, but, when Jadeja was brought back into the attack did he strike. It was Labuschagne who departed first after scoring a well-crafted 91. The extra bounce took him by surprise as a faster delivery was edged to Rahane. Wade was the next victim as he went by David Warner's oath, miscuing the ball towards mid-on where Bumrah took a safe catch. Brought back to provide the breakthrough, Bumrah delivered twice in the space of 3 overs, as he sends back youngster Cameron Green and captain Paine. As a routine by then, Jadeja came back to wipe the first of the tail as Cummins was bowled through the gate by a quicker delivery. With the score at 278-7, Steve Smith who held fort at one end, desperately needed a partner to help his team cross 300. It was Starc who obliged, as he came out at no.9 and batted like an old-fashioned number 9, swing your bat and whatever comes. That did the trick for a brief period of time, as Smith scored his 8th ton against India and Australia crossed 300. 

The score was 310, when Starc, who had hit six two balls ago, went for another random swing at the ball. Having miscued it as it hit the toe-end, the ball went high up and safely into the hands of Shubman Gill at mid-on. The tail and Smith were only able to add 18 runs to the total before a blinder of a run-out from Jadeja (who ran all the way from the boundary and made a direct hit) ended the centurion and Australia's innings. 

Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma came out to bat with 1 and half sessions left in the day. The Indian openers began positively, rotating the strike and dispatching the rare bad ball. It was Rohit who departed fist as he was baffled by the slower delivery by Hazelwood, handing him back an easy catch. Shubman Gill scored his maiden fifty after being the aggressor of the innings, but he departed soon after scoring exactly 50.  Rahane and Pujara played out the rest of the day, as Indians ended at 96/2.

Day 3

The first session was more or less a tug of war of momentum, as both sides had their time in that period of play. Rahane and Pujara continued where they left off, playing slowly but steadily while forming a partnership to potentially take the game away from the Australians. It was Rahane who fell first as he was bowled straight through by an inswinging delivery from Paddy Cummins. 

Pujara reached his first half-century of the tour, also making a new record for his slowest ever, making 50 off 174 balls. He was dismissed soon after, by the same bowler who scalped Rahane. The Indian tail was once again left stranded as the wickets kept on falling, leaving the Australians a lead of 94 as India was wiped out for 244. The Australians came out to bat, but the openers once again faltered as the score was 35-2. The day ended in Australia's favor as the danger duo of Smith and Labuschagne once more took control of the game.

Day 4

The Smith-Marnus duo struck their second 100 run partnership of the match, allowing Australia to get into a position of complete dominance, with the lead more than 200 at that point. Labuschagne once again missed out on 100 as Saha took a diving catch to dismiss him of Saini's bowling. Wade once again departed without really troubling the scorers as Saini bagged his second in three overs. Smith continued on at the other end, unfazed by the quick wickets that fell as he went about his business. Once again did Ashwin get his man, stopping Smith from a hundred and that brought a largely underconfident Cameron Green to the crease. The Indians believed this to be the breakthrough they were looking for. 

But, boy were they in for one hell of a ride. Cameron Green joined Captain Paine at the crease, wrecking havoc among the Indian bowlers for their stand. Scoring at a rate of 4, both batsmen kept on scoring without any risk, not allowing any of the Indian bowlers to get into rhythm. They smashed all the bowlers out of the park, as Green teed off big time after securing his maiden test fifty. The Australians declared at 313, leaving the Indians 407 to get. 

The Indians began the chase playing peacefully for the first 20 overs, while scoring at a rate of 3 without any risk. It was Hazelwood who disturbed India's route when he had Gill caught at the corridor of uncertainty by an away going delivery. The next to go was Rohit Sharma, who once again departed after scoring 50, throwing away another great start to waste as he was caught on fine-leg playing his favorite shot. In came two of India's best batsmen, Rahane and Pujara to steer India out of choppy waters on the final day of the third test.

Day 5

The first test that went into the fifth day was also going to tilt the series into a team's favor. Pujara and Rahane came out, looking at a total that could be chased down if one of them batted the whole day. Alas! that was not to be. Rahane was once again cleaned by Lyon in the second over of the day, having tried a defense but instead, handing Wade at short leg a relatively straightforward catch. It was then that Pant came in, living on the edge. He fought is his own way, counter-attacking the bowlers who had kept their grip on the game and succeeded in keeping the Indians quiet. 

Pant slashed and hacked and rode on luck to his 97, where he was unluckily caught on point by Paddy Cummins while playing a false shot. It was as if India's hopes of winning India's test match had evaporated the moment Pant was out. Pujara batten on with Vihari, but at that moment supporters knew India would not be able to win this game. It was when Pujara got out did a gloomy silence descend upon the ground. Australia's won is what everyone thought. With Jadeja gone, Vihari could only do so much they thought. Ohhh, how wrong they were then. In a toiling day for the Australians Vihari and Ashwin hung in there, taking numerous blows to the body and keeping the balls away from the wicket, as they survived 42.8 overs of the Fiery Australians to help draw the match. They just kept in going and going, never thinking about when to stop. Scoring 62 between them, these two batsmen set up a magnificent draw to keep the series in tandem. The duo knew the importance of their wickets, as, if even one fell, the tail would be exposed handing Australia victory. For this exact reason they went for a draw and not for a win, as Vihari proved all his critics wrong about his abilities. Having been under pressure the whole series, this knock would do Vihari a world of god as both teams head to Gabba for the final test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.