India v Australia, 3rd Test – India Player Ratings

The 3rd Test of the Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia in Ranchi ended in a draw after the visitors batted superbly on the final day to eke out result in their favour. It also meant the series is still on the line with the final Test yet to be played in Dharamsala. After Australia managed to post a mammoth 451 in their 1st innings courtesy brilliant centuries by Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell, India somehow managed to get past their score and make a formidable 603. Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha played superbly which ensured India took a big 150 runs lead. On the final day, Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh applied themselves brilliantly and ensured Australia didn’t give away wickets to the Indian spinners. Eventually, the match ended in a draw which will be a morale victory for the visitors KL Rahul – 8/10 KL Rahul. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Karnataka lad continued from where he left in the Bangalore Test and smashed his 4th half-century of the Test series. He looked in total control of proceedings and looked in ominous touch during his innings of 67 of 102 deliveries. He struck some exceptional shots especially of Josh Hazlewood and took on the Australian bowlers with authority. For the 4th time in the series, Rahul failed to convert his start into a big one as he was dismissed by a scorcher of a delivery from Pat Cummins. It was a well directed short ball and in an attempt to fend it, Rahul gloved it straight to the wicket-keeper Matthew Wade. Murali Vijay- 8/10 Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: BCCI) The comeback man announced his return to international cricket with an authoritative innings in the 1st innings. After starting off with a cautious approach, Vijay slowly started gaining in confidence with some exquisite drives through the cover region. He was beaten a few times by Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood but he negotiated the initial burst and made his way to a well-constructed 82. He took on the spinners on a few occasions and executed the drives to perfection. His only six in the innings came when he stepped down the track to Steve O’Keefe and smashed him over the midwicket boundary for a huge six. He was eventually dismissed in the final over before tea on Day 3 as he stepped down the track to O’Keefe and missed a straighter delivery on the leg stump. Wade duly collected the ball and wiped off the bails to send him back to the pavilion. Cheteshwar Pujara -10/10 Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: BCCI) Now, what do you say about the ‘Marathon Man’. The mainstay of the Indian middle order, Cheteshwar Pujara went on to smash his 3rd Test double century and also broke the record for most number of deliveries faced by an Indian in Test cricket breaking the record of legendary batsman Rahul Dravid. He was simply exceptional and his innings of 203 came in as many as 525 deliveries and along with Wriddhiman Saha, the duo shared an incredible 199 runs partnership which bailed India out of the precarious situation they were in. He played some exceptional drives and was solid in his defence. There was hardly any bowler who could have breached through his defence. He batted for the whole of the 3rd day and the majority of the 4th day but despite that, he was as fresh as a daisy after the end of Day 4. The Modern Wall was in complete control of proceedings and the only thing which the Indian fans might complain is the pace at which he scored. Despite being slow innings it was important to keep India in the Test series and it will go down as one of the greatest ever Test innings. Virat Kohli – 3/10 Virat Kohli celebrates with teammates. (Photo Source: BCCI) Captain Virat Kohli’s dismal show in the ongoing Test series continued as he failed prey to Pat Cummins after only making 6. It was a fuller length delivery outside the off stump and Kohli edged it straight to the slip fielder Steve Smith. It was a very soft dismissal from a batsman of Kohli’s calibre and his form will surely give him a headache or two going into the final Test in Dharamsala. The off-field issues continued here too, as Kohli was mocked by Glenn Maxwell due to a shoulder injury which he sustained during the opening day of the Test. He fell on his right shoulder and was out of the field for two days. Maxwell too fell on his right shoulder and after getting upheld his right shoulder to mock his injury. It didn’t go down well the Indian spectators as there were hate messages all around the social media for the Aussies. Ajinkya Rahane – 3/10 Ajinkya Rahane of India. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) After a superb innings in the 2nd innings of the 2nd Test, Rahane yet again failed in India’s long home season and made 14 in the only innings India played in the 3rd Test. He played a couple of delightful shots of Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon but an attempted uppercut of Pat Cummins brought about his downfall on 14. It was an attempted short delivery by Cummins. The ball stopped after bouncing on the pitch and the upper cut was almost an afterthought by Rahane. He held his bat out and edged it straight to Matthew Wade behind the stumps. He also captained the team when Kohli was out of the field. Karun Nair – 3.5/10 Karun Nair. (Photo Source: BCCI) Triple centurion from the England series failed to impress as the Karnataka lad was dismissed by an unplayable delivery from Josh Hazlewood. The youngster got off to a good start and played some delightful shots in the process. He played a couple of exquisite shots before Josh Hazlewood came back strongly and breached through his defence with an exceptional delivery. The ball pitched outside off and kept tailing into breach through his defence. Ravichandran Ashwin – 3/10 Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) India’s spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin had a forgettable match in Ranchi as he failed with both bat and the ball. With the bat in the hand, Ashwin was dismissed for 3 by Pat Cummins as he gloved a short of length delivery straight to the wicket-keeper Matthew Wade. Though the umpire ruled in favour of him, replays suggested there was a clear spike and hence the decision was overturned. He bagged only two wickets throughout the Test which we don’t see too often especially in Indian conditions. He hardly troubled the Australian batsmen and his only wicket in the 1st innings was that of Shaun Marsh’s. Glenn Maxwell was dismissed cheaply by the spin ace in the 2nd innings. Wriddhiman Saha – 9/10 Wriddhiman Saha. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Bengal lad produced a magical performance in the Ranchi Test which has made people say he has become the ideal replacement for MS Dhoni. Coming out to bat with India in a precarious situation, Saha played an exceptional innings and along with Cheteshwar Pujara, the duo shared an incredible 199 runs partnership in over 500 deliveries. The shaky starter was troubled early on by the fast bowlers but slowly gained confidence and started taking on the Australian bowlers. Especially against the spinners, he stepped down the track on a consistent basis and smashed Nathan Lyon for a huge six over the midwicket region He went on to smash his 3rd Test century and was eventually dismissed on 117. He was safe behind the wickets and took two catches in the match. Ravindra Jadeja – 9.5/10 Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: BCCI) The left-arm tweaker was at his sublime best with both bat and ball in the hand. In the 1st innings, when all other bowlers failed to provide the breakthroughs, Jadeja came in and bagged a five-wicket haul which helped them to keep Australia under 500. Has was very accurate as usual and began with the wicket of dangerman David Warner of a full toss. He eventually finished with impressive figures of 5/124 in 49.3 overs. With the bat in hand, he smashed his 6th half-century, an innings constructed with 5 fours and two hits over the fence. His famous sword celebration came out yet again as he reached his half-century. His innings came in a quick time which also allowed the hosts to post a total over 600 runs. Even in the 2nd essay, the left-arm spinner bagged another 4 wickets. He began with the wickets of David Warner and Nathan Lyon on the twilight of the penultimate day. Both the deliveries turned sharply and disturbed the timbers. He added two more to his tally on the final day after dismissing Steve Smith and Shaun Marsh. Smith misjudged the length of a delivery from Jaddu and left it all alone. It turned sharply and struck the middle and off. Umesh Yadav – 6/10 Umesh Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI) The right arm quickie bowled his heart out and bagged 3 wickets in the 1st innings. He bowled well in the 2nd innings but without any success. He took important wickets of Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb with great deliveries. Renshaw edged an outswinger straight to the slip fielder, while Handscomb was struck on the boot by a lethal delivery from Umesh. Despite not getting a single wicket in the 2nd innings, he bowled pretty well and deserved at least a wicket to his name. Ishant Sharma- 4/10 Ishant Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI) The lanky fast bowler didn’t have a memorable match and bagged just a solitary wicket throughout the 3rd Test. He was wicketless in the 1st innings but was impressive during the 2nd spell where he troubled the Australian batsmen on many occasions. He eventually got his 1st wicket of Test on the final day when he dismissed Matt Renshaw with a beautiful inswinger. The ball came back sharply and struck the southpaw plumb in front. There was no hesitation in the umpire’s mind and ruled it in favour of the bowling side.

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