The 3rd test of the Border-Gavaskar series was something that will be cherished for ages. The show Ravichandran Ashwin and a hamstrung Hanuma Vihari put out during their 2nd innings batting would have given Rahul Dravid the tears of joy.
Along with Ashwin, Vihari, who was already hobbled with a torn hamstring displayed the extinct art of batsmanship in test cricket to draw the test match which was almost out of reach for the Indian side.
However, let’s not forget about the extraordinary innings of Rishav Pant who got 97 off 118 balls and made look the herculean target of 407 achievable. The ever-steady Cheteshwar Pujara did his part with a knock of 77 runs out off 205 balls. India finished their second innings at the end of day 5, with 334 for 5 in 131 overs before players shook hands.
After the dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara in the hands of Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon taking out a promising Pant, the Indian side was almost considered to be losing the game as Ravindra Jadeja and Vihari, both were injured. But what happened next was something remarkable.
India was on 272/5, and two set batsmen were gone. India had a struggling Hanuma Vihari and the new on the crease, Ashwin. Australia was closing in with the fearsome bowling order, they only needed 5 wickets to win. Almost 43 overs were left. But, ‘fortune favours the brave’.
The nation will remember the epic partnership of 62-runs stand out of 42.4 overs by Ashwin who scored 39 out off 128 balls and Vihari 23 off 161 balls. This might as well be the best present for Rahul Dravid’s birthday and we believe he is surely proud. But let’s not forget Rishav Pant’s extraordinary contribution which will be a hot topic for a very long time.
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The stand-in test skipper, Ajinkya Rahane appreciated the team tweeting, “Bruised. Broken. But never short of character. Really happy with how the boys fought till the end. Lots to learn and improve as we look forward to Brisbane now.”
The series is currently levelled at 1-1 with the 3rd test being a draw. Players and the two countries are currently looking forward to the final test match at Brisbane which will be the deciding factor to who will win this 2020-2021’s Border-Gavaskar trophy.
