Shubman Gill’s second Test century and Virat Kohli’s resilient half-century have put India in a good position in the fourth Test at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad. India put 254 runs on the board and lost just three wickets on Day 3 of the final Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Australian spinners took one wicket each as Aussie pacers remained wicketless and toiled hard in Ahmedabad heat. At the end of day's play, India were 289/3, trailing by 191 runs.
Rohit out early
Earlier, skipper Rohit Sharma could add only 20 runs to his overnight score. Rohit took the attacking route against Mitchell Starc and hit him for a four and a six. Early in the day, Gill survived an lbw call as the ball hit the pad three metre before the stumps. He was batting on 35 then. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann got Rohit's wicket. He punched the ball on the back foot but played it straight to short cover-point fielder Marnus Labuschagne. He scored 35 runs from 58 deliveries.
Gill’s second Test ton
Gill got to his half-century with a boundary off Starc. After the first session, India were 129/1. Skipper Steve Smith's tactics did not let Gill and Pujara score freely. Towards the end of second session, Gill picked up pace and got to his century with a boundary off Todd Murphy. He took 193 deliveries to reach the milestone. Gill became the second-youngest Indian opener to score a Test century against Australia.
Pujara misses fifty
In the same over, Pujara was trapped in front of the stumps by Murphy. He scored 42 runs from 121 deliveries including three fours. Kohli survived early in his innings as the outside edge landed short of slip fielder Smith.
In the second session, Kohli played himself in. He took on Starc and hit him for two boundaries. Lyon got the breakthrough with Gill's wicket. He reviewed the decision but it went in vain. The opener scored 128 runs from 235 deliveries including 12 fours and one six.
Kohli’s fifty, Jadeja’s defensive act
Ravindra Jadeja was sent ahead of Shreyas Iyer. Kohli batted cautiously and got to his half-century in the 83rd over of the day. This was Kohli's second Test fifty after January 2022. Meanwhile, Jadeja was overly defensive against spinners. Smith brought back Starc back into the attack.
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Jadeja finally took the aerial route against Kuhnemann and hit him for a six over long-on. No more chances were taken in the last few overs as India did not want to lose wickets. Kohli remained unbeaten for 59 with five fours from 128 deliveries. On the other end, Jadeja scored 16 runs from 54 balls.
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