India are six wickets away from beating Australia in the first Test of the 2018-19 Gavaskar-Border Trophy series at Adelaide Oval. At the close of play on Day 4, hosts Australia were 104/4, still 219 runs short of the 323-run target.
Despite a lower-order collapse, India still managed to set a stiff target then Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami got a brace each to keep the visitors in driver's seat.
Ashwin removed Aaron Finch (11) and Usman Khawaja (8), while Mohammed Shami got the wickets of Marcus Harris (26) and Peter Handscomb (14). For the Aussies, Shaun Marsh (31) and Travis Head (11) were unbeaten.
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Finch survived a loud leg before appeal on zero off Ishant Sharma's second ball of the second innings. He went for DRS review and the decision was turned because it was a no ball.
Ashwin, however, nabbed just before Tea as the ball brushed his gloves before looping up for keeper Rishabh Pant to claim an easy catch.
Five overs later, in the 17th, Shami lured Harris to play an away going delivery and the Aussie opener ended up feeding a thick edge to Pant for his second catch of the innings. Shami almost had Harris in the 13th over, but was Cheteshwar Pujara dropped a difficult catch at slip.
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Ashwin then removed Khawaja, thanks to a fine Rohit Sharma diving catch at fine leg off the third ball of the 24th over. In the 37th over, Shami had Handscomb caught at midwicket.
In the next over, Jasprit Bumrah walked off the field after landing awkwardly while trying to stop a Shaun Marsh drive at cover. But he returned to bowl in the 45th over thus dispelling any injury concerns.
Earlier, India lost five wickets for 25 runs after Lunch to get bowled out for 307 in their second innings riding on half-centuries from Pujara (71) and Ajinkya Rahane (70).
India only added 47 runs for their last five wickets after the resumption of play post lunch.
Rishabh Pant (28) continued attacking Nathan Lyon (6-122) but didn't last long as a wild swing found the fielder at deep cover. It started the Indian slide.
Ashwin (5) and Ajinkya Rahane (70) played uncharacteristic strokes, indicating that a declaration was forthcoming. But India never got to that point.
Ashwin was caught pulling in the deep off Mitchell Starc (3-40) while Rahane was out caught reverse sweeping. Mohammed Shami (0) was out caught first ball, wildly swinging at Lyon.
Ishant Sharma (0) was bounced out as India were bowled out in just 11.5 overs after lunch. Their last seven wickets cost only 73 runs. Earlier, Pujara and Rahane took India to 260 for five at lunch.
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Starting from overnight 151 for 3, India made good progress through the first session as Pujara and Rahane ground down the Australian attack with an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Pujara started on a positive note with successive fours early in the day's play. India's main threat came from Nathan Lyon (3-92), who was using the rough on the pitch to trouble the batsmen.
Rahane survived an appeal for a catch in the 74th over via DRS when replays showed that the bat was nowhere near the ball.
India's 200 had came up in the 77th over while their 50-partnership came off 103 balls. Pujara reached his 20th Test half-century off 140 balls.
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The duo continued to grind down the Australian bowling as their pacers' body language started looking tiresome. Mitchell Starc (1-34) took the second new ball as soon as it became available but was wayward at best.
Australia finally got a breakthrough with Pujara out caught at short leg, off Lyon in the 88th over as the ball looped up.
He walked off to a standing ovation from the Sunday crowd, having faced 450 balls in this match, the second-most for an Indian batsman in a Test on Australian soil after Sachin Tendulkar (525 at Sydney, 2004).
Rohit Sharma (1) came to the crease thereafter, but left quickly, caught at silly point smartly by Peter Handscomb as Lyon picked up his third wicket.
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Young Pant though decided to attack and took India past 250 before lunch. At the other end, Rahane had opened up to play pull strokes off the pacers against the new ball and reached his 16th Test half-century off 111 balls.
Brief Scores:
India: 250 (Pujara 123, Rohit 37; Hazlewood 3/52) and 307 (Pujara 71, Rahane 70; Lyon 6/122);
Australia 235 (Head 72; Bumrah 3/47, 3/57) and
