India vs Australia 1st Test Day 3: It was always coming India’s way when they collapsed in the first innings. Finally, Nathan Lyon has wrapped things up and Australia have won the game by 333 runs. They now lead the four-match Test series by 1-0 and India will have to address a lot of issues going into the second match. Kohli failed to get going in both innings and he’ll take it personally. India had enjoyed a good home season in Test cricket leading into this series beating New Zealand, England and Bangladesh so it was obvious that the side was full of confidence but this what Kohli had to say before the beginning of the match, “We are in good space, not bothered about the opposition.”

Yes, the current Aussie squad may not be as strong as the previous sides but in cricket you can never take the opposition easy and that’s the first mistake Kohli made. Steve O’Keefe emerged as the wild card and picked up 6 wickets in both the innings. He was supported by the off-spinner Nathan Lyon who picked 4 wickets as well in the 2nd innings.

But, the star of the match was certainly captain Steven Smith who scored a brilliant century on a terrible pitch. His hundred was equal to a double century on any other wicket. He needs to take a bow and so does Mitchell Starc who scored over 80 runs in the match, more than any of the Indian batsmen.

Here are the Live Cricket Score Updates from India vs Australia 1st Test match being played at Pune:

4:00 PM: Virender Sehwag requests the fans to get back behind team India:

Watch our analysis of the match:

3:00 PM: This is one of the biggest upsets in modern day cricket:

2:50 PM: It’s all over for India! Nathan Lyon picks the final wicket and Australia have won the match by 333 runs. This is a massive win for the visitors and the credit goes to the spinners who shared 10 wickets amongst them in the 2nd innings.

2:43 PM: Two quick wickets for Nathan Lyon and now Australia is just 1 wicket away from the historic win. Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma are back in the pavilion.

2:33 PM: OUT! Pujara departs immediately after the tea break. 6th wicket of the innings for Steve O’Keefe, 12th of the match. What a game he is having! Ravindra Jadeja is now left with the tail. They are in complete control here.

2:25 PM: This pitch is turning into a mystery for the Indian batsmen. Some balls are keeping low, while others are taking off. Cheteshwar Pujara is the only genuine batsman left now and it will only be matter of time before the Aussies start celebrating.

2:10 PM: OUT! Another huge wicket for Australia right before the tea break. Wriddhiman Saha departs for 4 runs, that’s another 5-wicket haul for Steve O’Keefe.

1:58 PM: OUT! Ashwin is gone, 10th wicket of the match for Steve O’Keefe. He is running a riot here. It was a huge LBW call but the umpire turned it down. Australia took the DRS and the review showed it was hitting the middle stump.

1:50 PM: OUT! Another wicket for Australia, another soft dismissal for India. This time its Ajinkya Rahane who gifted his wicket. It was a poor shot and its that man again, Steve O’Keefe who got the wicket. India’s ship is sinking faster than expected.

1:40 PM: Australia is totally dominating the play here. It looks like a wicket is falling on every ball. This isn’t a 3rd day pitch, the curator will definitely under scrutiny. Having said that, Steve O’Keefe is looking very dangerous, why didn’t Australia pick him in the side earlier?

1:27 PM: OUT! Kohli can’t believe it. He is shocked, so is the crowd. Huge blow to India’s chances for saving the match. He tried to reach the ball, it spun and took off his off-stump.

1:23 PM: Virender Sehwag says India needs to bat sensibly on this pitch. Is it too late for that?

1:15 PM: The ball is turning, keeping low, bouncing too much, it is doing everything Virat Kohli and team would want it no to do. Meanwhile, the Indian team has lost both the reviews making it even more difficult for the batsmen to save the match:

12:50 PM: Its been a nightmare of a start for India, both the openers are back in the hut with just 16 runs on the board and what’s worse? India has lost both its reviews. It’s getting worse from bad for the hosts.

12:30 PM: West Indies holds the record of highest successful run chase in Test cricket. They chased down 418 runs against Australia in 2003 thanks to twin centuries by Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. But, KL Rahul was the only Indian batsman who managed to get past 20 in the first innings.

12:25 PM: The Indian batsmen are out for what is going to be a record run chase in Test cricket. There was a big question mark over KL Rahul’s fitness but he’ll have a big role to play in this innings. Mitchell Starc will start the proceedings for Aussies.

12:20 PM: The expert verdict is out, Sunil Gavaskar says India has no chance in this match now. However, Graham Thorpe believes that if they bat well, it will give a lot of confidence for the remaining matches of the tour.

11:50 AM: Lunch Day 3: Another session dominated by the Australian batsmen. It has pushed India further back and a win from here looks near-impossible. The ball is keeping low but every now and then, a delivery takes off from the rough. This pitch is turning into a graveyard for the batsmen. If India is able to chase down a target 0f 441 on a wicket like this, it will be historic.

The entire world is in awe of Steven Smith:

India’s highest 4th innings totals: 

445 v Aus, Adelaide, 1978 (lost)

429 v Eng, Oval, 1979 (draw)

406 v WI, POS, 1976 (won)

11:20 AM: Australia is in a very strong position as we head towards the lunch break. Mitchell Starc’s cameo of 30 from 31 balls has put them right on top. The lead is now of 415 runs and the match is going away from Virat Kohli’s men. The good thing is with two and a half days still left in the match, we will definitely get a winner here.

11:08 AM: OUT! Finally, Jadeja does it for India. Steven Smith has to depart after a well-made 109. That marks the end of one of the best Test innings I have seen in last 5 years, that is also Jadeja’s 50th Test wicket in this season. Steve O’Keefe is the new batsman in. 

10:57 AM: Century for Steve! 18th in Test cricket, 10th as the Australian captain and 5th against India. This is a special innings and the celebrations show that. Take a bow Steven Smith!

10:50 AM: Mitchell Starc has come in all guns blazing. He looks set from the first ball and is middling the ball well. The lead is now 375 runs and Steven Smith is just 6 runs away from another Test ton against India.

10:30 AM: The match is getting away from India with each ball. Australia has gone past 200 run mark now and the lead is now 357 runs. Virat Kohli needs to do something out of the box and he needs to do it fast.

10:10 AM: When Steven Smith emerged on the cricketing scene with that technique, not too many people would have expected him to be successfully but watching him bat today at this wicket, not too many people can raise questions about it. It has been an incredible knock so far.  A century on this pitch will be equal to 250 runs on any other wicket.

9:52 AM: OUT! Big wicket for India, Jadeja strikes in his 21st over. Virat Kohli is pumped up, fans are delighted, India is not letting this match go easily. Mitchell Marsh has to go for 31.

9:30 AM: The players are out, Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh walked in even before the Indian players. They are full on confidence and why shouldn’t they be! They are set to pose a target in excess of 300 on pitch where going past 100 looked an uphill task for the Indian batsmen.

9:24 AM: Good morning folks! Welcome to what should be a riveting day of cricket at Pune. Both the sides have a lot riding on this particular session. There are many patches on the pitch and first hour will be the best time to bat on.

9:14 AM: Indian team getting ready for the big day:

9:00 AM:  There are still 3 days to go and anything can happen but with a lead of 298 runs and 6 wickets in hand, Aussies are certainly favourites to win the match from here. But, when you have Virat Kohli in the side, nothing is impossible. The Indian captain will come out to bat with more determination as he’ll have a point to prove after getting out for a duck in the first innings. Kohli would certainly be needing the help of the other batsmen and Ajinkya Rahane who has a better record in the 2nd innings than his teammates, might end up playing a crucial role.

8:40 AM: It’s a crucial day for India if they want to win or save this Test match. Cheteshwar Pujara was back in the nets as soon as Day 3 ended:

8:20 AM: It took Steve O’Keefe 19 balls to complete his fifer in the Pune Test which now the joint-quickest in Tests against India. The record for shortest span is held by Stuart Broad who took 16 balls to finish his 5-wicket haul at Trent Bridge in 2011. His figure of 35/6 is also the third best figure by a left-arm spinner in India.

8:00 AM: Here is what Indian coach Anil Kumble had to say after the end of Day 2:

“It’s a surface where you needed to adapt. We didn’t adapt really well. Probably if you look at yesterday, the first 80 runs in the first session and the last 60 runs for the last wicket, that slightly took us away from what we were wanting to restrict Australia to.”

7:40 AM: This is India’s third lowest total in Test cricket in last 10 years. The last time they scored less than 105 at home was in 2008 when South Africa bowled out India for just 76 runs. On the other hand, Steven Smith has now completed 1000 runs in Tests against India. His average against India is 92.36.

7:20 AM: Here are some interesting stats from Day 2:

1. Virat Kohli never got out for a duck in a Test match in India before yesterday. In fact, this was the first time in 45 innings since August 2004 that he failed to open his account in a Test.

2. Ravichandran Ashwin now has the record of most wickets by an Indian bowler in a season. His tally of 67 wickets has surpassed Kapil Dev’s 27-year-old record of 63 wickets in 1979/80.

3. 105 is India’s second lowest Test score against Australia at home after 104 they scored in 2004. Interestingly, India went on win that match.

Playing Conditions:

The ball started to turn from Day 1 and scoring runs was tough. On Day 2, things got even worse and a total of 15 wickets were lost in the day. Australian captain Steven Smith showed that in order to survive on this pitch, you need to use your feet and apply yourself well. Once set, the batsmen should try and not to throw their wicket away like KL Rahul did in the 1st innings as it isn’t easy for the new batsman to come in and start scoring runs.

Teams:

India – Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

Australia – David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Steven Smith, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon.