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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Sep 29, 2017, 06:52 PM IST
Kohli and Rahane on planning their innings, playing with each other and whether India would be able chase 300 plus:
Virat Kohli: I have brought about a few changes from my previous games I played against England. I had to work on them, couldn't allow the opposition to bowl to me in the same spots (weakness) again. Mentally I was preparing myself to come here and bat against Johnson, Harris and company so that I could take them on. In order to win sessions you need to dominate as well. On being asked by presenter Sourav Ganguly about the change in approach Kohli says "I did not want the bowler to bowl in my nice spot for too long. I'd rather show them my pad and hit it from there which is my strength. And that is working for me. I am forcing the bowlers to change their length and constantly changing my position so that I don't allow the bowlers to settle."
On being asked to pick between two back-to-back 100's at Adelaide and a hundred at MCG. The special one?
"The second innings in Adelaide is special. It was very emotionally-draining game. I was really motivated. Whatever I wanted to do that day was luckily happening. Today was also very special, specially batting with jinx (Rahane). He has been very special for us. Even his century at the Lord's in England. Really happy for him."
Ajinkya Rahane: I really enjoyed my batting and the partnership with Virat. In England also, I was motivated. Today I was really motivated. We played our natural game and batted with a positive intent. Virat told me to play my natural game. The track is also good, it's slowing down though but a good batting track."
"The match is evenly poised. The closer we get to 500 the match will get balanced. This time we'd really like to play hard and cross the line."
And that's the end of play today. Kohli walked back to a standing ovation. His magnificent 169, and his timely, brilliant and mammoth partnership with Ajinkya Rahane put India back in the Test. Australia picked up two wickets of Pujara and Vijay in the first session, but the Rahane-Kohli show lasted for long after tea. Both the batsmen kept the scoring rate up, were lucky enough to survive a few scares. Debutant KL Rahul failed to make much of the opportunity and MS Dhoni and R Ashwin fell soon thereafter, but Kohli's partnership with Shami ensured Indian innings did not come to an end. Australia seem like they are in a position to take the lead with only two wickets in hand for India, but a solid fight back from India today means that game is yet open and not reached the decisive stage.
Virat Kohli got to his highest Test score as India inched closer to Australia's total. Australia picked up 4 wickets but were not able to keep the scoring rate in check. India trail Australia by 68 runs.
Stumps- Day 3. 126.2 overs- 462/8
India trail by 68 runs with 2 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
WICKET! Johnson to Kohli, OUT, and he gets the much-needed wicket! Haddin dives full length to his right and plucks it in front of first slip. It was going straight into Watson's hands. Seeing his fitness one would definitely say that Haddin is not 37-years-old. Kohli tried to chase that full and wide delivery, but got a thick outside edge. Australia have got the wicket they wanted. Brad Haddin takes a stunner. What an incredible catch and and even more incredible innings by Virat Kohli as he walks to the dressing room amidst a standing ovation by the crowd.
V Kohli c Haddin b Johnson 169 off 272b
122 overs- 450/7
Shami- 5 off 11, Kohli- 161 off 258
Virat Kohli seems unstoppable as he moves on to 16
WICKET! 118.2 overs- Harris to Ashwin, OUT, and there he goes! Harris takes a tumbling catch in his follow through. Ashwin is not able to keep it down, Harris sticks his right hand out, is not able to cling on. Luckily the ball doesn't get to the ground and after a bit of juggling he is able to grab it.
R Ashwin c & b Harris 0 off 4b
150 runs for Kohli! Fantastic innings by Virat Kohli. First score of 150+ in test matches. Scores 151 runs off 244 balls.
India have lost three wickets for 21 runs.
India trail by 100
WICKET! 116.4 overs- 430/6- MS Dhoni departs for 11. Harris to Dhoni, OUT, he gets caught behind! He was trying to push it down to third-man.
MS Dhoni c Haddin b Harris 11 off 23b
Dhoni- 8 off 16, Kohli- 146 off 232
Dhoni making the same mistakes again and again. Lucky to survive two LBW scares.
Two wickets in quick succession!
OUT! Debutant KL Rahul should have left the scoring to his senior partner Virat Kohli.
107.4 overs- 409/4
OUT! Australia get the much-needed breakthrough. Rahane goes for the sweep shot but Lyon bowls much fuller, he misses and the back pad takes the hit. Rahane gets a pat on the back from Kohli and a standing ovation from the crowd as he walks back. Superb innings from him.
AM Rahane lbw b Lyon 147 off 171b
Kohli- 139 off 217, Rahane- 143 off 168
107 overs- 404/3. India trail by 126
India cross 400+ run mark. Their best performance in the series so far.
After 402 runs, Australia concede the first extra run! #AUSvIND #INDvsAUS
— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) December 28, 2014
Record partnership for India outside Asia in the last 10 years
Australia need a wicket from somewhere.
103 overs- 382/3
Mitchell Johnson has been all over the place since tea. He has bowled short, lacked good line and length.
102 overs- 379/3
India trail by 151 runs.
Kohli- 128, Rahane-130
99 overs- 358/3. India trail by 172 runs
TEA
95 overs- 336/3.
This has been a good session for India with both Kohli and Rahane scoring centuries.
India trail by 194 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
94 overs- 335/3
CENTURY! He just gets better and better. Fantastic batting by Virat Kohli. Scores a well-spirited 103 of 168 balls
9th hundred in test matches, 5th against Australia and 3rd in this series.
#INDvsAUS @ajinkyarahane88 @imVkohli @cricketwallah @sakaltimes Good 100 Virat! Good 100 Ajinkya! Way to go guys. Give it to them.
— rahul chandawarkar (@rchandawarkar) December 28, 2014
90 overs- 315/3
The Mumbai lad has good technique and looking very strong on the backfoot.
CENTURY! He flashes hard...and it's a hundred for Rahane. Scores 101 off 129 balls. His third test hundred and first against Australia. He came in when India were in a bit of a trouble.
Lovely hundred by #AjinkyaRahane... Edgy and aggressive with some lovely shots..#INDvsAUS
— Pravesh Bhardwaj (@AuteurPravesh) December 28, 2014
Rahane away from a very good test hundred. He is such a good cutter. Looks for deliveries outside the off stump.
89 overs- 311/3
Both the batsmen have been lucky to have dropped multiple times today. Having survived, both are enroute to slamming centuries.
These two seem unstoppable right now, determined to get their centuries.
Aussies starting to look a bit frazzled fielding out here in the sun. Both Kohli & Rahane look far too comfortable in the middle. #AUSvIND
— Rowan de Groen (@StuffedShoulder) December 28, 2014
86 overs- 296/3.
Kohli and Rahane on 88 and 86 respectively. Partnership of 148 runs from 215 balls.
Clearly there's a Dravid touch in those two boundaries of Ajinkya Rahane. Especially the second flick! #Class #INDvsAUS
— Arjun Nampoothiri (@arjunpn) December 28, 2014
DRINKS BREAK
82 overs- 279/3
Kohli- 84 off 132, Rahane- 74 off 103 balls
So much suspense, i can't take it. Kohli on 84 and Rahane on 74 and the new ball has been taken #INDvsAUS Come on guys!
— Jayanth Kumar A K (@jayanthkumarak) December 28, 2014
India averages 23.0 when batting vs second new ball
Second new ball has been taken. Mitchell Johnson continues to bowl.
80 overs- 276/3
MISS CHANCE of a dismissal. Its gone straight through as Rahane lofts one straight in Lyon's hands, who drops it.
Virat Kohli enjoys batting in Australia. He is on the verge of a 100.
79 overs- 274/3
India has put up runs on the board in this series. 400 in Adelaide and Brisbane. The bowing has let them down. They haven't been able to put pressure on Australia.
76 overs- 272/3
Rahane will be keen to get a hundred today here at the MCG.
Two of the best players at the crease right now.
75 overs- 261/3
Kohli-78 off 119 , Rahane- 62 off 73
72 overs- 243/3
India trail by 291 runs
Ajinkya Rahane slams 50 off 61 balls
Lunchime on Day 3 folks!
66 overs- 224/3. Trail by 306 runs.
Kohli (60 off 94), Rahane (43 off 45). The Indian batting duo forge a partnership of 77 runs.
Harsha Bhogle sums it up nicely: Virat Kohli this morning is the reason we watch cricket. #IndVsAus #AUSvIND
— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) December 28, 2014
A partnership of 74 runs off 88 balls.
HALF CENTURY for Virat Kohli. Scores 51 off 86 balls. His 10th fifty in 32 Test Matches.
Brace yourself Another Big Hundred Coming #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/ShZ7p0VVwe
— JatinViratian Gulati (@gulati207) December 28, 2014
60 overs- 196/3
Nathan Lyon comes in to bowl. Bowls outside the line of the off-stump.
59 overs- 193/3. India trail by 337
Rahane hasn't been shy of smashing the balls around the park, races away to 30 off 22 balls.
57 overs- 186/3. Virat Kohli plays well. Showing positivity and hunger.
Kohli and Rahane are playing well with a steady head and tons of concentration. Still a long way to go. #INDvsAUS
— સુલëમાન (@sulee786) December 28, 2014
Shane Watson is such a good bowler, always having a go at you.
54 overs- 173/3.
Kohli- 36 off 57, Rahane- 16 off 10
Virat Kohli is all the time going on the backfoot.
Nathan Lyon will have to keep up the attack. Will have to be very tight as Indians will look at him as a run scoring opportunity.
OUT! Shane Watson strikes. Murali Vijay plays a loose shot. Australia keep it tight. A good catch at first slip from Shaun Marsh. He tried to cut it through backward point, but the ball flies of the edge straight to first slip.
vijays wicket is the probably the big blow to the team n kohli,as they had built the gud partnership n kohli wld b in pressure nw #indvsAUS
— Firasath Ali (@firasath_ali) December 28, 2014
49 overs- 147/2. India trail by 383 runs
Vijay- 68 off 130, Kohli- 26 off 42.
37.2 overs- Harris to Pujara, OUT, a wicket on the second ball of the day! Haddin takes a stunner after he yesterday dropped a simpler one, as he made up for it. Poor shot selection from Pujara as he tried to cut one.
CA Pujara c Haddin b Harris 25 off 71b
Welcome to Day 3 of the 3rd Test match between India and Australia being played in Melbourne. The match begins at 5:30 am IST.
India once again squandered a reasonably good position on Day 2 to allow Australia to reach a score of 530. Captain Steven Smith cracked a beautiful 192 and the tailenders once again harangued the hapless Indian bowling. On a Melbourne wicket which offers a certain amount of assistance to bowlers, 530 is an even bigger score than it looks. India's bowlers failed to rise to the occasion for the umpteenth time, conceding over 500 runs in the series the third time round.
At stumps however, India had reached 108/1, with the in-form Murali Vijay batting on 55. Giving him company at the crease was the struggling Cheteshwar Pujara on 25. To read the full match report, click here
India though are still 422 runs behind at close of play. They will need to put up long partnerships in order to entertain hopes on reaching the Australian total. They must absolutely seek to bat out the entire day, without losing their entire middle order. The batsmen who have yet to come to the party, like Pujara and to some extent Ajinkya Rahane, will have to convert their starts into big scores. The pressure will also be on debutant KL Rahul, who has come into the side for the disappointing Rohit Sharma.
The backlash has already begun though there are still three days left in the match, as it slowly becomes clear that the series has totally slipped out of India's grasp. Sunil Gavaskar was scathing in his criticism of Indian bowlers.
To read the live match updates from Friday, click here
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