IND vs AUS, 4th Test, Day 4 - India win Dharamsala Test by 8 wickets, clinch series 2-1
Live cricket score and live updates from Day 4 of the fourth Test match between India and Australia at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium.
India won the fourth Test match between India and Australia at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium by 8 wickets, with opening batsman KL Rahul getting a half-century while skipper Ajinkya Rahane played some phenomenal strokes to help his side win the series.
Fifty for KL Rahul and that is the victory for team India. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be lifted by Virat Kohli and well done to stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane who has done a commendable job in the absence of Virat Kohli.
OVER 23 | Score 102/2 | Rahul 48*, Rahane 37*
4 runs more needed and Rahul will face the bowler in next over hoping to clinch his 50 before Indian wins the game
OVER 22 | Score 95/2 | Rahul 46*, Rahane 36*
Partnership 49 from 48 balls. The boys seem to be in a hurry to wrap-up the match and probably start their Navaratri celebrations?
OVER 21 | Score 89/2 | Rahul 46*, Rahane 30*
KL Rahul edging towards victory as India need just 17 runs for victory.
OVER 20 | Score 84/2 | Rahul 42*, Rahane 29*
SIXES for Ajinkya Rahane smashes Pat Cummins for two back-to-back biggies. He certainly wants to win the match in style! Gearing up for IPL probably?
OVER 19 | Score 71/2 | Rahul 42*, Rahane 16*
Nathan Lyon continues his spell but the Rahul-Rahane pairing continues defying Aussies any chance of breaking this partnership. India just 35 runs away from victory now.
OVER 18 | Score 67/2 | Rahul 39*, Rahane 15*
The direct hit at non-striker's end after KL Rahul tried to steal a single. It was a touch and go scenario but the Indian batsman just managed to make his ground in time. Rahane, meanwhile, smashed a boundary on the 5th delivery of the over as India cut down their chase to 39 runs.
OVER 17 | Score 62/2 | Rahul 37*, Rahane 11*
6 runs of the over as the hosts now need just 44 runs to clinch the series. They still have 8 wickets in hand.
OVER 16 | Score 56/2 | Rahul 33, Rahane 10
Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane bags two quick boundaries off Pat Cummins' bowling – first a beautiful straight drive and then a pull. He means business this time!
OVER 14 | Score 46/2 | Rahul 33, Pujara 0
First wicket of the morning for Australia. Pat Cummins not out of luck this time! Faint edge on Murali Vijay's bat and it went straight into the hands of wicket-keeper Matthew Wade. Cheteshwar Pujara is the new man to walk on to the pitch but didn't last long, getting run-out after a horrible mix-up with KL Rahul.
WICKET! CA Pujara run out 0 (5b)
WICKET! M Vijay c Wade b Cummins 8 (35b)
OVER 12 | Score 42/0 | Vijay 8, Rahul 29
Pat Cummins has replaced Steve O'Keefe and one of his deliveries seemed to have kissed Murali Vijay's gloves but there was hardly any shot by the Aussies and the umpire, understandably, turned it down.
OVER 11 | Score 40/0 | Vijay 7, Rahul 29
Cracking over from Josh Hazlewood, KL Rahul beaten on multiple occasions as the Aussies speedster kept mixing up his deliveries throughout the over. A maiden for Australia.
OVER 10 | Score 40/0 | Vijay 7, Rahul 29
Rahul seems to be in a hurry, two boundaries in O'Keefe's over. India getting runs fast and thick.
OVER 9 | Score 31/0 | Vijay 7, Rahul 20
After first two dot balls, KL Rahul edged the third one between 3rd slip and gully for a four. In total, 5 runs for the hosts from this over.
Also, it is Matthew Wade's birthday today!
OVER 8 | Score 26/0 | Vijay 7, Rahul 15
Steve O'Keefe has been paired with Josh Hazlewood to begin Australia's proceedings with the ball. Three singles and 4 byes conclude a productive over for India.
OVER 7 | Score 19/0 | Vijay 6, Rahul 13
Two big LBW shout from the Aussies but the umpired turned it down – outside off impact seemed to be the primary reason for the first one while for the second one, they came close to taking a review before opting out (looked like a bat-pad).
09:30 AM IST: The players are out on pitch and Day 4 is set to begin!
09: 23 AM IST: Here's how the pitch looks like this morning:-
Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Umesh Yadav picked three wickets each as Indian bowlers dismantled Australian batting line-up on Day 3 of the Test match. India gave themselves a 106-run target after bowling Aussies out for just 137 runs in their second innings.
Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay got India off to a positive start by adding unbeaten 19 for no loss at stumps. KL Rahul (13 batting) got three boundaries off Pat Cummins' opening over to set the tone for the home side. Ravindra Jadeja, with an all-round show (63 and 3/24 in 18 overs), was the star performer but Ravichandran Ashwin (3/29 in 13.5 overs) and Umesh Yadav (3/29 in 10 overs) played their part to perfection as the Australian second innings was wrapped up in 53.5 overs.
There were two important factors that tilted the game in India's favour on the day; a half-century by Jadeja, which enabled India to get to 332 in the first innings and then Australia's premier batsman, Steve Smith's poor shot selection off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Glenn Maxwell (45) and Peter Handscomb (18) showed positive intent with a 56-run partnership for the fourth wicket but on a pitch that provided both turn and bounce, it was never going to be easy for them to survive. Matthew Wade (25 off 90 balls) was at his defensive best, dead batting anything and everything that came his way, but that too was not going to be enough as wickets tumbled at the other end.
Bhuvneshwar, who till the post-lunch session had a horrible Test match, for once got lucky when Smith tried to pull a short delivery only to get a bottom edge that knocked back his off-stump. While he was at the crease, Smith looked in ominous touch having hit three boundaries in his 17 before his dismissal, which left him one short of a series aggregate of 500 runs. It was Umesh, India's best fast bowler in recent times, who looked menacing on a bouncy pitch troubling both the Australian openers.
After a few bouncers, Umesh cleverly pitched it up to get enough away movement that kissed David Warner's (6) bat on the way to the safe hands of keeper Wriddhiman Saha.
Renshaw (8) survived a drop at third slip when a thickish edge off a Bhuvneshwar delivery was grassed by Karun Nair, who was standing at the third slip.
But Renshaw didn't last long as Umesh got one to rear up and deviate enough, forcing the big southpaw to give Saha his second catch of the innings.
Maxwell, however, was in a mood to counter-attack as he hit debutant Kuldeep Yadav for a six over long-on. He scored runs quickly, smashing five fours and a six in the process.