{"id":19850,"date":"2021-01-09T11:31:51","date_gmt":"2021-01-09T12:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=19850"},"modified":"2021-01-09T12:59:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-09T12:59:49","slug":"labuschagne-smith-steer-australia-to-ominous-lead-over-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=19850","title":{"rendered":"Labuschagne, Smith steer Australia to ominous lead over India"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sydney: First innings heroes Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith steered Australia to an commanding 197-run lead in the high-stakes third Test Saturday, leaving an injury-hit India with a mountain to climb. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

They came to the crease after Will Pucovski and David Warner fell early, pushing them to 103 for two at stumps and a strong position with the four-Test series locked at 1-1.<\/p>\n

Labuschagne, who scored 91 in the first innings, was not out on 47 and Smith, who blitzed 131 in his first knock, unbeaten on 29.<\/p>\n

Australia padded up again after taking eight wickets on day three to dismiss India for 244 in reply to the hosts’ 338.<\/p>\n

“I woke up today hoping that by the close of play we still wouldn’t be bowling and to have a lead of near 200, a great day,” said Australian pace spearhead Pat Cummins, who took 4-29.<\/p>\n

“I think we need (to bat) for at least a session-and-a half, two sessions tomorrow and then have a good\u00a0crack at them.”<\/p>\n

India’s Cheteshwar Pujara, who made a patient 50, said early wickets would be crucial for his team on Sunday.<\/p>\n

“We need to pick up a couple of early wickets tomorrow morning and not allow them free runs in the first session,” he said.<\/p>\n

India’s task was made harder by the absence of key spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who was sent for scans after a hit to the thumb while batting. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant joined him in the clinic after a nasty blow to the elbow.<\/p>\n

It piled more misery on India, who were already without injured bowlers Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma and batsman KL Rahul, while skipper Virat Kohli is on paternity leave.<\/p>\n

Despite this, Mohammed Siraj stepped up to remove Pucovski for 10, caught by substitute keeper Wriddhiman Saha.<\/p>\n

Ravi Ashwin then took the prized scalp of David Warner for 13, his ninth career dismissal of the opener, trapping him lbw.<\/p>\n

But the disciplined Labuschagne and Smith steadied the ship, building a threatening 68-run partnership that is slowly taking the game away from India.<\/p>\n

– Crumble –<\/h2>\n

India were all out just before tea after some scintillating bowling and razor-sharp fielding, having resumed at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 96 for two.<\/p>\n

Cummins snared Pujara while Josh Hazlewood removed a dangerous Pant after a breezy 36.<\/p>\n

The pair’s downfall saw the team crumble, with Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah both run out, joining Hanuma Vihari who suffered the same fate earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

A cautious Pujara began the day on nine and captain Ajinkya Rahane two after Hazlewood and Cummins dismissed openers Rohit Sharma (26) and Shubman Gill (50) on Friday.<\/p>\n

Rahane, who scored a century in the last Test at Melbourne, had an escape on 16, with a Nathan Lyon delivery ballooning to Matthew Wade at short leg, who could only get his fingertips on the ball.<\/p>\n

The skipper then whacked Lyon for six before his new-found aggression cost him his wicket, chopping a Cummins ball onto his stumps in the next over.<\/p>\n

Pujara did what he does best, grinding out singles while occasionally opening his bat, bringing up his 26th half-century.<\/p>\n

But the celebrations were short-lived, with Pant out two balls later, edging a Hazlewood delivery to Warner at slip.<\/p>\n

And it got worse when Pujara was removed in the next over, gloving a rising Cummins ball to wicketkeeper Tim Paine.<\/p>\n

“They bowled a good line and length and it wasn’t easy… it’s not easy to score runs so you need to spend a lot of time at the crease and wait for the loose ball to come,” Pujara said.<\/p>\n

India slumped, with Ashwin slow off the mark for a single and Cummins alert, making a quick throw to Labuschagne standing at the stumps.<\/p>\n

It followed Vihari being brilliantly run out before lunch, attempting a run that wasn’t there, with Hazlewood diving and throwing the ball in one movement.<\/p>\n

Bumrah became the third run out of the day, courtesy of a lightning-fast Labuschagne.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sydney: First innings heroes Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith steered Australia to an commanding 197-run lead in the high-stakes third Test Saturday, leaving an injury-hit […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19850"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19850"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19852,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19850\/revisions\/19852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}