Rahul and Jadeja Battle Hard to Keep India Clear of Follow-On

India’s last-wicket pair put on a crucial, unbroken 39 runs, ensuring the team reached the final day of the third Test at the Gabba with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy still up for grabs. With just one day left to play, Australia’s chances of victory have taken a significant blow, especially with the absence of Josh Hazlewood, […]

In Hazlewood’s absence, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc carried the bulk of the workload, bowling 60% of the 74.5 overs in India’s innings. Cummins claimed four wickets, and Starc took three, but they couldn’t prevent India from surpassing the follow-on target of 246. KL Rahul survived a dropped catch off the first ball of the day—an early sign of Australia’s misfortune—and went on to score a vital 84. Ravindra Jadeja also played a brilliant knock of 77, taking full advantage of a tired attack using an old ball on a pitch favorable to the new ball. After Cummins dismissed Jadeja with a short ball, India were still 33 runs shy of forcing Australia to bat again.

At this point, Akash Deep joined Jasprit Bumrah in a partnership that showcased both skill and resilience. Bumrah, with an impressive control percentage of 86, struck a six off Cummins and finished with 10 off 27 balls. Akash, with a control percentage of 90, contributed a quickfire 27 off 31 balls, including two fours and a six. It was Akash who moved India past the follow-on mark, slashing Cummins over a leaping gully fielder, before clearing his front leg to hit a towering six over long-on. That shot proved to be the last of the day, as the umpires called the players off due to bad light after one more delivery. The day was another stop-start affair at the Gabba, with only 57.5 overs possible, but it allowed Australia’s depleted attack to recover while also eating into valuable time in the match.

Visit IPLbookmakers for more up-to-date blog content.

Australia’s Missed Chances and Jadeja’s Calm Resistance

By the end of the day, Australia was left regretting their missed opportunities from the very start. Cummins bowled the first ball of the day to Rahul, who fended it straight to Steven Smith at second slip. Smith, one of the world’s finest slip fielders—he would demonstrate this later—couldn’t hold on this time, as the ball bounced off the heels of his hands.

Cummins made an impact shortly after, removing Rohit Sharma with a brilliant one-two punch. First, he zipped a short ball past Rohit’s ribcage, forcing him to miss a pull shot. Then, he bowled a fuller delivery just outside off stump. Rohit failed to get far enough forward and, with his front shoulder too open, edged the ball to the keeper. At 74 for 4, India had faced just 23.3 overs. However, Jadeja’s arrival steadied the ship, and he played with remarkable control, maintaining a percentage in the mid-90s throughout his innings.

It helped that Hazlewood left the field soon after Jadeja entered, having bowled only one over, and that the ball no longer seamed or bounced as unpredictably as it had in its early overs. Jadeja also crafted his innings with a clear strategy. His wagon wheel against the fast bowlers showed his preference for controlled drives down the ground and flicks off his legs, with very little played through the covers. Despite the challenge of facing Nathan Lyon—often a nemesis for him back home—Jadeja’s solid method of defending with bat and pad close together allowed him to play more comfortably on the bouncy Gabba pitch. He even employed the sweep shot, a weapon he doesn’t often use, to great effect, collecting two fours and three singles.

India’s Resilience and Australia’s Narrow Lead

With Rahul looking increasingly solid at the other end, punctuating his innings with a series of elegant off-side drives, India began steadily reducing their deficit. Then, Steven Smith made up for his earlier drop, diving to his right in anticipation as Rahul shaped to cut Lyon. He managed to grab the thick edge with one hand, completing a spectacular catch. At that point, Jadeja and Rahul had put on 67 runs.

This brought India’s allrounders to the crease, with 105 runs still needed to avoid the follow-on. While the selection of both Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy had initially left India’s bowling attack lacking depth—contributing to their concession of 445 runs—it now provided the batting strength needed to try and salvage the Test. Reddy continued his impressive series, this time asked not to counterattack but to display the defensive side of his game. The seventh-wicket partnership added 53 runs before Cummins, working with a nearly 60-over-old ball, dismissed Reddy, getting him to inside-edge onto his stumps.

India now required 55 runs with three wickets remaining. That figure soon dropped to 33 with one wicket left, as Starc and Cummins, both exhausted, took out Mohammed Siraj and Jadeja. Jadeja, in particular, was cleverly bounced out while attempting to farm the strike. Australia was on the brink of victory, but as Bumrah and Akash Deep showed, they weren’t quite there yet.