Australian spinner Nathan Lyon termed India batter Cheteshwar Pujara’s dismissal within the second innings a “massive” second within the recreation and lauded his stand-in skipper Steve Smith for taking the catch, saying that he “would not trade him for anyone”. Nathan Lyon’s eight-wicket haul helped Australia skittle out India for 163 runs within the second inning, leaving the guests simply 76 runs away from a win within the third Test right here on the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Thursday. There is nobody Nathan would quite have stood at slip to him than Steve Smith after he pulled off a superb catch to dismiss Pujara and go away the guests assured of a win on the finish of the second day of the match.

While Australia labored their approach via Indian batting line-up, Pujara stood tall and threatened to depart a goal for Aussies that might give Indian spinners an opportunity. He defied all ways thrown at him, together with a subject setting which was leg-side heavy that choked his run-scoring and appeared to have pissed off skipper Rohit Sharma within the dressing room, he was finally persuaded into flicking at a ball outdoors leg stump.

Smith confirmed wonderful reflexes, diving low to his proper and plucking one of the astonishing catches of his profession, in a sequence which noticed him dropping some simple ones.

“It was massive,” Lyon stated as quoted by ESPNCrincinfo.

“To be honest with you, and this is no disrespect to anyone else in the team, but I do not think anyone else is catching it. That’s just me bowling from one end and looking up and seeing Steve Smith at slip or leg slip and having that confidence as a bowler.”

“Yes, he has dropped a couple here and there, but I would not trade him for anyone. It shows the quality of the cricketer he is that we see at training the different methods he is coming up with to try and get better and try and improve. This is someone who has played 95 Test matches.”

“Hats off to Smithy, he did all the work, I am not surprised but it was a massive moment to finish off the day strongly,” concluded Lyon.

Smith loved a superb day on-field as a captain, having taken the function in absence of Pat Cummins, who flew again to Australia after the second Test in Delhi as a result of household well being points. He was extraordinarily proactive and revolutionary whereas setting the sector and rotated his spinners nicely.

On second day, he introduced again Mitchell Starc at an important stage after tea when batter Shreyas Iyer was taking part in some attacking pictures and it resulted in batters’ dismissal for 26 after Usman Khawaja caught him at midwicket.

“I have obviously played a lot with Smithy throughout my career, so we are very good mates on and off the field and are able to have some very good cricket conversations. He is one of the best batters in the world, especially over the last decade, the way his brain works with cricket tactics provides me with good conversations.”

“But saying that I thought Pat skippered the game really well last week. We had really good plans under both of them and that is where Australian cricket is in good hands with one of the best bowlers in the world and one of the best batters in the world being our two leaders,” added Lyon.

India might solely bat for 60.3 overs within the second innings of the third Test, with Pujara waging a lone battle for the hosts earlier than a rampant Nathan Lyon took eight wickets for simply 64 runs.

The hosts resumed their innings on 79/4 after Tea with Cheteshwar Pujara on 36* and Shreyas Iyer nonetheless to open his account, trailing by 9 runs.

India began the session positively with Iyer smashing a six whereas Pujara whipped the ball for a boundary off Matthew Kuhnemann within the second over after lunch.

Iyer took the assault to the Aussie bowlers, placing them underneath strain with aggressive pictures turning the momentum in the direction of the host.

The right-hander clubbed Nathan Lyon for 2 consecutive boundaries and launched Kuhnemann for a thunderous six over mid-wicket and a boundary within the subsequent over, bringing the Aussie bowlers underneath the pump.

Pujara and Iyer have been flourishing within the third session however Steve Smith introduced Mitchell Starc into the assault after Kuhnemann leaked runs.

The transfer labored wonders for the guests because the pacer was in a position to eliminate Iyer. The right-hand batter performed an aerial shot in the direction of mid-wicket however Usman Khawaja pocketed a superb catch to attract curtains on the batter’s innings.

Iyer performed a quick-fire cameo of 26 from 27 balls, stitching a 35 run-stand with Pujara for the fifth wicket.

Srikar Bharat adopted cheaply including simply three runs to the full. Lyon bowled a peach to beat the batter’s outdoors edge and hit the highest of the off-stump dismissing him for 3(8).

Ravichandran Ashwin and Pujara did present resilience to the customer’s rampant assault to sew a 22-run-stand for the seventh wicket.

India’s disaster man Pujara introduced up his half-century, waging a lone battle towards the Aussie bowlers, holding up one finish.

However, the wickets continued to fumble and Ashwin fell to Lyon for 16(28). The wicket introduced up the spinner’s fifer within the second inning, decreasing India to 140/7.

A freak catch from Steve Smith noticed the again of Pujara after an outstanding knock from the Saurashtra batter. The right-hander performed a resilient knock of 59 runs.

It was one-way site visitors from thereon because the hosts misplaced their final two wickets inside eight runs. The Aussie bowlers bundled out the hosts for 163 runs, needing 76 runs within the second innings for the victory.

Nathan Lyon registered his finest figures in India scalping eight Indian batsmen and gifting away simply 64 runs.

Earlier at Tea, India misplaced 4 wickets for 79 runs in second innings going into Tea trailing Australia by 9 runs with six wickets in hand right here on the Holkar Cricket Stadium.

Resuming post-lunch session at 13/0 India misplaced their first wicket within the type of opener Shubman Gill because the teen was cleaned up by

Nathan Lyon for five. Hosts misplaced their first wicket for 15.Cheteshwar Pujara joined his skipper Rohit Sharma and the duo batted defensively however the different opener too turned Lyon’s sufferer dismissing him leg earlier than wicket for 12 to depart India in a spot of trouble at 32/2.

Virat Kohli then joined Pujara and the duo helped India cross the 50-run mark however the 22-run partnership didn’t final lengthy as Virat Kohli was dismissed by leg earlier than wicket by Matthew Kuhnemann for 13.

Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat along with his Saurashtra teammate Pujara and the duo batted consciously in an effort to cut back the deficit. But Lyon struck for the third time dismissing southpaw Jadeja leg earlier than wicket for 7 to depart India tottering at 78/4.

India went into Tea at 79/4 trailing Australia by 9 runs and 6 wickets in hand with Pujara batting on 36 and Shreyas Iyer batting on 0.

Earlier resuming day-2 at 156/4 Australian batters Peter Handscomb and Cameron Green batted sensibly and took their staff’s first innings lead past the 50-run mark.

The Handscomb-Green partnership was taking the sport away from the hosts. They desperately wanted a wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin did precisely that dismissing Handscomb caught within the quick leg by Shreyas Iyer for 19 breaking the 40-run partnership at 186.

Handscomb’s wicket opened the floodgates for India as they ran via Australian batting line-up. Pacer Umesh Yadav dismissed Cameron Green for 21 leg earlier than wicket as Australia misplaced their sixth wicket for 188.

The Nagpur lad struck once more in his subsequent over cleansing Mitchell Starc for 1. Starc turned Umesh’s a centesimal Test sufferer for Umesh on Indian soil. The pacer achieved this milestone in 31 matches to depart Australia tottering at 192/7.

India struck once more within the house of 4 balls as Ashwin dismissed Alex Carey leg earlier than wicket for 3 to depart Australia at 196/8.

Umesh Yadav regarded unstoppable as he bought his third wicket within the match dismissing Todd Murphy for a duck rattling his stumps to scale back Australia to 197/9.

Ashwin cleaned up Australia’s innings dismissing Nathan Lyon for five to bowl out guests for 197 taking an 88-run lead within the first innings.

Brief Scores: India: 109/10 in 33.2 overs in 1st inns (Virat Kohli 22, Shubman Gill 21, Matthew Kuhnemann 5-16), Australia: 197/10 in 76.3 overs in 1st inns (Usman Khawaja 60, Marnus Labuschagne 31, Ravindra Jadeja 4-78, Umesh Yadav 3-12, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-44); India 163 (Cheteshwar Pujara 59; Nathan Lyon 8-64).

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