India vs Australia 5th Test Day 3 LIVE Score: Follow latest updates

Scott Boland completed his 10-wicket haul with the wickets of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah on Day 3 to wrap India’s innings for 157. India managed to set a 162-run target for Australia. Pat Cummins also claimed a couple of wickets as Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja failed to put up a fightback with the bat in the first session. Jadeja was dismissed in the third over of the day by Pat Cummins. The Indian all-rounder edged the ball behind the stumps to Alex Carey to get dismissed for 13.

After nearly five matches, over six weeks of cricket, a back-and-forth rollercoaster of a contest, with peaks and valleys and new heroes established on both sides, an unsurprisingly memorable Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign is likely to come to an end at the Sydney Cricket Ground on day three of the fifth and final match of the series. A match that has seen 26 wickets fall in just two days of play, with the pitch acting up at the SCG and giving plenty of support to pace bowling, all the chances of there being a humdinger ending to this series are in play.

Day two saw India bowl out Australia for 181 runs after an all-round bowling effort, taking a narrow 4-run lead into the third innings. Batting didn’t ease up in the way many were expecting it to on day two, with devilish amounts of seam movement and bounce present in the pitch, not just for the likes of Scott Boland but also the gentler pace of Nitish Kumar Reddy. The conditions of the pitch will likely be better news for India, who will know that they are capable of running through Australia in these conditions and have largely batted strongly and with positive intent to put themselves in a slightly stronger position than Australia.

The biggest concern for India, however, will be the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah and if he takes the field in the fourth innings. India are already arguably one pace bowler short in their ranks, but if Bumrah can’t take to the field, a lot of pressure will automatically be added to the shoulders of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Add to this the fact that Bumrah has been the talismanic leader for India throughout the tour, and arguably the best player across the two teams, and it would be an even greater loss while trying to defend a low total.

The positive news for India, even if Bumrah does return, is that the performance of Siraj and Krishna in the first innings will be a big reason for optimism. The duo stepped up big-time even as Bumrah struggled with pace and energy, his back spasms hampering his effectiveness even while he was on the pitch. Krishna and Siraj both took 3 wickets at crucial junctures, at times bowling loose deliveries but largely appearing threatening and not letting Australia settle into a long partnership at any stage.

With the pitch only looking more and more difficult for batting, Australia’s chase will come down to application and having a number in mind that they can go for, which might provide the mental structure that is required in difficult conditions such as this. They won’t be under undue rush given the amount of time remaining in the game, but having watched Yashasvi Jaiswal and in particular Rishabh Pant show that the way to bat on this track is to be positive, slightly pre-emptive, and willing to go after the bowlers, Sam Konstas and Travis Head in particular will want to be fluent in their starts and quickly add runs to heap pressure back onto India’s bowlers.

Australia will first have to focus on quickly ending the partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Jadeja has looked prone to trapping himself in a shell and unable to score runs or rotate strike, and has already been given a bonus life after being dropped. The duo of all-rounders will want to help India get closer to the 200-lead mark, although it remains a fair way away and will require good fortune and a degree of bravery in how they choose to approach the morning session. It will also stand as a mental edge which they can then use to try and settle Australian nerves.

Australia have thoroughly dominated most of this year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and seemed by far the better team on most counts. But India have managed to stay alive somehow, remaining just competitive enough throughout to present a threat. The Aussies haven’t been able to call the BGT their own in over a decade, and will be hungry to get their hands back on the coveted trophy, as well as seal their spot in the World Test Championship finals vs South Africa. But another famous Indian win in the last match of a series down under could ensure that India, against the odds, retain the trophy and keep themselves alive in the hunt for the WTC finals.

Follow key moments from India vs Australia 5th Test Day 3 LIVE Score:

– No Jasprit Bumrah for India with the ball but Prasidh Krishna claimed couple of wickets early in the innings.

– India 157 all out (& 185), set Australia (181) a 162-run target. Scott Boland claimed a 10-wicket haul.

– Pat Cummins ended Ravindra Jadeja’s stay in the middle for 13.

– Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar will resume the Indian innings from 141/6, and they have a task in hand to take India’s lead past 200 to give themselves a fighting chance.