IND vs AUS 1st Test, Day 4 Lunch: Fifties from Pujara, Rahane power India to a 275-run lead

IND vs AUS 1st Test, Day 4: By the time of lunch break, the visitors posted 260 for 5 with Ajinkya Rahane (57*) and Rishabh Pant (10*) at the crease

Respective half centuries Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane kept the Australian bowlers at bay on the fourth day of the Adelaide Test as India take a strong 275-run lead in the second innings. By the time of lunch break, the visitors posted 260 for 5 with Ajinkya Rahane (57*) and Rishabh Pant (10*) at the crease.

The first session of the penultimate day of the Adelaide Test began with Cheteshwar Pujara getting the 20^th fifty of his Test career. His sublime batting kept on frustrating the Aussies and yet again provided a rock-solid support to the Indian innings.

Meanwhile, Rahane survived a scare and it was for the third time that a Nathan Lyon wicket has been overturned on review.

Batting alongside Rahane, he contributed 31 runs off 85 deliveries to form an 87-run partnership for the fourth. Unfortunately, he could convert his fifty into a ton as he was dismissed softly by Nathan Lyon in the 88^th over. An off-break delivery bounced a bit and went up in the air after hitting Pujara’s pad and then gloves. Finch took an easy catch at short leg to dismiss danger man on 71.

Moments after Pujara’s dismissal, Rahane brought up his fifty in the 91^st over. It was the 4^th 50-plus score for Rahane in 2018 and first on the foreign soil which came off 111 balls.

In the very next over, Indian team succumbed to another loss as Lyon struck for the third time and removed Rohit Sharma (1) very cheaply.

Rohit moved down the line but got undone by the turn and bounce on the off break. The ball struck the pad and took a tiny chunk of the blade before flying towards Peter Handscomb who reacted superbly to knock him out.

Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant joined Rahane then and went off to the mark with a lofted against the turn over mid-on. Another 12 runs were added to the total before the umpires called for the lunch break.

Earlier, India ended their day 3 at a score of 151/3. Pujara and Kohli stitched a 71-run partnership to strengthen Indian batting, powering with a healthy lead on the Aussies. The hosts got bowled out for 235 in reply to India's first innings score of 250.

Brief Score:

India: 250 and 260/5 in 95 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 71, Ajinkya Rahane 57*; Nathan Lyon 3/92)

Australia 1st innings: 235 all out in 98.4 overs (Travis Head 72; Jasprit Bumrah 3/47, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/57).