Cheteshwar Pujara’s one of the finest innings has successfully kept the Aussies at bay in the morning session on the second day of the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The visitors have amassed 389 runs so far on the board after losing 5 wickets. Pujara recorded his highest overseas score as he was batting on 181 while Rishabh pant was batting on 27.
Resuming the innings at 303-4, Pujara brought up his seventh 150 plus innings in Test cricket and stitched a 101-run partnership with Hanuma Vihari (42) for the 5th wicket. The duo came out with the intent to grind down the Australian bowling attack and looked content with batting for time.
It backfired as Vihari's hard work went to waste when he was caught at short leg off Nathan Lyon (2-116) in the 102nd over. There was the faintest blip on Snickometer and the decision stayed in Australia's favour despite Vihari's quick DRS review.
Pant, on 8, had a loud shout for caught behind turned down in the 106th over as Tim Paine called for a DRS review. But there was nothing and he batted on. From there onwards, the duo put on a chanceless partnership to dash Australian hopes further.
At the other end, Pujara batted solidly as ever and reached his 150 off 282 balls. His slow grinding partnership with Vihari meant that only 32 runs came off the first hour of play.
Pujara crossed another few milestones during this morning session. Firstly, he went past 153, his previous highest overseas Test score, against both South Africa (Johannesburg, 2013) and Sri Lanka (Galle, 2017).
He also became only the third Indian batsman to score 500-plus runs in a Test series against Australia, after Rahul Dravid in 2003-04 and Virat Kohli in 2014-15. In doing so, he also batted 1200-plus deliveries thus far in the four matches, the most for an Indian batsman against Australia in a Test series, ahead of Dravid's 1203 balls faced in 2003-04.
Brief Scores:
India: 389 for 5 in 117 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 181 batting; Josh Hazlewood 2/65).