Australia vs India: Kangaroos lose openers in steep chase

MELBOURNE:  India declared its innings at 106-8 after a six-wicket haul from Pat Cummins in the third Test on Saturday, setting Australia a massive total of 399 to win the game.

India opened the day with a 346-run lead and with five wickets in hand on a pitch where batting was becoming harder after early morning drizzle in Melbourne.

Pat Cummins grabbed four wickets in a devastating opening spell, and he did the damage again on Saturday, getting the wicket of opener Mayank Agarwal for 42 and then had Ravindra Jadeja caught at short point by Usman Khawaja from an edge for five. Which gave him career-best figures of 6-27 off 11 overs.

When Rishabh Pant fell to Josh Hazlewood for 33, skipper Virat Kohli made the declaration.

India declared at 443-7 in their first innings before bowling out Australia for just 151.

They are angling for a first ever series win Down Under. The series is currently tied at 1-1 with just the Sydney Test next week to go.

Scorecard 

India 1st innings 443-7 dec (C. Pujara 106, V. Kohli 82, R. Sharma 63 no; P. Cummins 3-72)

Australia first innings 151 (M. Harris 22, T. Paine 22; J. Bumrah 6-33)

India 2nd innings (overnight 54-5)

M. Agarwal b Cummins 42

H. Vihari c Khawaja b Cummins 13

C. Pujara c Harris b Cummins 0

V. Kohli c Harris b Cummins 0

A. Rahane c Paine b Cummins 1

R. Sharma c S.Marsh b Hazlewood 5

R. Pant c Paine b Hazlewood 33

R. Jadeja c Khawaja b Cummins 5

M. Shami not out 0

Extras (lb1 b5, w1) 7

Total (eight wickets declared, 37.3 overs) 106

Did not bat: Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Vihari), 2-28 (Pujara), 3-28 (Kohli), 4-32 (Rahane), 5-44 (Sharma), 6-83 (Agarwal), 7-100 (Jadeja, 8-106 (Pant)

Bowling: Starc 3-1-11-0, Hazlewood 10.3-3-22-2, Cummins 11-3-27-6, Lyon 13-1-40-0

Toss: India

Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Ian Gould (ENG)

TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)

Match referee: Paul Wilson (AUS)