Only three wickets fell on day three of the Ahmedabad Test with India’s top order grinding Australia’s bowlers into the dirt in pursuits of a first-innings lead.
Indian opener Shubman Gill cemented his status as one of cricket’s future superstars, plundering a second Test century before falling victim to Nathan Lyon for 128 in the evening session.
Virat Kohli, who has not scored a Test century in three years, was unbeaten on 59 at stumps, but the contest looks destined to finish as a draw unless the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch starts to turn.
India will resume on day four at 289-3, still trailing Australia by 191 runs.
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‘FINEST INNINGS TO DATE’: SELECTION GAMBLE PAYS OFF
India took a gamble, and it paid off.
Last week, the hosts dropped their vice-captain ahead of the third Test in Indore, with young gun Shubman Gill replacing KL Rahul at the top of the order.
Rahul had not reached fifty in his previous 10 Test knocks, averaging 15.90 since the start of 2022. Despite India securing wins in Nagpur and Delhi, national selectors decided it was time for a change.
Gill didn’t contribute much in the Indore Test, registering scores of 21 and 5 on a raging turner as Australia clinched a comprehensive nine-wicket victory, but the 23-year-old repaid the selectors’ faith on Saturday, peeling off a classy 128 in Ahmedabad.
The right-hander, dubbed “Gillchrist”, was embroiled in a thrilling contest with Nathan Lyon in the morning session, smacking Mitchell Starc to all corners of the 132,000-seat venue at the other end. His ability to switch gears depending on the match situation was impressive for a cricketer still in the infancy stages of their Test career.
He combined with Cheteshwar Pujara for a 113-run partnership for the second wicket to frustrate Australia’s bowlers, who were becoming desperate as their first-innings lead shrank.
Gill brought up triple figures, his first Test century on home soil, with a streaky sweep shot off Todd Murphy moments before the tea break, bowing to the vocal crowd before embracing Pujara. His smile was intoxicating.
“He looked in total control,” former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin said on Fox Cricket.
“This is his finest innings to date.
“He had to weather the storm … really classy knock.
“When Australia bowled well, he respected the bowling. I thought he was going to get frustrated and play a silly shot, but he showed great maturity.”
Gill is coming off some remarkable form in white-ball cricket, scoring 208 (149) against New Zealand in an ODI in Hyderabad last month. He smacked another two centuries against the Black Caps in Indore and Ahmedabad, prompting speculation about a Test recall.
Before this week’s contest against Australia, Gill averaged just 30.48 in the Test arena — but the youngster has proven he well and truly deserves his spot in the starting XI. We could be witnessing the making of another modern great of Indian cricket.
STARC STILL CAN’T CONQUER INDIA
It seems inevitable that Mitchell Starc will join a growing list of Australians who couldn’t conquer India.
The left-armer, who boasts more than 300 Test wickets, struggled on his previous two tours of India, taking seven scalps at 50.14 across four matches. The lifeless Indian decks were a stark contrast to the bouncy wickets back home, and Indian batters feasted on his bowling when the cherry wasn’t reversing.
After missing the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to injury, Starc was recalled for last week’s Indore Test, replacing captain Pat Cummins in the starting XI. He only bowled 12 overs at Holkar Cricket Stadium, finishing with 1-35 after snaring the crucial wicket of Shreyas Iyer in the second innings.
But in Ahmedabad, Starc has hardly troubled India’s top order.
Once the new ball lost its shine, the 33-year-old targeted India’s openers with bouncers – only for rival captain Rohit Sharma to thump him over the fine-leg boundary for six.
Starc was brought back later in the afternoon in search of reverse swing, to no avail. He was particularly ineffective against Gill, who has accumulated over 125 runs against Starc at Test level without being dismissed.
The New South Welshman had figures of 0-74 at stumps on day three, leaking 4.35 run per over at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Starc averages 57.50 with the ball on Indian soil, never taking more than two wickets in a Test innings. Of Australian Test cricketers who have bowled at least 100 overs in India, only Brett Lee has a higher average (61.62).
This will almost certainly be Starc’s final Test tour of India – he will be 37 when Australia returns to the Asian nation in 2027. Unless he can muster some wickets over the next couple of days, his three Indian escapades will remain a blemish in an otherwise stellar Test career.
Mitchell Starc Test bowling average by country
Sri Lanka — 17.48
West Indies — 17.91
Australia — 26.29
England — 31.27
Pakistan — 34.12
South Africa — 34.41
United Arab Emirates — 53.16
India — 57.50
INDIAN SKIPPER ‘ABSOLUTELY SPEWING’ AFTER BRAIN FADE
The Indian captain was seemingly on track for a daddy hundred in Ahmedabad before a brain fade prematurely ended his knock on Saturday morning.
Rohit Sharma was at his vintage best when play resumed on day three, becoming just the sixth Indian to complete 17,000 runs at international level.
The 35-year-old combined with Shubman Gill for a 74-run opening partnership before a lapse of concentration in the 21st over while facing Australian spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.
The Queenslander dropped marginally short, and Sharma muscled a firm drive towards the covers – but the SG ball flew directly at Marnus Labuschagne, who bellowed with delight.
Sharma threw his head back in disbelief.
“Rohit will be absolutely disgusted with himself,” former Indian spinner Murali Kartik said in commentary.
“It was a rollicking start. He was looking extremely comfortable out there.”
Indian cricket legend Ravi Shastri continued: “That’s soft. Would you believe it? He has hit it straight to short extra cover.
“He will be kicking himself. He was batting so beautifully.”
Narendra Modi Stadium was a batting paradise on Saturday, offering little assistance to the bowlers, and Sharma had essentially gifted his wicket to the Australians. It was the only dismissal to fall during the first three hours of play.
“He’ll be disappointed … he will be absolutely spewing,” Haddin said on Fox Cricket.
“That was a bad concentration lapse there from the captain.
“That was just a nothing shot … he will be absolutely kicking himself.”
CROWD’S ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ ACT RUSTLES FEATHERS
Virat Kohli is one of the most celebrated figures in world sport, but sometimes his fanbase oversteps the mark.
During last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, a stranger entered the Indian superstar’s Perth hotel room and filmed his personal belongings, sharing the footage on social media.
And on Saturday, the Narendra Modi Stadium crowd came under scrutiny for their premature chants on day three of the Ahmedabad Test.
After combining with centurion Shubman Gill for a 113-run partnership for the second wicket, Cheteshwar Pujara fell victim to Todd Murphy moments before the drinks break, trapped on the pads for 42 — Kohli was the next batter in waiting.
Pujara called for a review, and while third umpire Joel Wilson consulted the footage, chants of “Kohli, Kohli, Kohli” echoed around the venue.
The reaction didn’t sit well with Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, who branded the chanting “disrespectful”.
Pujara sheepishly returned to the sheds after Hawkeye confirmed he was absolutely plumb.
SMITH’S ‘DANGEROUS MINDSET’ IN OPENING HOUR
Steve Smith understands Indian conditions better than anyone, but some of his tactical decisions came under the microscope during the first hour of play on day three of the Ahmedabad Test.
The Australian stand-in captain employed a short-ball strategy against India’s openers early in the morning session – Mitchell Starc peppered the right-handers with chin music with three fielders on the boundary rope behind square.
However, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill weren’t afraid to play his shots, gleefully hooking the paceman towards fine leg on multiple occasions. The short-ball ploy was scrapped after two overs, with Smith quickly turning to spin.
Speaking in commentary, former Test batter Matthew Hayden argued Smith should not have abandoned the strategy with such haste, pointing out Starc creates rough outside the off stump for Australia’s spinners to target.
“They should have persisted with one more over of Starc, I felt,” Hayden said.
“Especially considering the Indian batters were going hard at it … he just needed one more over to explore whether India was willing to stick at it.”
Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik continued: “They can’t afford to leave it too late.
“They’ve got to make this pitch do something early … they’ve got to make it happen today, because if you’re thinking India is going to take a lead and you have to bat again, that’s a dangerous mindset.”
Earlier, Nathan Lyon got a delivery to turn sharply and catch the inside edge of Gill’s bat, with the ball narrowly evading Peter Handscomb at short leg.
As pointed out by The Age’s Daniel Brettig, India placed their short leg fielder behind square in the first innings, resulting in the dismissal of Starc on day two. Handscomb had been standing in front of the popping crease.
The Australian stand-in captain once again wasn’t perfect with his reviews either, wasting a precious DRS call in the 18th over when Gill was struck on the pad while facing Lyon — but Hawkeye showed impact was outside the line of off stump.
Smith’s refusal to introduce spinner Todd Murphy into the attack until the 32nd over also raised eyebrows.