SYDNEY, Jan 4: India buried a dispirited Australia under a mountain of runs with Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja adding a dash of strokeful aggression to the sedate proceedings in the fourth and final Test here on Friday.
India put together their second highest team total on Australian soil, piling up 622/7 declared on the second day of the match. Their highest team total, 705/7 declared, was also incidentally scored at this venue, in 2004.
In reply, Australia were 24/0 in the 10 overs that the deflated side had to face after toiling all day on the field.
This was after series top-scorer Cheteshwar Pujara missed out on what would have been a well-deserved double hundred, ending at 193 off 373 balls, adding 63 runs to his overnight score.
Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to claim a hundred Down Under with an unbeaten 159-run effort that came off 189 balls on the second day of the match. This was his second Test hundred, the first being in England earlier this year.
The Australian bowlers were also tormented by Jadeja (81) and the home team�s desperation for a breakthrough resulted in even top-order batsman Usman Khawaja being pressed into the attack.
Pant, who struck 15 fours and a six, put on 204 runs for the seventh wicket with Jadeja.
For Australia, Usman Khawaja was dropped on nought by Pant off Mohammed Shami (0-9) in the third over, and he was unbeaten on 5 runs, with Marcus Harris (19 not out) keeping him company.
Post tea, the hosts simply waited for the declaration to come as India crossed 500 in the 149th over.
There was no signal forthcoming from the balcony and Pant and Jadeja kept batting on. The 21-year-old Pant then reached his hundred off 137 balls, and became the first Indian keeper-batsman to score a Test century in Australia.
India continued batting on, seemingly a ploy to break the Australian spirit, with Jadeja scoring his 10th Test half-century off 89 balls.
The duo scored aggressively and brought up their 200-run partnership off 221 balls, the highest for India�s seventh wicket against this opposition, after Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha�s 199 in Ranchi (2017).
Australia took their third new ball of the innings and Nathan Lyon (4-178) bowled Jadeja in the 168th over in search of his hundred and Virat Kohli called the batsmen in.
This was after Pujara was dismissed for a mammoth 193 runs, facing 373 balls and hitting 22 fours as India were placed at 491-6 at tea.
SCORECARD
India 1st Innings: Mayank Agarwal c Starc b Lyon 77, Lokesh Rahul c Shaun Marsh b Hazlewood 9, Cheteshwar Pujara c&b Lyon 193, Virat Kohli c Paine b Hazlewood 23, Ajinkya Rahane c Paine b Starc 18, Hanuma Vihari c Labuschagne b Lyon 42, Rishabh Pant not out 159, Ravindra Jadeja b Lyon 81. Extras: (B-2, LB-13, W-5) 20. Total: (For 7 wickets in 167.2 overs) 622 declared. Fall of wickets: 10-1, 126-2, 180-3, 228-4, 329-5, 418-6, 622-7. Bowling: Mitchell Starc 26-0-123-1, Josh Hazlewood 35-11-105-2, Pat Cummins 28-5-101-0, Nathan Lyon 57.2-8-178-4, Marnus Labuschagne 16-0-76-0, Travis Head 4-0-20-0, Usman Khawaja 1-0-4-0.
Australia 1st Innings: Marcus Harris batting 19, Usman Khawaja batting 5. Extras: 0. Total: (For no loss in 10 overs) 24. Bowling: Mohammed Shami 3-0-9-0, Jasprit Bumrah 3-0-12-0, Ravindra Jadeja 2-1-1-0, Kuldeep Yadav 2-1-2-0. � PTI
