IND vs AUS: A no-ball, two sensational catches and several DRS errors – Why India lost 3rd Test in Indore

After
getting
reduced
to
45
for
5,
India
were
soon
bundled
out
for
109
in
just
33.2
overs.
There
were
a
few
moments
on
the
first
day
which
could
have
helped
India
claw
back
in
the
match,
but
that
was
not
meant
to
be.
Australia
lost
their
last
six
wickets
for
just
11
runs
on
the
second
day
but
the
unprecedented
turn
of
events
on
Day
1
never
left
India’s
back.
The
match
ended
before
lunch
on
Day
3
as
Australia
scripted
an
epic
nine-wicket
comeback
win
in
the
third
Test
to
book
their
spot
in
the
World
Test
Championship
(WTC)
final.

IND
vs
AUS:
What
exactly
went
wrong
for
India?
Where
did
they
lose
the
match?
We
have
the
answers

Top-order
failure
against
spin

Apart
from
Rohit
(207
in
three
matches)
only
two
other
India
batters
in
the
top-seven
have
scored
over
100
runs
in
the
series
after
three
matches.
Virat
Kohli
has
scored
111
runs
at
an
average
of
22.20,
while
Ravindra
Jadeja
is
behind
him
on
the
list
with
107
runs.
Cheteshwar
Pujara
scored
a
fifty
in
the
second
innings
but
only
has
98
runs
in
the
three
matches
so
far.
Ravichandran
Ashwin
follows
Pujara
with
79
runs.
Axar
Patel,
who
has
batted
mostly
at
the
ninth
spot,
is
the
second-highest
run-scorer
for
the
team.
He
has
scored
183
runs
at
an
average
of
92.50.

Clearly,
the
Indian
top-order
has
failed
and
the
same
was
the
case
in
the
Indore
Test.
Matthew
Kuhnemann,
who
was
playing
his
second
Test,
wreaked
havoc
with
a
maiden
five-wicket
haul
in
the
first
innings.
Veteran
off-spinner
Nathan
Lyon
ran
through
the
India
batting
line-up
with
eight
wickets
in
the
second
innings.

Rohit
admitted
in
the
post-match
press
conference
that
there
was
a
lack
of
application
from
the
batters.
He
added
that
the
team
has
collectively
planned
to
play
on
such
wickets.
But
it
seems
like
the
home
boys
are
failing
miserably
in
their
home
conditions
of
choice.
They
looked
nervous
out
in
the
middle
and
their
shot
selection
was
questionable.
Several
batters
got
out
while
playing
on
the
back
foot
and
they
lacked
intent
shown
by
their
Australian
counterparts
who
definitely
looked
more
comfortable
out
in
the
middle.

An
‘unacceptable’ no-ball

Bundled
out
for
109
in
the
first
innings,
India
made
an
early
breakthrough
after
Ravindra
Jadeja
trapped
Travis
Head
in
the
second
over.
Marnus
Labuschagne
walked
in
at
three
and
was
yet
to
open
his
account
when
Jadeja
castled
his
stumps
on
a
no-ball.
It
was
for
the
third
time
in
the
series
that
Jadeja
picked
a
wicket
off
a
no-ball.

“Unacceptable.
No
way
a
spinner
can
be
bowling
no
balls.
He
has
to
do
something
about
it.
He
has
picked
up
two
Man
of
the
Match
awards
[in
the
series]
but
this
could
cost
India”,
Sunil
Gavaskar
fumed
in
the
commentary
box.

A
massive
DRS
Blunder,
three
lost
reviews

A
few
overs
later
Labuschagne
survived
again
after
India
opted
against
reviewing
their
LBW
appeal.
Having
already
exhausted
two
of
their
three
reviews,
Rohit
decided
against
sending
the
decision
upstairs
after
Ravichandran
Ashwin
appealed
in
the
11th
over.
Australia’s
number
three
was
batting
on
seven.

He
went
on
to
score
31
off
91
balls
and
partnered
for
96
runs
off
198
balls
with
opener
Usman
Khawaja.
Only
one
more
Australian
pair
partnered
for
more
than
25
runs
in
the
match.
In
fact,
Australia
lost
their
last
six
wickets
for
11
runs
only.
The
course
of
the
match
would
have
definitely
taken
a
different
turn
had
Jadeja
not
bowled
that
no-ball
and
had
India
gone
for
that
review.

Interestingly,
a
third
unsuccessful
review
was
taken
by
India
later
in
the
match.

Sensational
catches
ft.
Steve
Smith

After
lunch
on
Day
2,
India
shifted
gear
with
Shreyas
Iyer
smashing
ballers
all
over
the
park.
The
momentum
was
fast
changing
and
Iyer
had
raced
to
26
off
26
with
a
couple
of
sixes
and
three
boundaries.
On
the
second
ball
of
the
38th
over,
Iyer
flicked
a
full-length
delivery
from
Mitchell
Starc
only
for
Usman
Khawaja
to
dive
towards
his
left
to
complete
a
stunning
low
catch
with
reverse
cups.
India
were
reduced
to
113/5.

However,
gritty
Cheteshwar
Pujara
was
going
strong
on
one
end
after
completing
his
35th
Test
fifty.
He
was
en
route
to
another
crucial
partnership
with
Axar
Patel
when
he
played
a
Nathan
Lyon
delivery
drifting
towards
leg
really
fine.
The
ball
went
past
the
wicketkeeper
but
Steve
Smith
–
standing
on
leg
slip
–
dived
low
heroically
towards
his
right
and
plucked
a
one-handed
blinder.
A
stunned
Pujara,
who
had
paired
with
six
batters
already
in
the
innings,
had
to
walk
back
after
his
plan
to
forge
a
partnership
with
Axar
was
marred.
The
latter
remained
unbeaten
on
15.

India
now
will
look
to
iron
out
these
flaws
before
taking
the
field
for
the
must-win
fourth
and
final
Test
in
Ahmedabad.
The
team
has
already
retained
the
Border-Gavaskar
Trophy
after
taking
an
unassailable
2-1
lead,
however,
a
win
is
required
to
confirm
their
spot
in
the
final
of
WTC
2021-23.
Another
defeat
can
see
their
fortunes
relying
on
the
upcoming
Test
matches
between
New
Zealand
and
Sri
Lanka.