IN PICS: Pujara, Saha, Jadeja put India on top

Cheteshwar Pujara (190 not out) and Wriddhiman Saha (99 not out) helped India reach 503 for six in their first innings against Australia at tea on the fourth day of the third Test here on Sunday.

In successive balls across the 18th and 19th overs of day three (the 58th and 59th in India’s innings), Australia was brutalised by the decision review system.

Australia and India both teams have won one match each and this is the 3rd Test.

No bowler will be feeling the pinch more than comeback kid Pat Cummins after the world No.1 kept the visitors in the field for 210 overs, the 10th longest in terms of balls bowled in Australia’s Test history.

Pujara and Saha’s stand of 199 is now the highest seventh-wicket partnership, bettering Hemu Adhikari and Vijay Hazare’s 132-run stand in Adelaide in 1948.

This match is evenly poised, with all three outcomes in play.

“We have got to save the game”, coach Darren Lehmann said after play. “Pujara was rock solid, hopefully he can put up a great show for us tomorrow”.

Awesome feat: Steve Smith applauds as India’s Cheteshwar Pujara celebrates scoring a double hundred.

Cummins, playing his first Test match in almost six years, bowled with plenty of pace, aggression and thought and he was rewarded by the wicket of KL Rahul, who again looked in prime form, before falling short of getting to the three-figure mark.

With the born-again Cummins joining Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the mix and James Pattinson waiting in the wings, Saker said Australia now had an embarrassment of pace riches. “Hats off to selectors to go with him”. The two put up 102 runs on the board for the second wicket before Vijay was dismissed by Steve O’Keefe. India managed no more than 24 runs in the first hour of the morning session when the Australians bowled some tight lines.

Kohli chased one in the corridor to edge a catch to slip for his fifth failure of the series while Rahane was too cheeky for his own good, trying to ramp a Cummins’ bouncer. Pujara has spent some 533 minutes at the crease.

Kohli folded with the bat again and now has just 46 runs from five digs in the series. Then we’ve got Jimmy Pattinson, the way he’s come back in the last few Shield games and he’s got another chance in a Shield final, so that’s really good for him and good for Australian cricket. Later, Renshaw went back to the pavilion by Yadav who scored 44 runs. His footwork against Lyon and O’ Keefe was exemplary.