Handscomb, Marsh pull off great escape
Through strong concentration and sure-footed technique, the Australian duo staved off India and ensured the Border-Gavaskar Trophy bout remained locked at 1-1
16/03Result
3rd Test, Australia tour of India at Ranchi, Mar 16-20 2017
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451 & 204/6 (100 ov) -
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603/9d
Player of the Match
16/03Result
3rd Test, Australia tour of India at Ranchi, Mar 16-20 2017
-
![]()
451 & 204/6 (100 ov) -
![]()
603/9d
Player of the Match
Day 5
Ranchi among 'toughest conditions I've played in' - Peter Handscomb
The 25-year old Australia was down on form and at the centre of controversy as well. But on the final day in Ranchi, he turned it all around with a match-saving innings
Plot watch - The Maxwell agenda
Play ended in Ranchi with the pitch not quite living up to its promise to be a minefield
Saving the day
After Australia survive day five in Ranchi, we look at five famous Test rearguards in recent years
A rare draw after a 150-plus deficit
A look at the key numbers coming out of Australia's determined effort to draw the Ranchi Test
Jadeja's deception in pace, length and nature
Ravindra Jadeja doesn't have all the tricks in a bowler's armoury, but he has mastered three facets of spin bowling that make him a weapon in the sub-continent
'Pujara is priceless for the team' - Kohli
The Indian captain said Cheteshwar Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha deserved credit for taking India 152 runs ahead in Ranchi.
Ashwin's late entry poses questions
Did Virat Kohli get his tactics right on the final day in Ranchi? Going by his fast bowlers' lines and R Ashwin's late introduction, the Indian captain took a few puzzling calls
Steven Smith proud as 'magnificent plans' come off
Steven Smith believes "momentum" is with Australia and India would be "hurting" after a day-five resistance mission kept the series level at 1-1.
Australia's un-Australian methods pay off
Australia aren't quite equipped to save Tests in Asia, but Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb pulled off an improbable result in Ranchi
Day 4
Jadeja leads India's charge after Pujara 202
Cheteshwar Pujara secured the longest occupation ever by an Indian batsman in terms of balls faced as he and Wriddhiman Saha ground Australia's bowlers into the Ranchi dust on the fourth day
Pujara plays India's longest innings
Stats highlights from the fourth day in Ranchi, where Cheteshwar Pujara batted for ages and the Australians toiled like they haven't had to in many years
Smith, Lehmann seek elusive rearguard
The last time Australia successfully batted out the final day of a Test to secure a draw was in 2011, and Steven Smith and Darren Lehmann were hopeful the wait would end in Ranchi
Plot watch - Jadeja's rough
Dark patches outside the left-handers' off stump caused Australia some concern, but the rest of the Ranchi pitch continued to play well
The Ranchi daymare
What an Australian fielder might have experienced on day four, watching Cheteshwar Pujara go on and on and on. And then, those hellish eight overs to stumps...
Greater confidence and more runs for Saha
The India wicketkeeper batsman, since making his maiden century in the West Indies, has been one of the team's most dependable resources
India bash through another big total
For the third time this home season, the team took the lead after its opposition put up 400 batting first but the Ranchi effort was special
Day 3
Pujara, Cummins leave Test on even footing
Cheteshwar Pujara's 11th Test ton - the first for India in this series - ensured the hosts did not fall prey to outstanding bowling from Pat Cummins, who took four wickets
Patience makes Pujara the batsman
With his impeccable defensive technique, Cheteshwar Pujara is never flustered when the runs don't come as easily
Vijay rues playing a good shot at a bad time
M Vijay, in his 50th Test, made 82 runs at the top of the order to help India respond solidly to Australia's 451 but fell on the stroke of lunch on day three in Ranchi
Cummins, the fast bowler who flies
The 23-year old has had an injury-ravaged career. He came to India with little preparation but emerged the leader of Australia's attack on a pitch that had nothing for him
The Pujara v Cummins battle
Pat Cummins was outstanding on the third day in Ranchi, but he couldn't find a way past Cheteshwar Pujara
Plot watch - Bat first? Or pad first?
The DRS was once again in the spotlight on the third day in Ranchi, after TV umpire Nigel Llong upheld the not-out decision for an lbw appeal against Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara swears by his survival guide
The forays down the pitch and the leaves outside off stump revealed a largely unchanged batting formula that has brought Cheteshwar Pujara rich rewards
Cummins has exceeded expectation - Saker
Australia's bowling coach David Saker says they've got much more out of Pat Cummins than they expected after drafting him into the Test squad as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Starc
Day 2
India solid in reply to Australia's 451
Glenn Maxwell's first Test hundred and an unbeaten century from Steven Smith highlighted the second day in Ranchi which also saw a solid reply from India's top order
Emotional Maxwell scales his peak at last
Glenn Maxwell's Test career seemed dead in the water after a long spell in the wilderness. But he never gave up hope of making the grade, and now has his coveted maiden century
Prolonged spell in Test team has paid off, says Umesh Yadav
Fast bowler Umesh Yadav said his recent performances are the result of a consistent spot in the Test team, which has allowed him to figure out his strengths and weaknesses
Plot watch - Ranchi pitch continues to behave itself
On day two in Ranchi, it was Australia's quicks who troubled India's batsmen with bounce and reverse swing, as the pitch continued to throw pre-match predictions out the window
Steven Smith's joint-longest Test innings
Stats highlights from Australia's first innings of the Ranchi Test
Jadeja no longer playing second fiddle
The allrounder's return of 5 for 124 on a placid Ranchi pitch meant he went past R Ashwin's tally of first-innings wickets this season
Australia's battle of patience
Despite Steven Smith's remarkable ton, despite Glenn Maxwell's barely believable knock, despite having 451 on the board, it seems the Ranchi Test is still in the balance for Australia
Day 1
Smith, Maxwell lead Australia dominance
Steven Smith passed 5,000 Test runs en route to his second hundred of the series, and along with Glenn Maxwell's composed unbeaten 82, carried Australia into the ascendancy.
India bowlers take assistance from the air
Once set, Smith and Maxwell became surer with their footwork, and there was little India's spinners could do but plug away and hope for an error. With a little help from the air above the pitch,
Plot watch - Ranchi pitch belies expectations
A daily report on the three biggest talking points of the series: the pitches, the on-field aggression and the reviews
Smith - 5000 runs in 97 innings, 53 matches
3 Visiting captains to score two or more centuries in a series in India. Smith is the third to do so, in this series. The first was Clive Lloyd who achieved this on two tours - 1974-75 and 1983-84, tw
Breaking down Smith's unusual but effective game
Steven Smith is a classic example of the essentials of batting at the crease and the fact that some may find his game seemingly unaesthetic takes nothing away from its effectiveness
Kohli to undergo scans on right shoulder
The BCCI said "there are no serious concerns which will hamper his speedy recovery" and he will continue to receive treatment, which will assist him to play the match.
Maxwell, the unlikely maverick, turns up to save the day
On a pitch most suited for him on this tour, David Warner, the T20-specialist-turned-Test star, got his eye in and then played a wasteful shot. The grown-up knock came from another T20 specialist
Others
What Ranchi tells us about bat sizes
The rearguard is a wonderful thing and not so retro as may be thought. While Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh dug deep on Monday, defying India's assumption that the match was theirs (assumption, they
The long break and the premiership quarter
Australia's tour of India has been a bit like an AFL game and they go into the third Test knowing a victory could help them retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
How Pujara and Rahane repelled Lyon
Both batsmen fell cheaply in the first innings in Bengaluru but after some minor technical adjustments they put on the only wicketless session of the series so far and helped India draw level in
Back to the cricket after a week of controversy and change
After India sealed a riveting Bengaluru Test, press conferences, press releases, and injuries took centre stage. It's time to focus on the middle once again, with the series on the line
