India vs Australia 1st Test: Match report of the 3rd day

India vs Australia 1^st has become exciting and competitive. Fans of both teams are waiting to see the winning team in this match. However, it is still doubt that who will win or match turn into a draw.

Indian opening pair Wasim Jaffer and Rahul Dravid guided their team to six without losing any wicket in the second innings as they set about chasing a monstrous 499 victory over Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting declared the second innings after scoring 351 for 7 late on the third day. Brad Hogg was unbeaten 35, his highest test score, and Brett Lee was 11 not out when Ponting declared the second innings.

India safely finished the third day without losing any wicket, with Wasim Jaffer was on two and Rahul Dravid on three.

India team will have to make record to get win in the first cricket to come from behind chasing a historical score against Australia at MCG.

Only three teams in Test cricket history have scored 400 or more in the fourth innings for victory. If Indian can make any miracle then they will be number fourth team.

The West Indies hold the Test record of 418 for seven when they beat Australia at St. Johns in 2003, while India amassed 406 for four to down the West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1976 and Australia hit 404 for three to defeat England at Headingley in 1948.

However, Australia team is seeking their 15^th successive Test victory chasing the world record of 16 wins that was made by Steve Waugh’s Australia team from 1999-2001.

India team is now in hard condition. If they want to make record then they have to make score more than 499 or have to play 180 overs (two days) to make the match draw.

Harbhajan singh who got chance in the main squad as a second spin bowler claimed three important wicket. He got 3 for 101 off 26 overs and all of the wickets were important for India team. He claimed Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist. He is the first Indian bowler who break threw the wicket.

Michael Clarke was the highest run scorer for Australia team. He scored 73 runs and after got stumped out by MS Dhoni off the bowling of Indian captain Anil Kumble.

Opener Phil Jaques who scored 66 in the first innings also made another consecutive test fifty before being caught and bowled by Kumble.

Hussey got out after scoring 36 runs without any boundary giving a catch to Sachin Tendulkar in the first slip.

Andrew Symonds missed another test fifty for 6 runs after getting out in the ball of Zaheer Khan.

Matthew Hayden had just passed 8,000 runs before he became the victim of Harbhajan Singh to give a catch to Sourav Ganguly at long-off for 47.

Tomorrow fourth day, Indian opening pair again will start their batting. Pitch has become slow and crack. So, no doubt, Indian batsmen have to face big problem to play this pitch.

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