XtraTime Web Desk: After taking four wickets on day 3 India restricted Australia on 235 runs to take a crucial 155-run lead and later India have scored 151 runs for 3 and now has taken a crucial lead of 161 runs with 7 wickets still in hand. After the end of day’s play Jasprit Bumrah stated that the visitors are in slight better position but they need to capitalize on that.
“(The match is) slightly in our favour because we have a good lead. The first session (of day four) will be very important. If we capitalize on that, we will be in a very good place in this match,” India paceman Jasprit Bumrah said after the day’s play.
KL Rahul (44), Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli (34) put India in a commanding position and they can now dictate terms on the fourth day if the batsmen continue to play like the way they did on Saturday.
Pujara, who rescued India’s first innings with a sparkling 123, survived to stumps on 40 not out, with number five Ajinkya Rahane batting on one run under a cloudy sky.
“He’s (Pujara) shown a lot of patience, that is the key element in Test cricket. He knows his game in and out, he knows his strengths.
“He knows to leave the ball and he’s playing with the bowlers’ patience as well. He has done that over the years and has started to play with a lot of maturity. That’s his strength,” Bumrah praised Pujara.
The other cricketer who will play a crucial part with the ball and he is none other than Ravichandran Ashwin, who was a constant threat for the left-handed Aussie batsmen in the first innings.
“In the fourth innings he will obviously play a crucial role. We saw Nathan Lyon using the rough to his advantage so I think (Ashwin) knows what he has to do,” said Bumrah as he is looks forward to the spin of Ashwin coming into play on a fifth-day wicket.