AUS v IND, Pink-ball Test: Jhulan Goswami and Pooja Vastrakar chip away but Ellyse Perry holds firm on Day 3

A high-octane second session on Day 3 saw Jhulan Goswami’s epic spell account for Australia’s openers. Ellyse Perry became the first woman to pick up 300 wickets and score 5,000 runs in international cricket. However, she rode her luck through her 98-ball 27 to carry the hosts to 143 for 4 at stumps, 85 behind the follow on-target of 228.

Jhulan Goswami strikes at the stroke of tea ?

The veteran pacer breaks the partnership as Alyssa Healy departs for 29.

?? are 69/2.#AUSvIND | https://t.co/cKISkEeePw pic.twitter.com/JckLQtrzGr

— ICC (@ICC) October 2, 2021

GOSWANI ON FIRE

A booming inswinger from Goswami crashed into left-hander Beth Mooney’s leg stump in the seventh over and when she returned for her second spell in the 23rd over, she renewed her battle against Alyssa Healy, who had creamed her for a cracking cover-drive for four at the start of Australia’s innings. In her second spell, Goswami, in the space of three balls, beat Healy’s defence with one that came back in, hurled a bouncer into the opener’s front shoulder, and drew a faint outside edge with an outswinger to leave Australia at 63 for 2.

Meghna Singh complemented Goswami in a fiery 12-over pace-bowling opening charge. The pink ball moved in the hands of the pair with later Pooja Vastrakar, who, on the night, delivered her most incisive performance with the ball picking up the wicket of captain Meg Lanning.

Left-arm spin was a missing component in India’s attack in their drawn Test against England in June, but this time around it was deployed to good effect in the form of Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Rajeshwari remained wicketless for her 12 overs but troubled the Australian batsmen, including a dropped chance by the wicketkeeper off the final ball before tea.

After Lanning’s departure, a steady rebuild had ensued between Perry and Tahlia McGrath, before McGrath’s uppish cut to Smriti Mandhana at point gave Vastrakar a well-deserved second wicket.

Aggressive tactical ploys from India captain Mithali Raj bookended the day’s play, whether in the form of attacking field placements inside the circle or repeated insistence on swapping the wet ball with dry ones before a final burst from the three quicks post-tea.

PERRY PICKS UP HER 300^th VICTIM!

The opening session had been largely sluggish, with Australia picking up just two wickets before dinner, the second of those, Vastrakar’s scalp, becoming Perry’s 300th international scalp. Australia also dropped two further chances as India gathered 83 runs in a session spanning 40.4 overs, going into the session break at 359 for 7, which had already become the highest by any visiting side against Australia.

Deepti put on 45 with Taniya Bhatia, building on India’s overnight score of 276 for 5. Before Perry removed Vastrakar at the stroke of the dinner break, Stella Campbell struck with her second ball of the day. The tall debutant’s nagging fourth-stump line forced Bhatia to prod at the outswinger for wicketkeeper Healy to gobble it up, and give the 19-year-old her maiden Test wicket.

Having picked up her first wicket of the series in the second session, Perry almost had a second with her third ball of the day. An inswinger struck right-hander Bhatia on the toe on the off-and-middle line, but there was hardly an appeal for lbw. From that lifeline on Bhatia unfurled an array of cover drives and cuts before perishing to Campbell.

Deepti then added 40 with the Vastrakar, playing risk-free against the bowling, although she had a couple of close shaves past first-slip Lanning. A single off her 148th ball took her to her second straight Test fifty, the previous having anchored a rescue act against England. She was adjudged out as India batted on briefly after dinner, however, replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg.

With just the fourth day left in the game, chances of a second drawn fixture for India this year – extending their unbeaten streak to six in the longest format – seems the likeliest outcome.