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The first three days of the opening Test are up, and we're still unsure who'll end up being on the winning side. India huffed and puffed to 250 in the first innings, but did well to halt Australia on 235 and sneak out a slender lead. The second stint in the middle for India's batsmen seems much more assured, but there's still a long way to go.
Having shown the stomach for a fight in the second innings, the Indian team ended Day 3 with 166 run-lead, with Cheteshwar Pujara and the newly-entered Ajinkya Rahane holding fort at stumps.
KL Rahul started off with a flurry of strokes, and his positive intent helped garner a start to what can be a promising lead for India. Che Pujara, stuck on one end, seems to be carrying on in the same vein that helped him get a hundred in the first innings.
Here's how India lost the only wicket in the final session of Day 3:
Virat Kohli c Aaron Finch b Nathan Lyon 34 (103)
To negate the turn of Nathan Lyon, Virat Kohli was meeting his deliveries on the full, stretching himself to slay the turn on anything that was pitched on the off-stump. Lyon, through the course of his spell, did not flinch, and relentlessly kept bowling the same line close to the stumps.
The first delivery of his 21st over pitched right on one of the rough patches on the deteriorating Adelaide pitch and gathered enough turn (and some extra lift) to gain a touch off Kohli's tightly assembled front foot defence.
Bowled a tad slower than the others, it carried a light edge off Kohli's bat, pinged off the flap on his left pad and nestled into the hands of Aaron Finch at short leg to complete a tame dismissal.
It's going to get progressively tougher for India's batsmen as the pitch goes into Day 4. Rest assured, cricket's going to witness an enthralling day.
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