Australia vs India 2018-19: First Test, Day 3: 5 Talking Points

#4 The battle of wits (and grits) against Nathan Lyon

With pace bowling conditions on a decline at the Adelaide Oval, only a spinner could hold the reins on the opposition's batting, and keeping that in mind, Paine introduced Nathan Lyon earlier than he usually does.

As the day progressed, we saw the evolution of Nathan Lyon, from the spinner who is given the ball to relieve an overworked pacer, to the hosts' main attacking bowler.

A rough patch was forming up in a very good section of the pitch, and Lyon exploited it to his best effect, to generate more turn and also extract some uneven bounce. But Vijay and Rahul would have none of it, the former even resorting to some vile sweeps and scoops towards fine-leg, in an attempt to prevent the offie from settling down.

Rahul's main tool against Lyon was to attack the ball outside off-stump, and his approach helped him escape a couple of LBW scares due to the impact being out-of-line with the wickets. When Pujara and Kohli followed, they continued the same trend to keep Lyon working harder and harder for a prize. The duo either padded the balls down offside or played with the spin using downward bats, keeping him at bay.

Lyon finally had his breakthrough, however, in his 21st over of the day. It was a most fitting end to the battle of wits between Australia's ace spinner and the best in the business from India, even though it resulted in Kohli departing with just three overs of play remaining.

Lyon landed the ball in the rough, adding some extra spin to the ball than several of his previous deliveries. The ball gripped the pitch and turned to the batsman's pads, catching a little bit of bat on the way, before rising upwards for Finch to grab the opportunity with both hands literally. It was the sixth time that Kohli fell prey to Lyon, who in turn became the single bowler to dismiss India's best batsman in Tests.