Editor’s note: This report was updated throughout the day.
After taking a position of relative command at the end of day two, with a quickfire start to their second innings, Australia lost a flurry of wickets early on the third day to be bowled out for 113.
India, in reply, chased the 115-run target down in 26.4 overs to win the match by 6 wickets and take a 2-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
IND v AUS: Reactions as India defeat Australia by six wickets – ‘Fortress Delhi remains standing’
Morning session
The tourists were involved in a stunning collapse as they crumbled from their overnight 61-1 to get bowled out in the first session of day three.
The batters failed to tackle the low bounce in Delhi with the overused sweep shot becoming their nemesis. The visitors lost a shocking 8 wickets for 28 runs in that passage of play.
Ravindra Jadeja put on yet another match-winning show to take seven wickets and dismiss Australia for 113 on a dramatic Sunday morning. As a result, the hosts need just 115 to win the second Test.
All ten wickets were taken by Ashwin Ravichandran and Jadeja. The latter returned his Test best of 7-42 with his left-arm spin to add to his three in the first innings. His fellow spinner grabbed the remaining three.
Ashwin struck in the first over of the day to get Travis Head caught behind for 43 three balls after the left-hander hit a boundary to add to his overnight score.
He got another key wicket inside the first half hour as he trapped Steve Smith lbw for nine, upheld on review.
Marnus Labuschagne attempted to take the attack to the opposition with the paddle shot and the reverse sweep but fell bowled to Jadeja for 35.
David Warner’s concussion substitute Matt Renshaw looked clueless against spin in his eight-ball stay before he missed an attempted sweep, giving Ashwin another lbw.
Wickets fell like nine-pins and Nathan Lyon narrowly averted a Jadeja hat-trick.
Jadeja got wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey bowled while attempting a reverse sweep to claim a five-wicket haul and took two more to wrap up the Australian innings.
On day two, Axar Patel (74) and Ashwin (37) lifted India from a precarious 139-7 to 262, just one short of Australia’s first innings total, with an eighth-wicket partnership of 114.
In reply, the hosts lost KL Rahul for 1 in pursuit of a victory target of 115 in the second Test. He fell to Nathan Lyon’s off spin with a hit that lobbed off the short-leg fielder’s knee and caught by the wicketkeeper.
At lunch, skipper Rohit Sharma, on 12, and Cheteshwar Pujara, on one in his landmark 100th Test, were on the crease with the hosts needing another 101 to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
Post-lunch session
Althoough India lost skipper Rohit Sharma, run out after a fluent 31, and Virat Kohli, who surpassed 25,000 international runs, stumped on 20, Cheteshwar Pujara stood firm with 31 in his landmark Test to steer the team home with a winning four. Even wicketkeeper-batter Srikar Bharat, unbeaten on 23, contributed with a fiery 22-ball 23 to wrap the match inside three days.
World Test Championship standings: India boost their chances of top-two finish with win in Delhi
With this win, India guaranteed themselves the retention of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in the four-match series. They have won their previous three series against Australia and are now close to securing a spot in the World Test Championship final.
Also read: Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Recap of all Australia in India Test series since 2000
With inputs from AFP
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