India got a healthy 166-run lead over Australia on the third day of the opening Test in Adelaide on Saturday with first-innings centurion Cheteshwar Pujara not out on 40. But Australia had one moment of joy as the late wicket Virat Kohli gave the home team a glimmer of hope.
The Indian captain was dismissed late in the final session as India reached 151/3 at stumps on day three. Kohli lunged forward to defend off Nathan Lyon (1-48) but was caught at short leg for an uncharacteristic knock of 34 (104 balls).
At close of play, Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 40 runs, while Ajinkya Rahane was batting on 1 not out. Kohli and Pujara put together a third-wicket partnership of 71 run, coming off 197 balls.
In the process, Kohli became the fifth Indian batsman after Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag to score 1000-plus runs in Test cricket in Australia.
Indians with 1000+ Test runs in Australia
| Player | Runs in Australia |
|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1809 |
| VVS Laxman | 1236 |
| Rahul Dravid | 1166 |
| Virender Sehwag | 1031 |
| Virat Kohli | 1029 |
However, Kohli added his own touch to the record as he became the fastest Indian to reach 1,000 Test runs on Australian soil, getting there in just 18 innings. Whose record did he overtake? VVS Laxman, the original run-piler in Australia.
Kohli’s 34-run knock on Saturday also gave him a unique record as he became the first Indian captain to score 2,000 Test runs in away Tests. Th 30-year-old has now scored more than 2,000 runs in Test as skipper at both home and away.
He is only the fifth captain to do so, joining the ranks of Allan Border, Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith and Alastair Cook.
However, his innings in Adelaide also threw up a record he wouldn’t like as Nathan Lyon became the most successful bowler against him in Tests. The Aussie off-spinner has now dismissed Virat Kohli six times, the most by any bowler.
But an addendum to that is that Kohli has also scored most Test runs against Lyon.
Before Pujara and Kohli got together to give India a solid edge, the visitors were bolstered by a rare good opening stand as KL Rahul and M Vijay stitched a 63-run partnership between.
While Vijay got out for 18, Rahul got a good start before a regrettable shot saw him walk back on 44. However, he will take heart from the fact that he went past 40 at least, as big scores have evaded him for most of the year.
Meanwhile, there was a nice moment for wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant earlier in the day while Australia were still batting. The youngster, in only his fifth Test, matched an old record of MS Dhoni with six catches in the innings.
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