India v/s Australia, 4th Test, Day 3, Sydney: Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul don't spare the treatment to Australian bowlers

India v/s Australia, 4th Test, Day 3, Sydney: Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul don't spare the treatment to Australian bowlers.
Half Century for Virat Kohli, 50 off 108 balls. 11th fifty in 33 Test matches, 9 hundreds

9:23 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

80 overs- 200/2

India- 200/2. India started the Third Day on 71/1. India 199/2 in 78 overs.

Partnership of 102 off 204 balls between Rahul (94 off 230) & Kohli (48 off 105).

9:11 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

Good cover drives from Rahul and Kohli both.

Nathan Lyon brought into the attack.

75 overs- 183/2

Kohli- 45 off 103, Rahul- 82 off 214

Lokesh Rahul moves into the 80s

8:49 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

DRINKS BREAK

70 overs- 167/2. India trail by 405.

Rahul- 74 off 102, Kohli- 37 off 85

8:31 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

66 overs- 152/6

Virat Kohli putting up some fine display of batting. Scores back-to-back boundaries. Putting pressure on Nathan Lyon.

65 overs- 144/2

Runs dry up, scoring rate slows up.

8:09 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015
60 overs- 1332/2

Lyon has been very consistent, bowling outside the off stump. He's coming around for the first time. Bowling some good variatiion in Sydney.

57 overs- 126/2

Lokesh Rahul playing some delightful shots

Lunch

Session 1- 30 overs 51 runs 1 wicket (Rohit Sharma)

55 overs- 122/2. India trail by 450 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Th run making was restrained. Indians needed to preserve wickets.

7:07 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

54 overs- 118/2

Maiden fifty in test cricket for KL Rahul after a nightmare in his last test match. Scores 50 off 161

Dropped catch! Rahul dropped off Watson's over by Smith who ran back from slip after a top edge and the sun is in his eyes, and it bursts through his hands into the ground

6:50 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

49 overs- 112/2. Mitchell Starc bowls a frank loose delivery, something the Indians were guilty of. Virat Kohli puts that one for a boundary as the ball came in on his legside.

India missed out on some run-scoring shots in the morning as they failed to capitalize.

Rohit Sharma tried to create a shot out of nothing. He looks at high risk shots to release the pressure.

45 overs- 102/2

Virat Kohli comes in to bat with Rahul

97/2. OUT! Nathan Lyon cleans up Rohit. All the hard work is undone. He just got to a 50. Rohit attempts a sweep, as a tossed up high and very full delivery from Lyon outside off, rolls on to the stumps

RG Sharma b Lyon 53 off 133b

43 overs- 96/1

HALF CENTURY for Rohit Sharma after nine innings in test cricket. Scores 53 off 132.

Australian fast bowlers have been good on a slow wicket as they continue to create pressure, bowl hard. The pitch is also not giving anything.

Australia have given just 19 runs in the first hour in 15 overs. Rahul and Rohit have defended solidly, to their credit

DRINKS! And its time for a cool drink on a hot day in Sydney

40 overs- 90/1

Shane Watson bowling outside the off stump.

Australians bowling short of a length. Not giving away any runs in a spot India might like.

6:00 IST Thursday, 8 January 2015

37 overs- 84/1

At the crease: Rahul- 35 off 104, Rohit- 47 off 119

Josh Hazlewood just in his third match and he is bowling well. Already made a mark, touching early 140s, Late 130s

Fourth Test- Day 3 Session 1

Indian top order literally have a mountain to climb after Aussies scored an imposing 572 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their first innings. Although Vijay got out cheaply, Rohit Sharma and Lokesh Rahul overcame initial jitters and negotiated the bowling attack of the hosts reasonably well to end day 2 at 71/1.

But day 3 will be test of character for the Indian lads. The Sydney pitch has largely been benign but it has started to offer some help to Nathan Lyon. The Indians will try to play their natural aggressive brand of cricket but they are in no position to let their guard down. Aussies lead by 501 runs, so the first target of Indians will be to avoid follow- on, and then try to get close or surpass 572. For that, Indian top order needs to convert starts into big hundreds like their Aussie counterparts.

The hosts on their part will look for early wickets. For them it is about getting 19 Indian wickets in 3 days, so they will certainly press hard to get a big first innings lead. Both Virat kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are in stellar form. Suresh Raina will try to prove his critics wrong, who point out about his perceived weakness in playing short balls.

In absence of Dhoni, Indian tail has only become more exposed and it will be interesting to see if it has any impact on the final outcome of the test match, like it did in the first test. Mitchell Starc has come to the party taking the price scalp of M Vijay. Josh Hazlewood and Ryan Harris have been economical without being particularly probing. But Indian fortune on Day 3 may well hinge on how well they play the spin and guile of Nathan Lyon.

For all updates relating India's tour of Australia, 2014-15, read http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/india-vs-australia-2014