Live ScoreBoard India vs Australia 3rd test at Perth Live telecast, Commentary, Online Scoreboard : India need 8 wicket on Forth Day

January 18, 2008

Australia must turn in an historic performance to win the third cricket Test at the WACA Ground and avoid having India spoil another super streak.

Ricky Ponting’s side must surpass the achievement of Don Bradman’s Invincibles by pulling off Australia’s highest successful run chase in order to post an unprecedented 17th straight victory.

But the Indians are chasing their own slice of history and were in the box seat to snap Australia’s winning run of 16 matches, just like they did in 2001 at Kolkata, and claim just their fifth victory in this country.

Set 413 to win, Australia were 2-65 in their second dig at stumps on day three, still needing 348 more runs to win, with good weather forecast for the next two days.

But Irfan Pathan’s (2-22) removal of openers Chris Rogers (15) and Phil Jaques (16) had the game firmly in India’s control.

Ponting (24no) must snap his lean run this series and produce a gem, with the support of Mike Hussey (5no), if Australia are any chance of giving the huge target a shake.

Only three sides in 130 years of Test cricket have ever won chasing over 400, but no side has pulled off the feat on Australian soil.

Bradman’s 1948 team posted 3-404 to beat England in Leeds, while Steve Waugh’s men reached 6-369 to beat Pakistan in Hobart in 1999.

But this inexperienced Australian side must exceed both those efforts to reach the second-highest successful chase, behind only the West Indies’ 7-418 against Waugh’s team in St John’s in 2003.

On an enthralling third day, India’s top order succumbed to Australia’s pacemen, only for VVS Laxman and the tailenders to show enormous fight to take the tourists to 294 in their second innings.

Laxman’s composed 79 steadied the innings, as he posted vital stands of 75 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (38) for the seventh wicket and 51 with RP Singh (30) for the ninth, after Pathan made 46 as nightwatchman.

It was RP Singh and Pathan who combined for six wickets to help rout Australia for 212 in their first innings, and both left-arm quicks were superb with the bat.

Pathan held firm while four of his illustrious colleagues fell around him and Singh deflated Australia with some dashing strokeplay.

But India also were aided by the remarkable scenario of Australia using their part-time bowlers instead of their specialist pacemen to try to boost a slow over rate.

So, with Australia in urgent need of wickets Brett Lee spent the first 100 minutes of the middle session roaming the outfield, while Ponting used Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds.

Under International Cricket Council rules, captains can be fined or even suspended if their over rates fall too far behind.

Symonds eventually struck twice in one over before tea, but the Indian lead was over 350 by that stage.

Stuart Clark toiled hard for 4-61, while Lee finished with 3-54.

India’s performance this match has them threatening to not only snap an Australian streak, but continue their good results in this country.

India were the last side to beat Australia in their backyard, in Adelaide in 2003, and could now become the first side to beat Ponting’s men since England won at Trent Bridge during the 2005 Ashes series.