The Men in Blue's woes on Day 3 has compounded early on the day with both Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja failing to make a mark with the willow
Rishabh Pant (Pic: AFP)
India ended Day 2 of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 at 164/5, still trailing Australia’s total of 474 runs. The day was marked by the dismissals of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli, both of whom had built a 100-run stand.
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The Men in Blue's woes on Day 3 has compounded early on the day with both Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja failing to make a mark with the willow.
India now face a challenging scenario, with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar at the crease, and a massive 242-run deficit to overcome. While taking the lead seems unlikely at this stage, the immediate concern for India is to avoid the follow-on and put Australia back in to bat in the third innings.
What does India need to do on Day 3 to avoid follow-on?
Australia’s first-innings score of 474 means India must score at least 275 runs in their reply to keep the deficit under 200 runs. This would prevent Australia from enforcing the follow-on. At the close of Day 2, India was trailing by 310 runs, with only five wickets remaining. To achieve this target, India’s batters will need to score at least 110 more runs before the next wicket falls.
Avoiding the follow-on is crucial as it would give India an opportunity to lengthen their innings and potentially avoid a heavy defeat. The task becomes even more daunting as India’s lower order is now exposed, with Reddy and Sundar the only remaining capable batters. The pressure is mounting, and India needs significant contributions from the current pair and the tailenders to ensure they remain in the game.
Historically, India has fought hard to avoid the follow-on in the past. A notable instance was during the 2020-21 series at the Gabba, where India faced a similar challenge. Despite facing a considerable deficit, India managed to resist the follow-on for over an hour and a half, forcing Australia to bat again. That match, however, was eventually drawn due to constant rain interruptions, but the effort to prolong their innings played a key role in preventing a complete collapse.
For India, the focus on Day 3 will be on building partnerships and ensuring that they avoid losing wickets in quick succession. With a minimum of 110 runs needed to avoid the follow-on, the team will be hoping for a resilient fight from Pant, Jadeja, and the tailenders, as they aim to keep Australia from enforcing the follow-on and maintain a fighting chance in the match.
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