“To be honest”: Nathan Lyon picks ‘huge’ moment for Australia in Indore Test

Australian spinner Nathan Lyon termed the dismissal of India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara in the second innings as a “huge” moment in the game and praised his stand-in captain Steve Smith for taking the catch, saying he “wouldn’t trade him for anybody”. do”. Nathan Lyon took eight wickets as Australia bundled out India for 163 in the second innings, leaving the visitors just 76 runs away from victory in the third Test at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Thursday. After taking a brilliant catch to dismiss Pujara at the end of the second day of the match, no one than Steve Smith to have Nathan stand in the slips for him and assure the visitors victory.

While Australia worked their way through the Indian batting line-up, Pujara stood firm and threatened to leave a target for the Aussies open to the Indian spinners. He dismissed all the tactics thrown at him, including a field setting that was leg-side heavy which stunted his run-scoring and captain Rohit Sharma appeared to be frustrated in the dressing room, eventually being dismissed leg-side. Persuaded to flick a ball outside off stump.

Smith showed amazing reflexes, diving to his right and making one of the most stunning catches of his career, in a series in which he dropped some easy catches.

“It was huge,” Lyon was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“To be honest with you, and this is no disrespect to anyone else in the team, but I don’t think anyone else is catching it. It’s just me bowling from one end and watching and slip or Watching Steve Smith at leg slip and the confidence he has as a bowler.”

“Yes, he’s dropped a couple here and there but I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. It shows the quality of the cricketer we see in training trying different ways and Getting better and trying.” and improve. This is someone who has played 95 Test matches.”

“Hats off to Smith, he did the job, I’m not surprised but it was a big moment to finish the day strongly,” concluded Lyon.

Smith enjoyed a stellar day on the field as captain, taking over the role in the absence of Pat Cummins, who flew back to Australia after the second Test in Delhi due to family health issues. He was extremely active and innovative in setting the field and rotated his spinners well.

On the second day, he brought back Mitchell Starc at a crucial stage after tea when batsman Shreyas Iyer was playing some attacking shots and resulted in the batsmen being dismissed for 26 when Usman Khawaja caught him at midwicket.

“I’ve obviously played with Smith a lot throughout my career, so we’re great mates on and off the field and have been able to have some really good cricket conversations. He’s one of the best batsmen in the world, especially the last Over the decade, the way his mind works with cricket strategy, gives me a good chat.”

“But having said that I thought Pat left the game really well last week. We had really good plans under both of them and that’s where Australian cricket comes in with one of the best bowlers in the world And one of the best batsmen in the world.” The world is our two leaders,” Lyon said.

India could only bat for 60.3 overs in the second innings of the third Test, with Pujara putting up a lone fight for the hosts, before Nathan Lyon took eight for just 64 runs.

The hosts resumed their innings at 79/4 after tea, with Cheteshwar Pujara on 36* and Shreyas Iyer still 9 runs behind to open his account.

India started the session on a positive note with Iyer hitting a six while Pujara hit a four off Matthew Kuhnmann in the second over after lunch.

Iyer took on the Australian bowlers, putting them under pressure with aggressive shots to turn the tide for the hosts.

The right-handed batsman fired up the Australian bowlers by hitting Nathan Lyon for two consecutive fours and hitting Kuhnmann for a six over mid-wicket and a four in the next over.

Pujara and Iyer were flourishing in the third session but Steve Smith brought Mitchell Starc into the attack after Kuhnmann was run out.

The move worked wonders for the visitors as the pacer was able to get rid of Iyer. The right-handed batsman played an aerial shot towards mid-wicket but Usman Khawaja took a brilliant catch and brought the curtains down on the batsman’s innings.

Iyer scored a blistering 26 off 27 balls and shared a 35-run partnership with Pujara for the fifth wicket.

Shrikar Bharat followed up cheaply adding three runs to the total. Lyon bowled peaches to hit the outside edge of the batsman and hit the top of the off stump to get him out for 3(8).

Ravichandran Ashwin and Pujara provided the resilience to the visitors’ fiery attack to put on a 22-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

India’s troublemaker Pujara brought up his half-century, holding one end against the Australian bowlers.

However, wickets continued to fall and Ashwin fell to Lyon for 16 (28). The wicket brought up the spinner’s fifty in the second innings, leaving India at 140/7.

A freak catch by Steve Smith got Pujara on the back foot after the Saurashtra batsman’s brilliant innings. The right-handed batsman played a blistering knock of 59 runs.

From there it was one-way traffic as the hosts lost their last two wickets in the space of eight runs. The Australian bowlers bundled out the hosts for 163, needing 76 runs in the second innings to win.

Nathan Lyon recorded his best figures in India, dismissing eight Indian batsmen and conceding just 64 runs.

Earlier at tea, India were 79 for four in their second innings to trail Australia by nine runs at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here.

Resuming the post-lunch session at 13/0, India lost their first wicket in opener Shubman Gill as the youngster was clean bowled.

Nathan Lyon for 5 runs. The hosts lost their first wicket for 15 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara supported his skipper Rohit Sharma and both batted defensively, but the other opener also fell victim to Lyon, who dismissed him lbw for 12 to leave India in a troubled position for 32. left. /2.

Virat Kohli then joined Pujara and the duo helped India cross the 50-run mark but the 22-run partnership did not last long as Virat Kohli was dismissed leg before wicket for 13 by Matthew Kuhnmann. Gave.

Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat with his Saurashtra partner Pujara and both batted consciously to reduce the deficit. But Lyon struck for the third time, dismissing southpaw Jadeja wicket-less for 7 runs to leave India at 78/4.

India went to tea at 79/4, 9 runs behind Australia and six wickets down, with Pujara batting on 36 and Shreyas Iyer on 0.

Earlier the second day started at 156/4. Australian batsmen Peter Handscomb and Cameron Green batted sensibly and took their team’s first innings lead past the 50-run mark.

The Handscomb-Green partnership was taking the game away from the hosts. They desperately needed a wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin did exactly that as Shreyas Iyer broke their 40-run partnership at 186.

Handscomb’s wicket opened the floodgates for India as they overpowered the Australian batting line-up. Pacer Umesh Yadav dismissed Cameron Green for 21 before Australia lost their sixth wicket for 188 runs.

The Nagpur boy clean bowled Mitchell Starc for 1 in his next over. Starc became Umesh’s 100th victim for Umesh on Indian soil. The pacer achieved the feat in 31 matches as Australia were bundled out for 192/7.

India struck again within four balls as Ashwin dismissed Alex Carey for 3 before wicket to leave Australia at 196/8.

Umesh Yadav looked unstoppable as he accelerated past his stumps to reduce Australia to 197/9, dismissing Todd Murphy for a duck, his third wicket in the match.

Ashwin cleaned up Australia’s innings by dismissing Nathan Lyon for 5 to bowl out the visitors for 197, taking an 88-run lead in the first innings.

Brief scores: India: 109/10 in 33.2 overs in 1st innings (Virat Kohli 22, Shubman Gill 21, Matthew Kuhnmann 5-16), Australia: 197/10 in 76.3 overs in 1st innings (Usman Khawaja 60, Marnus Labuschagne 31, Ravindra Jadeja 4-78, Umesh Yadav 3-12, Ravichandran Ashwin 3-44); India 163 (Cheteshwar Pujara 59; Nathan Lyon 8-64).

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