Perfect storm in Sydney raises India's hopes

Right until Rishabh Pant walked out to bat on Saturday, wickets had been the order of the day in the Sydney Test.

- Ashish Magotra

Australia had lost nine wickets on Day 2 of the final Test and India were tottering at 59/3 in the second innings. Batting was difficult, the grassy wicket was spicy and the tall Aussie pacers were relentless.

The previous day, in similar conditions, the left-hander ground out an out-of-character 98-ball 40: "I was not in a frame of mind to take charge of the game", he later said. But now, with a match and series on the line, he reverted to his fearless norm and went after the bowling in a free-spirited manner that perhaps, in the situation, only he could have mustered.

At stumps, India were 141/6 thanks to Pant's top-score of a 33-ball 61. The next highest score was opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's breezy 22 (35 b, 4x4).

The sheer audacity of Pant's knock was nothing new. His style has never been orthodox but to do it just after being criticised over lack of game awareness following the Melbourne Test defeat showed his strength of conviction. If he had been dismissed early, Pant might have been in line for more critical remarks.