2018-19 India Tour of Australia Fourth Test @ SCG Day Two - India Declare at 622/7,Australia were 24/0 at close of play Friday Jan 04,2019

 One by one, India's batsmen piled on the misery on helpless and hapless Australia bowlers, making them toil for 167.2 overs before declaring on 622 /7

3 – by India
2 – by England
1 – by West Indies

* 622/7 (dec) is India’s second-highest team total in Australia. Their previous best was 705/7d in Sydney in 2004.

India are the only side to declare in three consecutive innings against Australia. They have done it twice – first in 2008 (in Mohali & Delhi) in India and now in this series.

Pujara scored 193, Pant was unbeaten on 159 while Jadeja scored 81, all but ensuring India will win their first ever series in Australia.

 And no team has ever lost a game after scoring 600 or more in first innings in Test history.

A marathon century by Cheteshwar Pujara and a swashbuckling ton from Rishabh Pant all but ended Australia’s hopes of saving the series Friday as India built a massive first innings total in the final Sydney Test.

India began Day Two Friday Jan 04,2019 at 303/4 and proceeded to twist the knife against a demoralised home team that toiled in hot conditions with little joy.

Pujara kept batting and batting, going past his 150.  Pujara seemed set for a double-ton but was slightly jittery in the 190s. He was dropped by Usman Khawaja at slip off Lyon on 192, but one run later, came down the track to chip a return catch to Lyon. A marathon 373-ball effort had ended, and Pujara walked off to a standing ovation.

But that was certainly not the end of the torture for Australia's bowlers. Pant went past his half-century, and opened up in the company of Jadeja. The shots gradually began to come out, and Pant raced to his century off 137 balls. His first 50 had taken 85 balls, the next 50 came off 52.

At the other end, Jadeja was having some fun too. He took a special liking to Pat Cummins, who he slammed for a straight six, celebrated his half-century in typical talwar style. He even hit four fours in an over off Cummins to take India past 600.

With each passing ball, one almost felt bad for Australia's bowlers. For the second consecutive match, they were forced to take the third new ball. It only traveled faster to the boundary, as Pant played some audacious strokes.

The bowlers were tiring, and India could have gone on and on. A century was there for the taking for Jadeja. A double-ton, for Pant. Jadeja, though, fell 19 short when he stepped down and missed a Lyon delivery, prompting Virat Kohli to declare. It was Lyon's fourth wicket - a small consolation after bowling 57.2 overs. Hazlewood (35), Cummins (28) and Mitchell Starc (26) had plenty of work as well.
 

Unless Australia win, India will claim a first-ever series victory Down Under since they began touring here in 1947-48.

The methodical Pujara made a masterful 193 off 393 balls while Pant stroked his highest Test score in an entertaining 159 not out.

Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with a lively 81 in a 204-run stand with Pant -- a record seventh wicket partnership at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Skipper Virat Kohli finally declared at 622/7 when Jadeja was out, with the tireless Nathan Lyon taking 4-178 off 57.2 gruelling overs.

It left new-look Australian openers Marcus Harris (19) and Usman Khawaja (five) to negotiate 10 tricky overs before stumps after a torturous day in the field. They ended at 24 without loss.

Rishabh Pant slams 2nd Test century, scripts new record in Sydney

 

Rishabh Pant, who has looked good this series without making a substantial score, finally got to his 2nd Test ton in the fourth Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Pant, who walked out after the dismissal of Vihari, looked very assured at the outset and was content in turning the strike over to Cheteshwar Pujara. However, after the dismissal of Pujara, he became more expressive and started playing his strokes. India galloped along at a fair clip and the young man was in his elements.

With a slog sweep towards deep mid-wicket, he scripted history by becoming the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in Australia. The next best effort is from Farukh Engineer who scored 89 back in 1967 at the Adelaide Oval.

 

MS Dhoni’s highest score in Australia is an unbeaten 57, which he got at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2012.

This was also Pant’s 2nd Test century and he became the 10 visiting wicket-keeper to score a century in Australia.

Also, he is only the 2nd Indian after Dattu Phadkar to score a century at number 7 position in Australia

Stats highlights from second day's play in Sydney 

5 Pant's unbeaten 159 is the fifth instance of an Indian wicketkeeper scoring century outside the sub-continent and the first to do so in Australia. Pant went past Farokh Engineer's 89 at the Adelaide Oval in 1967 for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper in Australia. He also holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian wicketkeeper in England.

Hundreds by Indian WKs outside Asia

Player	Score	Balls	Inngs #	Against	Venue	Season
Vijay Manjrekar	118	-	3	WI	Kingston	1952/53
Ajay Ratra	115*	284	1	WI	St John's	2002
Wridhhiman Saha	104	227	1	WI	Gros Islet	2016
Rishabh Pant	114	146	4	Eng	The Oval	2018
Rishabh Pant	159*	189	1	Aus	Sydney	2018/19

0 Scores higher than Pant's unbeaten 159 made by a wicketkeeper from an Asian side outside the sub-continent. The previous highest was 159 by Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim against New Zealand in Wellington in 2017.

Highest scores by Asian WKs outside sub-continent

Player	Score	Balls	Inngs #	For	Against	Venue	Season
Rishabh Pant	159*	189	1	Ind	Aus	Sydney	2018/19
Mushfiqur Rahim	159	260	1	Ban	NZ	Wellington	2016/17
Moin Khan	137	174	2	Pak	NZ	Hamilton	2003/04
D Chandimal	126	207	3	SL	Eng	Chester-le-Street	2016
Imtiaz Ahmed	122	-	1	Pak	WI	Kingston	1957/58
V Manjrekar	118	-	3	Ind	WI	Kingston	1952/53

At 21 years and 92 days, Pant is the second youngest Indian player to score a century in Australia.

The only one younger to do so was Sachin Tendulkar, who was just 18 years old when he made hundreds in Sydney and Perth during India's tour here in 1991-92.

10 Years since India made a 500-plus total in a Test in 'SENA' countries - 520 against New Zealand in Hamilton in March 2009. They batted 75 further times in these parts of the world with the highest total of 476 for 4 later in the same series against New Zealand.

622/7 dec is the second highest total for India in Australia in Test cricket after 705 for 7 dec at the same venue in the New Year's Test in 2004. In fact, all of India's four highest totals have come at the SCG. They made 600 for 4 dec in 1986 and 532 in 2008 at the same venue.

The 204-run stand between Pant and Ravindra Jadeja is the highest partnership for the seventh wicket in Tests played in Australia. The duo went past 185 between Graham Yallop and Greg Matthews against Pakistan at the MCG in 1983. It is also the highest seventh-wicket stand for India against Australia surpassing 199 between Pujara and Wriddhiman Saha in Ranchi in 2017.

193 by Pujara is the sixth-highest individual score by a player from a sub-continent side in Australia. It is also his highest score in an away Test surpassing 153 each in Johannesburg in 2013 and Galle in 2017.

Highest scores by Asian batsman Down Under

Player	Score	Balls	Inngs #	For	Venue	Season
Sachin Tendulkar	241*	436	1	Ind	Sydney	2003/04
Rahul Dravid	233	446	2	Ind	Adelaide	2003/04
Ravi Shastri	206	477	2	Ind	Sydney	1991/92
Azhar Ali	205*	364	1	Pak	Melbourne	2016/17
Virender Sehwag	195	233	1	Ind	Melbourne	2003/04
Cheteshwar Pujara	193	373	1	Ind	Sydney	2018/19
Kumar Sangakkara	192	282	4	SL	Hobart	2007/08

1258 Balls faced in this series so far by Pujara - the most ever for an Asian batsman in a series of any length Down Under. He went past Rahul Dravid's 1203 balls in four Tests in the 2003-04 rubber. In terms of runs scored, his 521 runs this series is the third most for an Asian batsman in a series in Australia after Virat Kohli's 692 runs in 2014-15 and Dravid's 619 in 2003-04.

57.2 Overs bowled Nathan Lyon in India's first innings - the most he has bowled in an innings surpassing 52 he bowled in Dubai last October. The last time any Australia player bowled as many in a home Test was 59 overs by Greg Matthews way back in 1993 at the same venue against West Indies. Lyon's strike rate of 91.8 balls per wickets at the SCG is the worst for him at a venue in Australia.