India squared off against Australia in the third Test of the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, which commenced on March 1. Unfortunately, the Indian team suffered an embarrassing 9-wicket defeat on Day 3. However, amidst the match, a heartwarming moment occurred between former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravindra Jadeja.
The star all-rounder, who had been sidelined due to a knee injury, made a triumphant return to the international stage after a five-month hiatus. Ravindra Jadeja played the first Test of the series and delivered a stellar performance, earning him the title of Player of the Match. In a surprising turn of events, during the third Test, Jadeja and Manjrekar, who had previously been embroiled in controversy, were seen embracing and shaking hands with one another.
Earlier, a social media war erupted between Jadeja and Manjrekar when Manjrekar referred to Jadeja as a "bits and pieces player" prior to India's World Cup semi-final match against New Zealand in 2019. This term is used to describe someone who is competent at batting, but whose bowling is not particularly strong.
In response, Jadeja lashed out at Manjrekar and said, “Still, I have played twice the number of matches you played and I’m still playing. Learn to respect people who have achieved. I have heard enough of your verbal diarrhoea Sanjay Manjrekar.”
Check out the reactions here:
Talking about the third Test match of the Border-Gavaskar series, India elected to bat first after winning the toss and put forth a dismal batting performance, as the Australian bowlers held them to a meager 109 runs. The Indian bowlers also performed admirably, dismissing the Australian batters for 197 runs. Umesh Yadav was particularly impressive on the turning surface of Indore, quickly disposing of the Australian lower order.
Despite India's strong-looking batting line-up, they were unable to learn from their mistakes in the first innings and were bowled out for just 163 runs in the second innings. Nathan Lyon was the star of the show, taking 8 wickets and dismantling India's batting order. Pujara put up a valiant effort, smashing a brilliant half-century, but was sent back to the pavilion after Steve Smith's outstanding catch in the leg slip.
Australia needed just 76 runs to win the 3rd Test and they achieved the target in the first session of the day, sealing their spot in the World Test Championship Final, which will be held in June.
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