Team India, which had set Australia a meagre target of 76, received a glimmer of hope when Ashwin dismissed Umsan Khawaja off the second ball of the third morning.
“Ashwin is a momentum bowler; when he gets a wicket, he usually adds two or three more wickets in his spell. After that first wicket, Ashwin bowled a lot of balls that bothered Head “Karthik informed Cricbuzz.
In fact, India was in command during the first ten overs. “Ashwin bowled really well in the first 10 overs, kept good length, but when they changed that ball, they weren’t happy with the ball, probably because the stitches had given a little way near the leather,” Karthik explained.
With Australia 13/1 after 10 overs, the ball developed some issue near the seam and had to be changed. In the next over left-hander Travis Head, who was on 5 off 22 balls, stepped it up hitting the premier India off-spinner for a boundary and a six to seize control.
“The changed ball made a lot of difference. It was not as hard as they expected. Probably, it didn’t have the bite the ball could have had if it was harder. From then on things just turned completely Australia’s way.” With the changed ball, Ashwin leaked 13 runs in the 11th over and Karthik termed it a “critical” juncture of the match.
“It was a crucial over in the sense that he gave away two loose balls a little fuller, and Travis Head didn’t look back after that. That’s it, he said; I’m now in charge. I’m feeling good, and my defence is coming along nicely. You make a minor mistake, and the batter takes advantage of it.” “Yes, because you’re chasing a low target, the pressure was different. But Head made certain that once he had those boundaries, he didn’t look back “He stated.
The victory guaranteed Australia a spot in the World Test Championship final. India now faces a must-win situation in the fourth and final Test, which begins on xx in Ahmedabad.
