India’s wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant took a brilliant catch on the leg side off Mohammed Siraj’s bowling to dismiss Australia’s star batter Steve Smith on Day 5 of the third Test in Brisbane. This happened on Wednesday, December 18. Smith, who had scored a century in the first innings, got out for just 4 runs, as Australia lost their fifth wicket with only 33 runs on the board.
The wicket fell in the 11th over of Australia’s second innings. Siraj bowled a ball that went towards the leg side. Smith tried to flick it to fine leg but only got a slight edge. Pant, showing quick reflexes, dived to his left and caught it superbly.
This was Steve Smith’s fourth low score in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. His scores in the series are 0, 17, 2, and 101. Siraj, on the other hand, got his first wicket in this innings and his 12th in the series.
India’s Bowlers Shine as Australia Struggles in the 2nd Innings
India’s bowlers, led by Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Akash Deep, delivered an excellent performance on Day 5. Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja (8) and Marnus Labuschagne (1). Akash Deep got the wickets of Nathan McSweeney (4) and Mitchell Marsh (2).
At the time of writing, Australia was 44/5, with Travis Head and Alex Carey batting. Australia’s lead has grown to 230 runs.
India’s Effort in the First Innings
Earlier on Day 4, India avoided the follow-on by scoring 260 runs in their first innings. A crucial 47-run partnership between Bumrah (10*) and Akash Deep (31) for the last wicket helped India. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja also contributed well with 84 and 77 runs, respectively. For Australia, Pat Cummins took four wickets, while Mitchell Starc picked up three.
Australia’s First Innings Highlights
Australia batted first and scored 445 runs. Travis Head was the top scorer with 152 runs, while Steve Smith made 101, and Alex Carey added 70 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was India’s best bowler, taking six wickets in the innings.
