Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann lauded centurions Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant after their knocks powered India to 622/7 declared on Day 2 of the final Test in Sydney, terming their performance as 'ruthless'.
India put together their second-highest team total on Australian soil, piling up 622/7 declared on the second day of the match. Their highest team total, 705/7 declared, was also incidentally scored at this venue, in 2004.
The Australian bowlers were also tormented by Jadeja (81) and the home team's desperation for a breakthrough resulted in even top-order batsman Usman Khawaja being pressed into the attack.
Pant, who struck 15 fours and a six, he put on 204 runs for the seventh wicket with Jadeja.
"Ruthless, absolutely ruthless [with the bat]. They were fantastic. Pujara just doesn't get out, does he? He has faced over a 1000 balls. The way he went about it today, it was brilliant. In the backend, when you had Rishabh Pant and Jadeja take the game forward so quickly and score over 600 runs, they are well ahead in the game," Lehmann told Sony Six on Friday.
"Yes, it's a good track. It is a really good track. I am expecting to stay good for the next day and a half then take spin as the game goes on. The challenge for Australia will be to bat well, they haven't done well so far. The challenge will be how can they bat, especially in the first innings? They have to bat big enough in the first innings, not the second one.
"It's important to close down the chance of an Indian victory, but they are well in front at the moment. They played brilliantly well today."
In reply, Australia were 24/0 in the 10 overs that the deflated side had to face after toiling all day on the field.
This was after series top-scorer Cheteshwar Pujara missed out on what would have been a well-deserved double hundred, ending at 193 off 373 balls, adding 63 runs to his overnight score.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to claim a hundred Down Under with an unbeaten 159-run effort that came off 189 balls on the second day of the match. This was his second Test hundred, the first being in England earlier this year.
