The Indian batsmen produced a herculean effort as the third Test in Sydney ended in a draw.
Team India produced a heroic performance on the final day of the third Test to force the game to a draw in Sydney. Despite facing an early setback in captain Ajinkya Rahane's wicket, Rishabh Pant (97), Cheteshwar Pujara (77), Ravichandran Ashwin (39*) and Hanuma Vihari (23*) fought valiantly to secure a draw, ensuring the series remains level at 1-1.
Chasing a mammoth target of 407, India reached 334/5 after batting for 131 overs before both the teams decided to shake hands on the final day of the Test match. Vihari, who batted with a sore hamstring throughout the course of his innings, showed great resilience and remained unbeaten on 23 after facing 161 deliveries.
He was supported brilliantly by Ashwin who also suffered a lot of blows on his body but didn't throw away his wicket and remained not on 39 from 128 deliveries.
Earlier, Pant and Pujara shared a 148-run partnership for the fifth wicket after the visitors lost skipper Ajinkya Rahane (4) very early in the day. The duo scored runs at a brisk pace and in fact, not only put India in a position to draw the Test, but also gave the visitors an unlikely hope of an improbable win.
As India secured an incredible draw in Sydney, Twitter lauded the side's effort:
