India beat Australia again after Jadeja’s 7 wickets

This is what a Test on steroids looks like.

Australia started the day effectively 62 for 1, had India worried as they raced to 86 for 2, then lost their last eight wickets for 28 runs, as India went on to win a Test that seemed lost on more than one occasion, retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the process. Ravindra Jadeja registered his best Test figures, 7 for 42, and his second 10-wicket match haul; the other three second-innings wickets went to R Ashwin, who had looked more threatening when Australia were running away with the game.

When Test matches in India are hurtling towards results at such breakneck speed, what we see does not always make sense. Like Ashwin looking the better bowler, but Jadeja coming back from an ordinary start to run through Australia. Or the sweep shot, and the variations thereof, going from Australia’s best friend to their biggest enemy within minutes.

The sweep, which resulted in six wickets in the second innings, had actually put India under immense pressure. At one point, Australia had scored 71 runs off 27 sweeps for just two wickets.

Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne had used it to distract India, forcing them to put fielders back for the shot. It was the shot that opened up the field for Labuschagne as Australia had India worried: Jadeja went for 31 in his first six overs, Ashwin was going over four himself, and Australia looked set to go well past 150, which would have been a challenging target on this pitch.

That despite a beauty from Ashwin early on to take out the threatening Travis Head, beating the left-hander in the flight and then taken by the keeper. However, when Steven Smith played the big sweep off Ashwin, it was only the 18th time he was playing the shot in India. He missed the offbreak and was adjudged lbw.

With a lead of 86 and seven wickets in hand, Australia still had the advantage. Ashwin, though, had created that bit of an opening. Warner’s concussion replacement, Matt Renshaw, didn’t look as assured. He began with two unsure sweeps the first two balls, and eventually fell lbw to Ashwin on the sweep.

Between the Smith and Renshaw wickets, Jadeja had struck a big blow by dismissing Labuschagne. In the second innings in Nagpur, Labuschagne had gone back to a flat but full ball to lose his wicket to Jadeja. He spent a lot of time looking at those replays, and worked hard between the Tests to identify the right ball to go back to. Eventually, perhaps be- cause runs were at a premium, Labuschagne again went back to a fullish ball and was bowled by a straight one that stayed low.

With the bit between his teeth, Jadeja was about to get lethal, bowling at high pace, one ball turning, the other going straight. Peter Handscomb edged the one that turned, Pat Cummins missed the straighter one on the slog-sweep. Nathan Lyon survived the hat-trick ball, but the panic had well and truly set in.

Things had happened so quickly – four wickets had fallen with the score on 95 – that there was hardly any time to regroup. Australia’s attacking approach – which had given them a first-innings lead despite batting fewer overs than India - meant the price to pay was steep once things went wrong.

This is also where Jadeja proved dangerous by attacking the stumps. Alex Carey missed a straight ball on the reverse-sweep, Lyon played on going for a big hit, and Matt Kuhnemann played on while reverse-sweeping.

If there was a criticism of

Australia’s approach, it was not about their aggressive approach or sweep shots, but that they didn’t give themselves a chance to bat later in the day. On the first two days, batting got easier as the day progressed.

Still, 115 was not going to be an easy target to chase down. Funny things happen during such chases in India. Like a struggling batter flicking one cleanly but getting out caught by the wicketkeeper after the ball bounces off the short-leg fielder’s pads. KL Rahul was the 10th wicket of the first session.

India’s response post lunch was a proactive one. The idea was for Cheteshwar Pujara to try to bat through while the others put pressure back on the bowlers. Rohit Sharma did that as well as anybody. In the second over after lunch, he skipped down and lofted Lyon over wide long-on for a six followed by a paddle-sweep for four.

Then Rohit went after Kuhnemann too, going past Ian Botham’s 67 Test sixes to move to No. 21 on the all-time list. However, he ran himself out when he called Pujara for a second run and then stopped midway. He did not assert himself though he was looking almost flawless in his 31 off 20, but accepted his mistake and kept on running.

Pujara could have possibly sacrificed his wicket by running back, but he went on to be the anchor around whom the others could put in the cameos required to take India through. Virat Kohli made a breezy 20 off 31 before he was stumped, Shreyas Iyer took 12 off 10 before holing out to deep midwicket, and India now

Neymar carried off as Messi scores late goal

Neymar was carried off on a stretcher before Lionel Messi scored a 95th-minute winner as Paris St-Germain gained an incredible win over Lille.

PSG had been 2-0 ahead and 3-2 behind after goals from Lille's Bafode Diakite, Jonathan David, and Jonathan Bamba transformed the match.

Kylian Mbappé, who opened the scoring, grabbed his second in the 87th minute to give PSG hope of victory. Messi then won it in dramatic fashion with a 22-yard free-kick. Despite the win, PSG's main concern will be for Brazil forward Neymar after the 31-year-old, a goalscorer in the first half, was kicked on his calf and then went over badly on his right ankle five minutes into the second half.

He looked in great pain with his hands over his face as he was carried off at the

Parc des Princes. PSG said a scan had shown no fracture to the ankle, but that more tests would be needed in the next 48 hours to assess the ligament damage.

The French side will hope the Brazilian is fit for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Bayern Munich on March 8, which they trail 1-0. The result means PSG are five points clear at the top of Ligue 1, after second-placed Marseille won 3-2 over mid-table Toulouse later in the day.

PSG came into this match on a three-game losing run following a 2-1 loss to Marseille in the last 16 of the French Cup, a 3-1 Ligue 1 defeat by Monaco and a 1-0 home loss to Bayern in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

But they looked in complete control against Lille and were 2-0 ahead after only 17 minutes. Mbappé showed great skill to jink past Tiago Djalo and Diakite to score the first goal, before Neymar doubled the needed 27 with six wickets in hand.

KS Bharat then scored a confidence-building unbeaten 23 off 22. In his 100th Test, Pujara might not have scored a big knock, but he scored the winning boundary in an innings of 31 off 74.

Ashwin and batting coach Vikram Rathour would have noticed that he did finally loft a spinner after stepping out. Twice.

With the win, India all but ensured they will face Australia in the World Test Championship final. Even if India lose the remaining two Tests, it will need Sri Lanka to beat New Zealand 2-0 in New Zealand to deny India a place in the final. (ESPNcricinfo)

` SCOREBOARD

Australia 2nd Innings

Usman Khawaja c Iyer b Jadeja 6

Travis Head c †Bharat b Ashwin 43

Marnus Labuschagne b Jadeja 35

Steven Smith lbw b Ashwin 9

Matt Renshaw lbw b Ashwin 2

Peter Handscomb c Kohli b Jadeja 0

Alex Carey †b Jadeja 7

Pat Cummins (c)b Jadeja 0

Nathan Lyon b Jadeja 8

Todd Murphy not out 3

Matthew Kuhnemann b Jadeja 0

Extras 0

TOTAL 31.1 Ov (RR: 3.62) 113

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Usman Khawaja, 5.5 ov), 2-65 (Travis Head, 12.6 ov), 3-85 (Steven Smith, 18.6 ov), 4-95 (Marnus Labuschagne, 21.4 ov), 5-95 (Matt Renshaw, 22.6 ov), 6-95 (Peter Handscomb, 23.1 ov), 7-95 (Pat Cummins, 23.2 ov), 8-110 (Alex Carey, 27.1 ov), 9-113 (Nathan Lyon, 29.5 ov), 10-113 (Matthew Kuhnemann, 31.1 ov)

ACCOMMODATIONS

BOWLING O M-R-W-ECON

Ravichandran Ashwin 16-3-59-3

Mohammed Shami 2-0-10-0-5 Ravindra Jadeja 12.11-42-7

Axar Patel 1-0-2-0

India 2nd Innings (T: 115 runs)

Rohit Sharma (c)run out (Handscomb/†Carey) 31 KL Rahul c †Carey b Lyon 1 Cheteshwar Pujara not out 31 Virat Kohli st †Carey b Murphy 20 Shreyas Iyer c Murphy b Lyon 12 Srikar Bharat † not out 23

Extras 0

TOTAL 26.4 Ov (RR: 4.42) 118/4

Did not bat: Ravindra

(KL Rahul, ov), 2-39 (Rohit Sharma, 6.5 ov), 3-69 (Virat Kohli, 18.2 ov),

(Shreyas Iyer, 21.4 ov)

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advantage, scoring from a rebound after Vitinha's effort bounced off goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier.

But Lille, beaten 7-1 at home by PSG in August, pulled one back through Diakite's 24th-minute glancing header. PSG had already lost left-back Nuno Mendes to injury before Neymar was carried off. David's penalty, following a foul by Marco Verratti, made it 2-2 and Bamba's powerful strike put the visitors ahead in the 69th minute.

However, Lille could not hang on. Mbappé hit a low shot into the corner with three minutes of normal time to go for his 15th Ligue 1 goal of the season, before Messi's late winner provided the final piece of drama in this seven-goal thriller.

PSG are next in action on February 26, when they play title rivals Marseille away from home. (BBC Sport)

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