Batsmen put India A in box seat on day three

India finished the day on top, posting a massive 505 first innings total and later reducing the visitors to 38/2, with Travis Head unbeaten on four and Peter Handscomb on one at stumps in Alur.

Krishnappa Gowtham and Shahbaz Nadeem sent the openers – Kurtis Patterson and Matt Renshaw – back for 4 and 19 respectively. Australia, who posted 346 in the first innings, are trailing by 121 runs with eight wickets in hand.

The day belonged to Bharat, who scored a brilliant 106 before falling to spinner Ashton Agar. His 186-ball innings featured 12 boundaries and a six.

Earlier, India resumed the play on 223/3, with their captain Shreyas Iyer unbeaten on 30 and having Shubman Gill for company on six. Iyer added 12 more runs to his overnight score before being bowled by Mitchell Marsh.

Pacer Chris Tremain provided Australia with their second breakthrough of the day. Gill, who scored a measure 76-ball 50, fell after adding a 41-run fifth wicket stand with Bharat.

India lost two more wickets shortly after lunch. First, Brendan Doggett had Gowtham caught and bowled for 20 and five overs later Agar trapped Deepak Chahar in front for just six, reducing India to 370/7.

Bharat, along with Kuldeep Yadav, then took the proceedings further and steadied the innings. Yadav batted with grit, bringing up his half-century off 102 deliveries. The Bharat-Yadav duo stitched a 113-run partnership for the eighth wicket before Tremain struck twice in one over, snaring Yadav for 52 and Nadeem for duck a ball later.

A brilliant delivery from Agar wrapped up the India innings, as he picked up the prized scalp of Bharat. Rajneesh Gurbani, the No.11, remained unbeaten on 16.