Absolutely love test cricket, says Warne as stage set for a thrilling final session

BRISBANE: Former spinner Shane Warne is relishing the ongoing fourth and final Test between India and Australia at The Gabba.

Warne’s love and adoration for the longest format of the game came as the ongoing match looks tantalising poised.
The former Australian spinner in a Tweet expressed his excitement and said, “Absolutely love test cricket.”

Shubman Gill fell nine runs short of his maiden Test hundred, skipper Ajinkya Rahane departed after a brisk 24 but Cheteshwar Pujara endured blows to the body and fought on with Rishabh Pant for company to keep India in the hunt to register back-to-back series wins on Australian soil.

At the tea break, India’s score read 183/3, still needing 145 runs to seal the tantalising poised match with Pujara and Pant on the crease.

Earlier in the day, Warne said Pant “could hold the key” for the visitors, adding that India was looking well on track to win the fourth Test. “India well on track to win this test match & still have guns left in the shed. Pant could hold the key for India. Australia’s short-ball tactics were 40 mins late. Lyon and Starc need to bring their A games this session or it will be left to Cummins & Hazlewood again. Game on,” Warne tweeted.

Starting the second session with the game evenly poised, Gill and Pujara added 49 runs in the second session before the opener fell short of what would have been a sensational hundred.

Gill had taken on the Australian bowlers smashing 20 runs off a Mitchell Starc over, hitting three consecutive boundaries but Nathan Lyon got the big breakthrough. Pujara got his first boundary off the 103rd ball he’s faced in the innings.

Rahane’s stroke play clearly indicated that India is not looking for a draw but the skipper departed after making a quick 24 off 22 balls. In what was not a surprising move, Pant was sent ahead of Mayank Agarwal with India requiring 161 runs to win the match.

Pant became the fastest Indian wicket-keeper to 1000 Test runs when he hit the first runs of the bat on the fifth day of the series decider. India now requires less than 135 runs to seal the series. (ANI)