Pujara and Rahane put India on top

Four years ago, in the second Test of the series in Hyderabad, Cheteshwar Pujara was part of a match-winning stand against Australia, a massive 370-run partnership with M Vijay. It was so colossal an achievement that the partnership alone beat Australia, who failed to make 370 in both their innings combined. The events of Pune last week prove that things are a little different this year, yet once again Australia have found Pujara a major obstacle in the second Test of the series.

This time, his significant partnership was with Ajinkya Rahane, and by stumps on the third day in Bengaluru, it was not even worth a hundred runs. But a price could not be put on its value. It may yet be the partnership that turned this match firmly in India's favour, that kept their hopes of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy alive, for this partnership that spanned the entire final session on a difficult, dry, cracking pitch lifted India's lead to 126 runs.

And it is not over yet. As the players walked off at the close of play, Pujara was undefeated on 79 and Rahane was unbeaten on 40. Their partnership stood at 93, and India's total was 213 for 4. And Australia knew that this Test, a wrestling match which they dominated on the first day but which India fought back into on days two and three, was at risk of slipping away from them. A chase of 150 would be no gimme; a chase of 250 would give them nightmares.