Jaiswal's half-century guides India to safety in fourth test

MELBOURNE :Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a solid half-century in an unbroken partnership with Rishabh Pant as India pushed to safety at 112 for three at tea on day five of the fourth test against Australia on Monday.

With the five-test series level at 1-1, India were 228 runs short of their victory target at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but well placed to stave off defeat in the last session and look to regroup for the final match in Sydney in the New Year.

Jaiswal was 63 not out, with Pant on 28 in front of a huge day five crowd of more than 60,000.

India resumed on 33 for three after lunch and were lucky not to be four wickets down soon into the session when paceman Mitchell Starc rapped Jaiswal on the pads when he was on 31.

Australia reviewed the not-out decision for lbw but the technology deemed it "umpire's call" even with more than half the ball projected to crash into leg stump.

In the morning session, Australia captain Pat Cummins struck twice in an over and left-armer Starc dismissed Virat Kohli cheaply to leave India reeling before Jaiswal and Pant's galvanising 79-run partnership after lunch.

After Australia were bowled out for 234 early on, Cummins ended a watchful 25-run partnership between Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma by dismissing Rohit for nine when the out-of-form opener edged straight to Mitchell Marsh at gully.

Five balls later, Cummins had his second victim when KL Rahul edged to Usman Khawaja in the slips to be out for a duck, delighting home fans.

Number four Kohli marched out to a mixture of boos and cheers from the rival supporters, four days on from his mid-pitch shoulder bump with Australia's 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas.

He was out for five trying to drive Starc, nicking to Khawaja in the