With the series tied at 1-1 and the decider at the Cheapuk stadium in Chennai heating up, a dog invaded the pitch, resulting in play being halted. Two ball boys were seen chasing the dog as it casually strayed away and dodged being captured. The incident raised the decibel level inside the stadium, with fans cheering the dog, and even left both teams amused by the incident. Indian captain Rohit Sharma was seen laughing as the incident unfolded.
On a spin-friendly track, Australia captain Steven Smith won the toss and opted to bat first. After a strong start by openers Travis Head and Mitche Marsh, who raced to a 50 run partnership, Hardik Pandya provided the crucial breakthrough, ripping through the Australian top order. Panday got rid of Travis Head and then sent the skipper, Steven Smith, back to the pavilion for a duck.
Kuldeep Yadav ensured there was no fightback from the visitors, picking up three wickets to clean up the middle order.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here.  To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
