India went to Lunch on Day 4 of the third Test against Australia, needing 79 more runs to avoid the follow-on. Ravindra Jadeja (41) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (7) were at the crease. If India were to save the follow-on, these two would have to score the bulk of those runs to get India to 246.
As rain returned again, causing another disruption right at the start of the second session, we discuss the importance of these remaining 79 runs in this Test. India were still 278 runs behind Australia's first-innings total of 445; mind you, then, why was everyone so concerned about 79? What about the remaining 199 runs? Why is it extremely important for India to get 246 for now and forget about 445? The answer lies in the follow-on law. According to MCC Law 14.
1.1, "In a two-innings match of 5 days or more, the side which bats first and leads by at least 200 runs shall have the option of requiring the other side to follow their innings." So what does this effectively mean? It means if India don't get to 246, Australia will have the opportunity to ask to come out to bat again.
And if they can bowl them out under the required runs, they will the match by an innings; if not, they will come out to bat and chase the lead India takes. This would effectively rule out any possibility of Australia losing this Test. Follow-on may have gone out of fashion in the modern-day game, but it becomes extremely crucial in a Test match, where time is one of the most important variables.
If India manage to sav.