Pat Cummins and Scott Boland took three wickets each while Nathan Lyon took two as Australia wiped off seven wickets in the third session and won the epic fourth Test by 184 runs. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s long stay in the middle was ended by Australia captain Pat Cummins and that has exposed India’s tail.
India were on track to save the game. Yashasvi Jaiswal defied the home side for 208 deliveries before falling to the herculean Pat Cummins while hometown star Scott Boland made three key incisions to secure one of Australia’s most significant victories of recent history. He may not have been the one to enforce the final, killer blow, but the captaincy of Pat Cummins in the fourth Test was exemplary.
Some disagreed with his decision to bat early into Day 5. Others would argue that given the context of not just the game, but the series, he handled the situation perfectly. And the latter proved correct to a tee. Even on a mostly flat wicket, Pat Cummins was able to extract every inch of life out of the MCG wicket that had shades of Boxing Day 2017 about it.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The heavy roller is doing its bit on the surface. There’s a lot of grass on the surface, day 1 pitch, there will be plenty in it for the bowlers. As the sun beats down, batting will become easier. 7mm grass on the surface, it might be slightly tacky at the start. The first couple of hours will be a real test for the batters. The conditions are really hot. 92,000 tickets have been sold and we can’t wait to start reckons Mark Nicolas and Sunil Gavaskar.
Toss : Australia skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat with debutant Sam Konstas and Scott Boland in place of Nathan McSweeney and Scott Boland in the playing XI. Team India skipper Rohit Sharma who will open the innings bought in Washington Sundar for Shubman Gill.
Day 1 : Australia receive top-order gift on Boxing Day after batters shine on Day 1
Australia’s top-order used the festive period to rediscover its mojo helping the hosts claim early honours on Boxing Day. Having won their first toss of this Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia’s top four of Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith all passed 50 and while the former three missed out on converting their efforts into three-figure scores, their contributions were vital in the opening day total of 311 for 6.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah’s double strike in the final session and Akash Deep’s large-hearted effort allowed them to stay in the game.
After three Tests, Australia had wanted to throw ‘something different’ at India and that quest took them to 19-year-old Sam Konstas, who was tasked with upsetting the hegemony that Bumrah enjoyed over the hosts’ top-three. The debutant uncorked the party popper, dazzling a raucous holiday crowd at the famous stadium with the unbridled audacity of his strokeplay.
He reverse-scooped and charged India’s fast bowlers, was unafraid to get into confrontations and generally put a large spanner in India’s works early in this contest on a good surface at the MCG. He was helped out by dollops of fortune along the way, not least in the first over when he was beaten four times by Bumrah. The youngster’s response was to try a pair of reverse scoops but his bat only connected the thin Melbourne air on each occasion.
That match-up, though, turned on its head in the seventh over when Konstas connected thrice with his reverse scoops. Two of them went to the ropes and the other dropped over it – the first time Bumrah had conceded a six in the format since the Sydney Test of 2021. It set the cat among the pigeons for India in a period of play that forced even the cerebral Bumrah to bowl white-ball lengths.
His six-over first spell cost 38 with Konstas having scored 34 off the 33 he faced from India’s talisman. More importantly, that meant Khawaja, who had fallen four previous times to Bumrah in this series, faced only three balls from his nemesis in that first spell and could get his innings flowing against the others.
Once he’d forced India into putting a fly stop in the first hour of a Test match, Konstas set about on a new plan: to back away and drill the fast bowlers through the off-side. He swatted away anything short through mid-wicket, unafraid to hit the ball in the air.
He became Australia’s second youngest Test match half-centurion, getting to the feat off just 52 balls and marked that feat by smashing Siraj for a four and a six off the next two deliveries, taking his tally of boundaries to eight (6x4s;2x6s). His enterprise eventually ended on 60 when Jadeja beat him on the inside edge and won an LBW appeal to break the 89-run opening stand.
But the youngster, who walked back to a rousing ovation, had set the innings up for the rest of the batters, especially for Khawaja and Labuschagne, who enjoyed relatively fuss-free starts to their innings. After conceding 112 runs in just 25 overs of the first session, India found their bowl-dry skills in the next as they operated with straight lines and an extra fielder on the legside. Akash Deep and Bumrah bowled two maidens each to begin the second session before Khawaja ended the rut with a pulled boundary.
Both Deep and Bumrah also found the edges but on each occasion the softer ball coupled with an early lack of zip off the surface meant the catches didn’t carry to the cordon. Only 26 runs came in the 13 overs of play in the hour to drinks during which period Khawaja got through to his first half-century of the series. Mohammed Siraj, at the other end, had Labuschagne in a lot of discomfort with deliveries cutting back into the right-hander.
Eventually, all the attrition paid off for India when Bumrah returned for another spell and ended the 65-run stand by accounting for Khawaja for a fifth time in these four Tests. This one though was slightly fortuitous as Khawaja toe-ended a pull shot straight to midwicket, drawing a look of surprise even from the bowler.
The end of one partnership brought Australia’s best two batters to the middle. Smith, fresh off a hundred in Brisbane, was quick off the blocks particularly against Jadeja, who he routinely stepped down the pitch to loft over the top. The pair of Labuschagne and Smith were eager to cash in on a ball that was 53 overs old at the start of the final session, adding 61 runs from the first 12 overs.
Deep produced another probing but luckless spell and caught Smith on the shuffle on two occasions with the master batter reprieved once by Umpire’s call and the other time when India threw away a review.
But their luck turned straight after the drinks break when Labuschagne charged out to Washington Sundar and hit a catch straight to Virat Kohli at mid-off. Australia then went from 237 for 2 to 246 for 5 as Bumrah produced another probing spell with the old ball. He cleaned up Travis Head for a duck when the series’ top scorer shouldered arms and then had Mitchell Marsh caught behind for 4 attempting a swipe across the line.
It was at this stage that Australia found a useful 53-run stand between Alex Carey and Smith before the former fell for 31 to the tireless Deep when India took the second new ball. Smith and Pat Cummins saw off the remainder of the tricky session under lights with the star batter finishing unbeaten on 68.
Day 2 : Australia maintain full control despite Jaiswal’s 82
Australia kept their vice-like grip around the MCG Test despite a fighting effort from Yashasvi Jaiswal as India went to stumps at 164 for 5, trailing the hosts by 310 runs. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins made that possible after Steve Smith scored his 11th Test century against India – the most by any batter against this opposition in the format.
Jaiswal shrugged off his four ordinary outings in Adelaide and Brisbane to get stuck into the Australian bowlers on Day 2 to carve out a fine essay. He was proactive with his feet movement against the pacers and negotiated Nathan Lyon with a lot of comfort in favorable batting conditions.
He went after Mitchell Marsh too, setting himself up for a three-figure score. Kohli did well to buckle down and offer judgment to balls on the fifth stump channel as the Aussie quicks repeatedly tempted him to play at it with a populated slip cordon on their toes. Kohli, who was seen simulating this situation with Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna in the nets on the eve of the game, successfully let balls go. With edges not carrying either, the pacers bowled straighter at him that allowed Kohli to get his innings going with flicks and pulls.
But in the final hour of day, a few minutes of indecisiveness saw both the batters back in the dressing room. First, Jaiswal fell for 82 to a run out after driving one to mid-on and dashing off for a single. Kohli wasn’t keen and stood his ground, leading to Jaiswal’s dismissal. Seven balls later, Kohli bit the bullet and edged a ball from Scott Boland – the kind he’d let go for majority of the session – to depart for 36. Boland dug his heels in further, dismissing nightwatchman Akash Deep and leaving India five down.
The home side’s advantage at the close of play on the second day was built on Steve Smith’s outstanding century in the morning. Smith overcame a mini-battle against Jasprit Bumrah and took runs off Deep at the other end to extend his team’s dominance that was well-established by the top-order on the opening day.
Smith had several false shots against Deep but none came with the doom of his dismissal for him. He further rubbed it in by picking runs easily as Deep conceded 30 in his five-over spell. The change bowlers couldn’t stop the runs either as Siraj endured a forgettable outing with figures of 0 for 122 in 23 overs.
Smith and Pat Cummins added quick runs in the first hour before Jadeja ended the Australian captain’s stay on 49. Smith however, got to his 34th Test hundred, fifth at the MCG, and shifted gears after to take on both Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Mitchell Starc didn’t hold back either, even hitting Jasprit Bumrah for a six towards the end of the session.
The Lunch break came as respite for a misfiring India, who then struck early in the second session. Jadeja cleaned up Starc and Deep removed Smith with some luck – the centurion danced down for a big shot through the off-side, but the ball ricocheted off his leg and rolled on to dislodge one bail as he watched on. Bumrah wrapped up the innings soon but India’s riposte was once again found wanting.
Rohit Sharma opened the innings again but was swiftly sent back by his opposite number when he tried and failed to play a pull shot off a ball that wasn’t quite short. KL Rahul and Jaiswal started to build a stand but Pat Cummins put the lid on that with an incredible ball that straightened off a length, squaring up and cleaning up Rahul at the stroke of Tea.
The difference between a fighting response and an underwhelming one for India was the health of the Kohli-Jaiswal stand, which promised to lead the way before being broken against the run of play. India lost three wickets for the addition of just six runs in this period, letting Australia maintain complete control of the game.
Day 3 : Nitish Reddy slams maiden Test ton to improve India’s footing at MCG
Nitish Reddy scored his maiden Test hundred while Washington Sundar raised his fourth fifty in the format to help India improve their footing at the MCG on Day 3. The pair picked up the pieces in the afternoon session from 221 for 7 when Australia could smell blood and took it as far as 348 in the final period when Lyon dismissed Washington. India lost Jasprit Bumrah quickly and ran the risk of leaving Nitish stranded in the 90s, but Mohammed Siraj held on from the other end to allow the 21-year-old to get to his milestone.
The only moments of nerves and hesitation for Nitish came while he was in the late 90s during an otherwise fluent knock that kept the hosts at bay and diluted their advantage in the game. His arrival to the middle in the morning session was a result of a dramatic first half hour of play when Rishabh Pant fell trying to be himself irrespective of the situation – an attempted lap shot off Scott Boland didn’t come off and the top-edge carried to Nathan Lyon at third man while Pant lay floored on the ground.
Ravindra Jadeja had been the poster boy of restraint during his 51-ball stay but Lyon preyed on it by using his own trick on the Indian all-rounder. Lyon bowled a length that kept pushing the left-hander onto the backfoot and varied his pace smartly. He slipped one in at 88kmph and trapped Jadeja leg before for 17.
Nitish and fellow all-rounder Washington Sundar then set about vindicating the team management’s tough and controversial selection calls for the fixture with their defiant partnership. Nitish, who already had three scores in the 40s in this series, exhibited no sign of being tentative even as India were on shaky grounds at that point.
Washington brought determination to defy Pat Cummins & Co. too as he batted long – for the second time in Australia since scoring 62 in the iconic Gabba victory of 2021. He enjoyed a slice of luck as Steve Smith put down a tough catching chance in the slip cordon.
Nitish’s essay meanwhile was brisk but not risky as the third day turned out to be great for batting. Nitish resisted falling into the familiar trap of playing the ramp shot against short balls from Pat Cummins, having been dismissed like that in Adelaide. He even copped a short ball to his glove but refrained from taking it on.
He exuded confidence right from the start, playing his drives against the quicks and giving Lyon the charge. There was just one audacious moment in an otherwise controlled effort when he tried to play a reverse sweep off pacer Scott Boland. He carried on in the same vein in the final session, while his father watched on from the stands nervously chanting prayers for the century.
It took a bit of an effort to get there as Lyon got some extra bounce to nick off Washington and Pat Cummins had Bumrah caught at first slip – a first such dismissal in the game. Nitish spent 18 deliveries in the 90s before lofting Boland for a four down the ground to get to his hundred. Soon after he did that, the players had to leave the field for bad light. While they waited for it to improve, rain came along and ensured there was no further play. India finished the day on 358 for 9, trailing Australia by 116.
Day 4 : Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and Labuschagne headline fast-moving Day 4 at MCG
Jasprit Bumrah became the first bowler in the history of the sport to pick 200 wickets at an average under 20 as his massive influence was felt on yet another day of cricket in the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Mohammed Siraj overturned his first-innings wastefulness by finding his rhythm quickly and keeping it up to snare three wickets.
For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne rode his massive share of luck to score his second fifty of the Test to keep his team afloat on a see-saw day of cricket. Beyond the impact of this trio, Australia pushed their lead to 333 through a stubborn final-wicket stand between Nathan Lyon (41* off 54) and Scott Boland (10* off 65).
India’s reliance on Bumrah has stood out in this Test – in the first innings, he bowled 28.4 overs of 122.4 – only thrice before had he bowled more in a single innings in Tests. In the second, he shouldered a bigger share – sending down 24 off 82 overs so far. In these 24 overs, he picked up four wickets to rattle Australia’s cage after India conceded a 105-run first-innings lead.
He gave Day 4 a blockbuster start, taking out his first-innings nemesis Sam Konstas and celebrating like the 19-year-old did with the crowd on the previous day. He and Akash Deep then endured a session where they rued their luck as Usman Khawaja and Labuschagne survived myriad plays and misses, and kept getting squared up. India were top-class with the new ball without corresponding results to show for – they induced 41.6% false shots in the first 10 overs but only picked one wicket in this period.
Siraj then bowled like he had something to prove after his wayward first innings efforts. He knocked back Khawaja’s stumps to put the opener out of his misery. India then hastened their ascent in the game in the post-Lunch session as Bumrah and Siraj combined to pick four wickets in the space of 22 balls.
The procession started with Steve Smith nicking a full and widish delivery from Siraj behind before Travis Head suffered a rare double failure against India – chipping a ball from Bumrah to Nitish Reddy at mid-wicket. This was Bumrah’s milestone 200th scalp in the format. The ace pacer got an out-of-sorts Mitchell Marsh to nick one behind soon and then breached the bat-pad gap of Alex Carey, to leave Australia down to 91 for 6.
Just when India were on the rise, Pat Cummins arrived to dim their enthusiasm by putting on a stand with Labuschagne, who made the most of his near-misses and two dropped catches – both by Yashasvi Jaiswal. They put on 57 vital runs to push Australia’s lead before Siraj and India found themselves on the right side of an ‘umpire’s call’ for an LBW appeal against Labuschagne. With Labuschagne dismissed, Rohit Sharma kept bringing Bumrah back for short spells to try and wrap up the lower order but that didn’t quite transpire as he would have liked.
Mitchell Starc fell to a sharp run out by Pant, and Pat Cummins nicked Jadeja to Rohit at first slip to fall for 41 but the last-wicket alliance remained undefeated. From 173 for 9, Lyon and Boland frustrated India to push the lead comfortably past 300. Together, the duo has now batted for 25 overs combined across the two innings in this fixture. While India couldn’t end Australia’s innings by stumps, the hosts too chose not to do it themselves through a declaration as batting appeared to be getting easier on the surface.
Day 5 : Skipper Pat Cummins led from the front to humiliate India to 184 runs loss as Australia go up 2-1 up in the BGT on Day 5.
A massive attendance at the MCG witnessed a famous Australian victory as Pat Cummins’s side triggered an Indian collapse – 7 wickets for 34 runs – in the final session to go 2-1 up in the series.
The final day dawned with Australia nine down and they opted to continue batting which added just a further six runs but removed four overs from the day’s allocation. Lyon became the fifth wicket for Jasprit Bumrah, retaining his record of having the most Test runs without making a half-century. It all meant that India needed 340 in 92 overs and talk of the Gabba 2021 was never far away.
Rishabh Pant giving in to his temptation early after Tea and hitting a half-tracker from part-timer Travis Head to Mitchell Marsh at long-on became the inflexion point for Australia after they went wicketless in the middle session. Pant’s rash decision severely derailed India’s strut towards a potential draw as Australia struck two more times in the next 27 deliveries.
Scott Boland got one ball to rise from a length against a fending Ravindra Jadeja, who nicked it behind. Nathan Lyon then piqued Australia’s belief for a series lead by getting first-innings centurion Nitish Reddy to edge to Steve Smith at first slip for just 1 run. India went from 121/3 to 130/6, adding a spring to Australia’s steps.
India were very cautious early on against some extremely testing new ball bowling; Rohit Sharma later said they set out wanting to lay a platform for a chase but it always looked a long shot. Australia were made to wait for their opening incisions before, as has so often been the case, it was Pat Cummins who came to the fore. He had the struggling Rohit edging to gully, where Mitchell Marsh took a sharp catch, and five balls later squared up KL Rahul with a superb delivery which ended in the hands of first slip.
In the final over before lunch, Starc was rewarded for battling through the pain barrier when he lured Virat Kohli into his latest drive outside off, the edge reaching Usman Khawaja. The wicket ended a controversial time in Melbourne for Kohli, and made it clear that there was no realistic chance of India chasing down the target.
After India had slid to 33 for 3, Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant added 88 in 32 overs to take India into the final session with seven wickets in hand, but Travis Head burgled the wicket of Pant and Australia seized their moment as India lost 7 for 34.
Jaiswal and Pant played very solidly through the afternoon to repel everything Australia threw at them. Jaiswal, who dropped three catches yesterday, including a vital chance off Marnus Labuschagne, survived a tight lbw appeal against Starc on 31 and brought up his second fifty of the match off 127 balls. alia seized their moment as India lost 7 for 34.
Shortly after tea, India were 121 for 3. Head, who was used partly to improve Australia’s over rate which risked WTC points deductions, dropped a ball short outside off stump and Pant went for the pull, finding Marsh at long-on who took an excellent catch. It gave Australia an opening. And belief.
Pat Cummins quickly returned to Boland and he soon made a delivery jump at Ravindra Jadeja to take the shoulder of the bat through to Carey. In the next over from Lyon, India’s first-innings rescuer, Nitish Kumar Reddy, edged a delivery which went straight on and Steven Smith took a superb catch, low to his left at slip. Australia had taken 3 for 9 to crack the innings wide open.
The quick bowlers were immense, Mitchell Starc bowling in the mid-140kph region despite a back niggle, while Pat Cummins and Boland added further chapters to previous MCG heroics. Pat Cummins earned the Johnny Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match for an outstanding all-round Test in which he also contributed 90 runs alongside his six wickets.
There was a dose of controversy, too, when Jaiswal’s rearguard was ended via the DRS after he gloved a pull down the leg side against Cummins. Snicko did not register anything, but third umpire Sharfuddoula ruled he had seen a clear a deflection, which matched what was shown on TV. Jaiswal appeared to know he had hit it but spoke with the umpires on the way off. It meant India’s lower order had 21 overs to survive and it proved too much.
Washington Sundar arrived with five close-in fielders around the bat, pumped and chirpy in search of a win. Sam Konstas in particular, tried to get under the skin of both Washington and Jaiswal from silly point – constantly chatting up the duo. Pat Cummins brought himself back into the attack after Boland’s short, effective burst and made the biggest dent on India with the wicket of Jaiswal.
The India opener went for a pull against a short ball but couldn’t connect well. Australia appealed for a caught behind and Pat Cummins reviewed it the moment umpire Joel Wilson turned them down. The replays showed a clear deflection in the trajectory of the ball as it passed the bat and the glove but the Snicko showed no big spike. The third umpire however, overturned the onfield decision on the basis of the deviation to leave India seven down. Akash Deep then lasted 16 balls before nicking Boland to Head at forward short leg.
The fifth day ended like it began, with India crashing in the face of pressure. They started off with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli all failing against the new ball – the India captain tried to flick a full ball from Pat Cummins and edged to the gully fielder; Rahul got an exceptional delivery from the skipper in the same over that he couldn’t keep the outside edge of his bat away from, while Kohli fell to the familiar bad habit of chasing a ball well outside the off-stump, edging it right at the stroke of Lunch.
The Jaiswal-Pant defiance in the middle session provided India hope of shared spoils but the game transitioned to a situation where all nine fielders were around the bat in search of two wickets with 15 mandatory overs to play in the day. Boland got Bumrah to nick one to Smith at first slip before Lyon wrapped up the victory by trapping Mohammed Siraj leg before.
Jaiswal’s dismissal will likely be dissected in detail over the coming days and the DRS was called into action again to rule that Akash Deep had got a thin edge into his pad which went to short leg. By then, Australia were firm favourites, especially with a new ball soon to be available, but in the end that wasn’t even needed.
Boland found Bumrah’s outside edge, with Smith taking another superb catch, and then Lyon cannoned one into Siraj’s front pad. Inevitably India reviewed but it was going nowhere but the stumps. When the decision was confirmed, Lyon did a jig of delight. Overall, the Test had been watched by 373,691 spectators, a new record for a Test match in Australia. It will go down as one of the more memorable.
Nathan Lyon claimed the final wicket, when he pinned Mohammed Siraj lbw, sparking wild celebrations for the home side: a margin of 184 runs did not do justice to the tension and drama of the final day and the importance of the result to this Australia team who have turned their fortunes around after the crushing opening defeat in Perth.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Rohit Sharma the losing Indian skipper said : Pretty disappointing. Not that we went with the intent of not putting up a fight, we wanted to fight till the end but unfortunately couldn’t do it. It will be tough to assess just the last session. We have to look at the overall Test match, we had our opportunities, we had our chances, but we didn’t take them and we let Australia come back into the game when we had them 90/6.
I know things can get difficult but that is what we are here for, we wanted to be in tough situations and play hard cricket, I just don’t want to look at one incident in the game. I went back to my room and thought about it, what else we could have done as a team but we tried everything we could, we threw everything we had but they fought hard with the last wicket partnership, we had our chances and we didn’t grab them, probably cost us the game little bit there.
We know 340 wasn’t going to be easy for us. We tried everything we could, if we have wickets in the final two sessions then we could go for the target, but they bowled really well. We wanted to set the platform but that didn’t happen. There are ways to win games and we are falling short.
He (Nitish Reddy) is coming here for the first time, these conditions can get tough but he has shown lot of character and fight, showed solid technique as well. He has bright future ahead of him and he has all the skills to be successful.
We know the quality of him, we have been watching him for a number of years now, coming here and getting the job done for the team, he is not a statistical person, wants to just come out there and play for the country, that is what he has been doing on this tour, unfortunately he needs little more support from the other side as well. The way he has managed himself is outstanding.
Pat Cummins Player of the Match for his al round performance in the match alongside being the winning skipper said : What an amazing Test match, one of the best to be part of, the crowd has been ridiculous and cricket has been just as good, pretty happy change room at the moment, pretty happy to contribute. Marnus helped me out in the second innings big time, never really know what you going to get with our batting, fortunately it came off in this game.
Happy to contribute, amazing innings from Smith to hold the first innings together. Getting more than 400 in the first innings set the game for us. You always think anything can happen. We bowled well in the first session to have them 3/30. They batted well in the middle session. We knew that we had to get one breakthrough and anything can happen and that proved to be the case.
We had plenty of runs to play with, we had plenty of fielders with the helmet around. We talk about a lot about us as a lower order, we put a lot of work into it. We know it can be the difference in a lot of Test matches and we work on ourselves a lot, to try and contribute a few more runs.
(On whose idea was to give Head a bowl right after Tea) I give the coach the credit for that one, we were also behind on the over-rate so we thought let’s get Travis in there and he might get a breakthrough.
(On Smith’s knock in the first innings) Amazing, it wasn’t an easy wicket, he showed how to bat on it. He got an opportunity and he pounced and really upped the ante with the tailenders. He also took some catches which often go unnoticed. We are really happy with the way we played, we will savor this one before we head on to Sydney.
An amazing game of Test cricket! Australia needed a push in the final session and they got it to script an emphatic win eventually to go 2-1 up in the series. India were 112/3 at Tea with Pant and Jaiswal going strong and would have believed in themselves to save this Test match. Australia, on the other hand, knew that a wicket can open things up and that’s what exactly happened.
Pant once again fell trying to play a big shot and that opened the floodgates. The rest of the batters kept falling like a pack of cards with an Aussie attack on the prowl. India lost their last seven wickets for 34 runs and that tells you the story – if you give a sniff to the Aussies, they are likely to capitalize and they surely did. Boland and Lyon were in their elements and closed the game out clinically.
Early in the final hour at the MCG, Australia won an epic Test that had been played in front of a record crowd to take a 2-1 lead in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, having snared seven wickets in the final session when it appeared India were on track to save the game. Yashasvi Jaiswal defied the home side for 208 deliveries before falling to the herculean Pat Cummins while hometown star Scott Boland made three key incisions to secure one of Australia’s most significant victories of recent history.
The defeat means India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final are now out of their hands, but in terms of this series they can still retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with victory in Sydney. For Australia, a win in the final Test – and a 3-1 margin – would secure their spot in the WTC final alongside South Africa who qualified yesterday with their own gripping victory over Pakistan.
That brings us to the close of a thrilling Test match. Rarely we see a Test match going into the fifth day but here we were – both teams giving it their all and fighting for every inch. This win holds Australia in good stead in terms of qualifying for the WTC final. South Africa are already there. A win in Sydney will guarantee them a spot in the final even if they go on to lose 2-0 to Sri Lanka later on away from home.
As far as India are concerned, they need to win the final Test of the series and then pin their hopes on Sri Lanka to beat Australia at least by a 1-0 margin. But, a loss or even a draw for India in Sydney will extinguish their hopes of making it to the WTC final. Also, the Border Gavaskar trophy is on the line. Remember, Australia haven’t won a Test series against India in a decade and they have a golden opportunity to do so now.