Australia v India: fourth men’s cricket Test, day five – live | Australia cricket team

70th over: India 138-6 (Jaiswal 82, Sundar 2) Blood in the water? Bring back Starc. He brings a face of anguish to the first ball of his 15th over. That injured grunter muscle now comes with a grimace every delivery. Sundar won’t bite at the wide ones and can’t pierce the field to the straight ones. An attempted bouncer on the fifth but it’s 140kph and sails through at shoulder height. A yorker on the last almost gets through. Almost.

Sean Boucher has emailed to ask “What pain relief are cricketers allowed to use by international cricket rules? Sounds like Starc needs an injection like AFL players get to ignore the pain and smash these Indians.”

69th over: India 138-6 (Jaiswal 82, Sundar 2) Cometh the hour, cometh the man called Cummins. Captain Pat sends a scorching bouncer whistling past Jaiswal’s grille first up. The sequel is right in the channel but too close to the body to chop at. Cummins targets the legs, no discernible swing. Another bouncer. Jaiswal has now survived over 200 balls, a small payback perhaps for his three dropped catches yesterday. A diving Mitchell Marsh saves an edge that might’ve run for four. Screws turning on India.

68th over: India 138-6 (Jaiswal 82, Sundar 2) Here’s the equation: For victory, Australia need four wickets and India need 202 runs. We have 25 overs to play. The home side are four balls from victory and India are 150 balls from safety. Nathan Lyon bowls a maiden, the fourth of his 17 overs so far.

67th over: India 138-6 (Jaiswal 82, Sundar 2) Boland thunders in to Jaiswal. It’s short and Jaiswal fends it off where Konstas fields close-in and threatens to shy from two yards out. Commentators are crediting Konstas for this clatter of wickets. He’s chuntering away, tickling the turf as the bowler runs in, raising his arms to encourage the crowd clap. It’s a heathen brew of teenage irritations and it’s getting under the Indian skins. Finally Jaiswal finds relief, working Boland off the hip for two. With the pressure valve off he drives a lovely four down the ground. He’s into the eighties.

66th over: India 132-6 (Jaiswal 76, Sundar 2) Australia are pushing for victory. India look rattled after that tumble of dismissals and Lyon draws another edge from Sundar. It falls short of Smith. The crowding of the batter has gone up a notch with Konstas at silly point and Head at short leg. Even Pat Cummins has put on the helmet and is standing mid-pitch. It works. A maiden. Heat and noise rising at the MCG!

65th over: India 132-6 (Jaiswal 76, Sundar 2) Boland draws three dots from Jaiswal, the last a seriously big swish. With the loss of three quick wickets, Jasiwal has lost his cool. Konstas has been chirping and grinning at silly mid-off and it almost seems as through Jaiswal is aiming these big shots at him. Boland beats him on the fifth and retrieves a hard-hit drive on the last to preserve the maiden.

64th over: India 128-6 (Jaiswal 73, Sundar 2) Dropped?! No, new batter Washington Sundar has driven it into Sam Konstas’s leg. Lyon has his hands on his stubbly bonce in exasperation. That was close! Konstas is standing very close too. Too close to catch those chances perhaps? Sundar drives for two from the last. MCG is humming now!

WICKET! Nitish c Smith b Lyon 1 (India 130-6)

WICKET! Jadeja c Carey b Boland 2 (India 127-5)

63rd over: India 126-4 (Jaiswal 73, Jadeja 2) The stage is set for last gasp heroics. Enter Scott Boland, the man who tore England asunder with 6 for 7 on debut at this ground in 2021. Jaiswal cuts him for a single straight up.

62nd over: India 126-4 (Jaiswal 73, Jadeja 2) India need 214 runs to win. Not that they’re trying to. A draw here would keep the clamps on at 1-1 and Sydney’s fickle meteorology might take care of the rest. Lyon wheels into his 14th over, probing and pushing. Australia has a ring of close-in fielders crowding Jadeja. It pressures a maiden.

61st over: India 126-4 (Jaiswal 73, Jadeja 2) Head waddles into his fifth over. He starts it with 1-10 and bristling with brio after claiming his 14th Test wicket. He averages a respectable 31 with the ball and has a best of 4-10. What Australia would give for a four-for today. Instead, Jaiswal take Head for a couple of singles each.

60th over: India 121-4 (Jaiswal 69, Jadeja 0) Ravindra Jadeja is the new batter, a formidable cricketer with bat and ball. Nathan Lyon has 0-32 but his tail is up after that Pant dismissal. Four dots before Jaiswal gets a single driving to long on.

WICKET! Pant c Marsh b Head 30 (India 120-4)

59th over: India 120-3 (Jaiswal 69, Pant 30) Head continues and Jaiswal works a single. India are grinding out the draw they want here.

58th over: India 120-3 (Jaiswal 69, Pant 30) Konstas cops one but stops one at silly mid-off. Grab a catch there and his national hero status is enhanced by another 20,000 followers. Five dots and a single from this Lyon over.

57th over: India 119-3 (Jaiswal 68, Pant 30) Australia are three overs behind so Head will continue in a bid to catch up. Over rates cost Australia a qualification in the first World Test Championship final so Pat Cummins isn’t leaving anything to chance. Three singles from the over. With Head bowling, Sam Konstas is under the lid at silly mid-off.

56th over: India 116-3 (Jaiswal 66, Pant 29) Australia are rattling through the overs as Lyon goes for a single from Jaiswal before Pant is beaten by two fizzers at the end. Noice Gary!

55th over: India 115-3 (Jaiswal 65, Pant 29) A gentle start to what could be a torrid session as Head is worked for three singles and three dots. Where’s Captain Pat?

A bit of news from Cricket Australia as players return to the MCG…

Jhye Richardson has been released from the Australian men’s squad to be available for the Perth Scorchers’ BBL match against the Adelaide Strikers on Tuesday. Richardson will then return to the squad for the fifth Test match against India in Sydney.

A historic day at the MCG. We have officially created a new attendance record for Test cricket in Australia… and bested Bradman into the bargain.

Today, I’m reliably told, is Monday. Hard to believe we have another Test beginning on Friday, given the weariness on the faces and within the bones of the players right now. What have Sydney’s weather gods got in store? Showers forecast for Test-eve Thursday with a 75% chance of storms on day four, rising to 95% with lightning on day five.

What’s the opposite of a rain dance? I’m gonna get Raygun onto it.

54th over: India 112-3 (Jaiswal 63, Pant 28) Oh god, now it’s me wincing in pain. Marnus Labuschagne has been thrown the ball. He starts with three short balls down leg side, none of which Rishabh can be bothered playing at. This is absurd. Three more “bouncers” follow, none faster than 125kph. Could be the worst over I’ve seen since Rod Marsh was given a bowl in his final Test. That’s tea. Put a slug of Jamesons in mine.

53rd over: India 112-3 (Jaiswal 63, Pant 28) Starc is visibly wincing after every delivery with that rib niggle. I believe fast bowlers call it the “grunter muscle”. To whom would Australia turn if he can’t play in Sydney? Rishabh Pant prods the wound by working a wider ball fine to the boundary for four.

52nd over: India 107-3 (Jaiswal 63, Pant 23) Pant cuts Lyon to point for a run but that’s it for this over. Not sure which team is under more pressure here. India or Australia?

51st over: India 106-3 (Jaiswal 63, Pant 22) Starc enters his 13th over. If he’s bowling through pain he’s doing a good job of it, albeit still grabbing at his side and grimacing. He started this over with 1-17. seven maidens into the bargain. Jaiswal isn’t tempted by the first three but now rises to his toes to drive wide of mid-on for two runs. Sam Konstas could be in doubt for the fifth Test with a sprained wrist or lockjaw if he keeps signing autographs and grinning for selfies on the boundary. Was it England’s Derek Pringle forced out of an Ashes tour after injuring himself writing a letter home?

49th over: India 102-3 (Jaiswal 60, Pant 21) Travis Head to have a bowl, Australia at the stage of turning to more exotic options. A couple of singles, then Pant pulls away and dead ball is called. Eventually a third run is taken.

48th over: India 99-3 (Jaiswal 59, Pant 19) A couple of singles from Lyon. So the cagey approach continues, they haven’t shut up shop completely but they’re not moving quickly at this stage. There are 44 overs left and 241 to win.

47th over: India 97-3 (Jaiswal 58, Pant 18) Last time India toured, Pujara played Pujara and Pant played Pant. Now, Pant is playing Pujara, wearing a Cummins bouncer on the shoulder to avoid any risk of getting his gloves involved. Cummins trying to provoke something from such a dangerous player. Pant stays calm, sways away from another one. No run from the over.

46th over: India 97-3 (Jaiswal 58, Pant 18) Lyon to Jaiswal, who cuts a run. Pant defends with the straightest bat, but finally relents from the sixth ball and takes a run through point.

45th over: India 95-3 (Jaiswal 57, Pant 17) Ok, I’m puzzled by this Pant approach. Boland comes on and Pant plays the same way as he did against Cummins, on the front foot blocking everything. Surely it’s possible to at least turn over strike and keep the Australians working? Even if the win itself is too distant to contemplate? Or is he biding his time for some predetermined point?

44th over: India 95-3 (Jaiswal 57, Pant 17) It’s Jaiswal doing the scoring, not Pant. Another two to deep cover. Has a heavy swing at another and misses. Pant comes down and tells him to relax. It doesn’t work, Jaiswal plays a similar shot two balls later, this one skidding on straight from Lyon and nearly taking an edge.