Tag: BorderGavaskar

Pant Jaiswal ensured that India lost no wickets in the second session after three fell before Lunch. Jaiswal started the session aggressively and there was an over against Nathan Lyon in which he got away with trying to hit him out of the park and failing. But the young opener has largely been India’s anchor throughout the day after Australia set them a target of 340 to chase. Pant and Jaiswal’s resistance in the second session meant that Australia went back to the dressing room at Tea rather frustrated.

Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul earlier fell in the same over to Pat Cummins shortly after the drinks break in the first session of Day 5 of the 4th Test between India and Australia at the MCG. Rohit and Jaiswal dealt with some utterly unplayable deliveries from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and later Scott Boland but the Indian openers were a picture of concentration as they survived the early pace salvo. Rohit in particular looked far better than ever on this tour but fell for just nine runs off nine off 40 balls. India are chasing a target of 340, much higher than the record for the highest succesfull Test run chase at the MCG which was set all the way back in 1928.

It was Jasprit Bumrah once again for India. Mohammed Siraj bowled the first over of Day 5 and then Bumrah took just four balls to uproot Nathan Lyon’s middle stump and end his extraordinary last wicket stand with Scott Boland. Australia were all out for 234 in their second innings and India now have to chase a target of 340, well over the previous record for highest succesfull run chase at the MCG, to take back the series lead.

If India’s fans, team, and management were asked at the beginning of day four whether they would have accepted Australia being at 228-9 at close of play, everyone would likely have bitten your hand off after the hole the team had found itself in earlier in the Boxing Day Test match. But following the ups-and-downs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a day which saw Australia be 80-2, then 91-6, then 148-6, and then 173-9, there is a certain air of deflation regarding how the day ended for India. For many, this will be seen as an opportunity lost, a chance to complete a remarkable come-from-behind win gone begging, a golden opportunity to take a 2-1 series lead against all the odds.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s fine century came to an end early in the day as he attempted to hit out, and Australia were back in to bat with the goal of putting up runs through the day and letting the decision for a declaration be in their own hands. It all seemed to be going okay with Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith at the crease, but a Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah inspired flurry of wickets saw the middle order blown open, four wickets falling for just 11 runs.

Bumrah dismissed Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Alex Carey in quick succession, also passing the 200 Test wickets mark on the way and keeping his average under 20. Another feather in the cap of a remarkable career so far for India’s gun bowler. India were truly in the ascendancy at that point, with this rapid wave of wickets making it seem as if Australia might fold very quickly, with the lead only just at 200, setting the stage for a relatively comfortable Indian chase.

The Australian resistance began with a solid 57-run partnership with Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins, who steadied the ship after the chaos of the previous few overs. While Labuschagne slightly rode his luck, he was still his solid and compact self, while Cummins continued to show why he is Australia’s man for every crisis, whether with bat or with ball. The partnership ensured Australia put more runs on the board and also softened the ball as it got older.

Cummins also played the role of the aggressor, looking for boundaries whenever possible. While the pitch was slightly trickier than earlier in the match, there were by no means any demons that would concern the batters too much. Labuschagne was dismissed soon after, but Cummins added on some more crucial runs. Nevertheless, Australia found themselves at 173-9, a solid lead of 278 runs, which would still have allowed India to be confident in the chase on day five.

Suddenly, however, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland gave a terrific account of themselves as numbers 10 and 11, looking surprisingly comfortable against the bowling as they not only survived, but also started ticking over the runs. A couple of boundaries and plenty of strike rotation allowed the score to keep ballooning, and before India knew what had struck them, Lyon suddenly turned on the motor towards the end of day’s play to heap on 28 runs off the last 5 overs. Lyon ended play on 41*, off just 54 deliveries, scoring at a strike rate of nearly 80 as Australia crossed 200 and the lead suddenly became 333.

India will be desperate to get rid of Lyon or Boland, with Australia undoubtedly also considering an early if not overnight declaration with 333 just on the cusp of too many runs for a team to score in one day’s play. India will be very annoyed by the bonus runs they allowed Australia’s last pair to add, with the duo adding on a half-century stand when nobody expected them to.

A lot of pressure will be on Yashasvi Jaiswal, who dropped a fairly standard catch off Labuschagne and allowed potentially 30-40 extra runs on the total. India will likely look to be optimistic and positive while entering the field, with eyes on pulling off something similar to the Gabba victory from the last tour with an against-the-odds chase in the fourth innings. India will know they have players capable of scoring, but will also be careful with not losing wickets, on a pitch where 10 wickets fell on day four and will only get trickier as play progresses.

Expect India to be circumspect in the first 30-40 overs through to the middle of the afternoon session, where the state of the game will determine whether the likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rishabh Pant will go all-out in order to try and seal a win or whether they will look to preserve their wickets and see out a draw.

This Test will reach its final days with all three results possible, the way everyone would have wanted such a high-profile match to go. An early start, but an unmissable one, coming up at the MCG.

Here are some pointers to India vs Australia 4th Test Day 5:

– India were all out 155, Australia won the 4th Test by 184 runs

– Yashasvi Jaiswal’s vigil ended with him trying a hook shot off Pat Cummins, having scored 84 runs in 208 balls

– Reddy fell on one run off Nathan Lyon

– First innings centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy joined Yashasvi Jaiswal after Ravindra Jadeja fell to Scott Boland

– Rishabh Pant fell trying to hit a big shot right after Tea after resisting throughout the second session

– India 112/3 in 54 overs, need 228 to win from a minimum of 38 overs

– Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his second half-century of the match in 127 balls

– India 33/3 in 26.1 overs at Lunch, need 307 to win off a minimum of 65 overs

– Virat Kohli fell to Mitchell Starc off the last ball of the first session

– Pat Cummins dismissed Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the same over shortly after drinks

– Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal survived 10 nearly unplayable opening overs from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland

– Australia 234 all out in their second innings, set a target of 340 for India to chase

– Jasprit Bumrah completed his five-wicket haul, ending the Australian second innings with figures of 5/57

– Australia did not declare ahead of Day 5

– Australia start the day on 228/9, leading India by 333 runs

– Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland’s incredible last-wicket partnership stood on 55 off 110 balls at the end of Day 4