4th Test: Lacklustre Batting Show From India Gives Australia 184-run Win And 2-1 Series Lead (Ld)

4th Test: Lacklustre batting show from India gives Australia 184-run win and 2-1 series lead (Ld) (Image Source: IANS)

Boxing Day Test: When India’s score read 112/3 at tea, Yashasvi Jaiswal was unbeaten on a controlled fifty and Rishabh Pant showed remarkable restraint. In the chase of 340, a draw looked imminent, especially after playing a wicketless second session.

But when it mattered the most, India suffered a batting collapse in the final session by losing their last seven wickets for 34 runs and suffer a 184-run defeat to Australia in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.

In front of a record 74,362 fans, Australia looked on course for the win after reducing India to 33/3 in the first session. But Jaiswal and Pant kept them at bay in the second session, as the old ball began to soften.

But in the final session of the gripping Test match, Pant fell to Travis Head and that opened the door for Australia to barge in as India collapsed from 121/3 to 155 all out. Captain Pat Cummins and Scott Boland picked three wickets in a terrific bowling performance from Australia, who now have a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, ahead of next week’s Test match in Sydney.

India will be disappointed as it was a game which they could have drawn, but have now ended up on the losing side. The shot selection of the batters in second innings to fall like a pack of cards along with failing form of their senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will come under scrutiny.

The inability to bowl out Australia’s lower order quickly and lack of bowling depth, especially with three all-rounders picked in, along with inability to seize crucial moments will come under scanner too for India as the final Test in Sydney now becomes a must-win affair for India to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In the morning, India took only ten balls and conceded just six runs to wrap up Australia’s second innings on 234 in 83.4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah got his fifth wicket by sending Nathan Lyon's stumps flying with an inswinger sneaking through the gate. It also took Bumrah’s match figures to 9/156, with his tally of wickets in this series standing at 30.

Chasing 340, India had an extremely watchful start as Australia’s bowlers beat them consistently with great deliveries. It meant Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal had to curb their run-scoring shots, allowing Australia to settle into great rhythm.

Rohit’s first attempt in playing an aggressive shot caused his downfall – in a bid to whip off Cummins through the leg-side, he got a leading edge and was caught by gully on second attempt to be out for nine off 40 balls.

On last ball of the same over, Cummins bowled a back of the length ball which left KL Rahul in two minds and nicked behind to second slip for a five-ball duck. With Australia keeping a lid on the run-flow, Jaiswal and Kohli went into a shell.

They were also beaten while defending, but at the stroke of lunch, Kohli went for a big drive and was caught at first slip off Starc to be out for five off 29 balls. The post-lunch session began with Jaiswal playing back-to-back controlled cut shots to take boundaries off Scott Boland, followed by hitting the same shot for a similar result in the pacer’s next over.

Pant also had a go at Boland by swiping across the line for four, before Jaiswal slashed Mitchell Starc for another boundary. A ball later, Starc’s nip-backer hit Jaiswal on the back pad and Australia went in for a review, only for the umpire’s call to save the batter, as replays showed the ball clipping just top of leg-stump.

With the old ball softening and Australia’s bowlers tiring, Jaiswal and Pant were diligent in seeking runs while trying to be patient at the crease. Jaiswal got his second half-century of the match with a delightful flick off Nathan Lyon, also his seventh four of the innings.

Pant, who was content in defending and leaving deliveries after copping criticism for his first-innings dismissal, flicked Starc through fine leg for four before the duo walked off for tea break after a brilliant session of playing rearguard cricket for India.

But things changed dramatically after tea break - Australia had a funky start to the final session by opening the bowling with part-time off-spin of Travis Head. The ploy worked for Australia when Head broke the 88-run stand by having Pant miscue a pull to tumbling long-on, and fall for 30 off 104 balls.

Three overs later, Boland struck by getting a back of the length ball to jump at Ravindra Jadeja, who couldn’t help but fend at it, and edged behind to Alex Carey. Lyon joined the wicket-takers party by getting a to skid on straight and take the outside edge of a defending Nitish Kumar Reddy to first slip, as the batter fell for just one.

Jaiswal continued to battle hard alongside Washington Sundar, even as Australia tested him against the short ball. The ploy worked when Jaiswal looked to pull a bouncer from Cummins, but gloved behind to Carey, who took a great low catch.

Australia went for the review, where third umpire Sharfuddoula ruled Jaiswal out for 84, citing the enormous and visible deflection between bat and glove, despite no line showing on snicko. From there, the result was a foregone conclusion – Boland had Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah caught out while Lyon trapped Mohammed Siraj lbw to seal a memorable win for Australia.

Jaiswal continued to battle hard alongside Washington Sundar, even as Australia tested him against the short ball. The ploy worked when Jaiswal looked to pull a bouncer from Cummins, but gloved behind to Carey, who took a great low catch.

Article Source: IANS