In the Melbourne Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia defeated India by an overwhelming 184 runs on Monday at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground thanks to the efforts of Scott Boland and Pat Cummins.
Australia’s victory put them ahead 2-1 in the coveted BGT series. While India’s journey to the Lord’s fades away for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
On Day 05, India resumed the third session at 112/3, still hoping to win the match.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant 28, who were undefeated at the crease, got off to a strong start in the match’s last session and confidently took on the Australian spin attack.
The tourists’ pivotal moment came in the 59th over of the third session. Australia dismissed Rishabh Pant in the fourth delivery of the 59th over thanks to a spell from Travis Head. The Indian batsman-wicketkeeper attempted to hit the Australian spinner and hit the ball over the long-on, but he lacked the strength to get beyond the boundary. Pant was removed by Mitchell Marsh, who sprinted to his left and made a terrific catch.
The middle-order hitters from India were shaken by the Australian bowling onslaught. Pant was replaced on the crease by Ravindra Jadeja, but he didn’t have enough time to get comfortable. Scott Boland returned to the assault and demonstrated his value in the 63rd over. In the 63rd over, the Australian pacer took out Jadeja for two runs. In the 63rd over, India was 127/5.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, the hero of the first inning, arrived at the crease with a lot of pressure on his shoulder. The scorching spell of Nathan Lyon was too much for the India all-rounder to handle in the second inning.
The Australian spinner dismissed the Indian all-rounder for a single run in the 64th over, despite the fact that he had come to the crease hoping to establish a partnership with Yashasvi. The 64th over ended with India at 132/6.
In an attempt to form a partnership with Jaiswal, who did his best to lead India to a tie in the game, Washington Sundar took Nitish’s position at the crease.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was controversially dismissed by captain Pat Cummins in the 71st over. Jaiswal missed his attempt at a pull stroke against Cummins’ short ball delivery. Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey made a fantastic catch. The Australian captain wasted little time in taking the DRS, even though the on-field umpire’s first ruling was still in effect.
Third umpire Sharfuddoula examined the replay and found no spike, however the footage indicated the ball struck Jaiswal’s bottom glove before travelling to the keeper. The third umpire reversed the initial ruling based on the visual evidence. After making 84 runs off of 208 balls, Yashasvi stepped back to the pavilion, ending India’s hopes of a draw. Some of the Indian fans in the stadium chanted “Cheater-Cheater” in mockery of the judgement.
Washington Sundar and Akash Deep, who were on the crease, continued to rotate the strike and gradually accumulated runs. But in an attempt to secure victory, the Australian set up an offensive pitch.
Scott Boland struck once more, dismissing Akash Deep for seven runs in the 77th over. At the completion of the 77th over, India was at 150/8.
In the 79th over, Boland dismissed Jasprit Bumrah for an eight-ball duck, bringing Australia one step closer to victory. In the Boxing Day Test of the BGT series, Australia needed just one wicket to secure a decisive victory, while India required 186 runs to win, which at the time appeared implausible.
Bumrah was replaced at the crease by Mohammed Siraj, who also joined Washington Sundar. But they were unable to withstand the strain from the Australian bowlers. In an attempt to finish the game as quickly as possible, the hosts put up an offensive pitch.
In the 79.1th over, Siraj was dismissed for a two-ball duck by Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon, making him the final victim of the game. Australia defeated India by 184 runs thanks to the wicket.
In their individual periods, Scott Boland and Pat Cummins took three wickets apiece, spearheading the Australian bowling attack in India’s second inning. Lyon claimed a pair of wickets. In their individual spells, Travis Head and Mitchell Starc each claimed one wicket.
With the massive win, Australia took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Brief Score: Australia 474 & 234 (Marnus Labuschagne 70, Nathan Lyon 41; Jasprit Bumrah 5-57) vs India 369 & 155 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 84, Rishabh Pant 30; Pat Cummins 3/28).