India vs Australia Day 4 (India National Cricket Team vs Australia National Cricket Team Match Scorecard) Highlights: Hello and welcome to the highlights of the fourth day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
After remaining unbeaten on 105 runs from 176 balls on Saturday, Nitish Kumar Reddy added nine runs to his individual score on Sunday to take India’s total to 369 before Nathan Lyon dismissed him on the third ball of the 120th over to bring an end to India’s innings.
Thanks to Reddy’s 189-ball-114-run knock, India scored 369 in their first innings and managed to cut Australia’s first innings lead to just 105 runs.
For Baggy Greens, Pat Cummins, Lyon, and Scott Boland accounted for the dismissal of 3 Indian batters each.
In Australia’s 2nd innings, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a perfect nip-backer to remove Sam Konstas before the Mohammed Siraj jettisoned Usman Khawaja with a peach as Australia crawled to 53 for 2 at lunch on the fourth day.
Both pacers would continue to wreak havoc upon the Aussies, with Bumrah taking it to the batters at will, knocking them over with ease.
With dangerman Travis Head taking to the field, it was Bumrah who struck him with a delectable bouncer, to edge one off onto Nitish Reddy for an easy catch, and remove the leftie from the crease for just 1 run.
Bumrah followed it up in the same over, with yet another nipping pearler to rattle Mitchell Marsh with another bouncer. Later, he went on to remove Alex Carey by castling him for a duck, as Bumrah scalped his fourth wicket of the innings, as Australia were whittled to 91/6.
With his dismissal of Head, Bumrah reached 200 Test wickets, becoming the fourth-fastest (in deliveries) to reach the milestone, while also Kapil Dev’s record of being the fastest Indian pacer to take 200 Test wickets.
Labuschagne and Cummins then embarked on a stubborn fifty partnership, helping AUS extend their lead to over 250 runs. But, Siraj would come in to remove the dangerous Labuschagne for 70, turning the tide yet again for IND.
Skipper Cummins would put on a brave effort, trying to will his team to a formidable total. But, Jadeja would come in to remove him for 41 runs, pushing Australia to the brink of being bundled.
A stubborn fifty partnership between Lyon and Boland for the last wicket would surprise everyone before ultimately ending the day at 228/9, securing a 333-run lead over India with one day to go.
Playing XIs:
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
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The pitch did show some signs of deterioration and the ball beat the edges innumerable times throughout the day, but it is still a decent one to bat on, given how the last-wicket stand for Australia stood up. Also, hard luck for Akash Deep who bowled his heart out but remained wicketless. India’s fielding performance, however, fell below their usual standards, with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s two dropped catches proving costly – opportunities that could have brought Australia’s innings to an earlier close.
The riveting day’s play, marked by extraordinary displays of grit, valor, survival, and resistance from both teams, has perfectly set the stage for a thrilling final day finish in this Boxing Day Test. With India facing an uphill task, and Australia sniffing a victory, tomorrow promises to be a test of nerves, skill, and character. The historic ground has witnessed many memorable fifth-day finishes, as both teams prepare for one final push. Well then, 96 overs remain to be completed in the last three sessions to spare. India would be itching to get this last wicket super early in the day, while whatever runs come from the willows of Boland and Lyon, would potentially dash out India’s chances. We are up for an EARLY START tomorrow as well as the first ball will be bowled at 4.30 am IST (11 pm GMT, the previous day) on Monday, 30th December. Till then, adios!
The riveting day’s play, marked by extraordinary displays of grit, valor, survival, and resistance from both teams, has perfectly set the stage for a thrilling final day finish in this Boxing Day Test. With India facing an uphill task, and Australia sniffing a victory, tomorrow promises to be a test of nerves, skill, and character. The historic ground has witnessed many memorable fifth-day finishes, both teams prepare for one final push. Well then, 96 overs remain to be completed in the last three sessions to spare. India would be itching to get this last wicket super early in the day, while whatever runs come from the willows of Boland and Lyon, would potentially dash out India’s chances. Okay then, an EARLY START tomorrow as well as the first ball will be bowled at 4.30 am IST (11 pm GMT, the previous day) on Monday, 30th December. Till then, adios!
The pitch did show some signs of deterioration and the ball beat the edges innumerable times, but it is still a decent one to bat on, given how the last-wicket stand for Australia stood up. Also, hard luck for Akash Deep who bowled his heart out but remained wicketless. India’s fielding performance, however, fell below their usual standards, with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s two dropped catches proving costly – opportunities that could have brought Australia’s innings to an earlier close.
With 9 men down, Australia got more invaluable runs from the bat of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland who resisted through the end of the day. Their determined stand not only frustrated and tired the Indian bowlers but also helped Australia surpass the psychologically important milestone of a 300-run lead, providing their team with additional insurance heading into the fifth and final day. Nathan Lyon did the most with the bat, but Scott Boland too showed good character for his 10 runs off 65 balls. Australia could have been effectively all out had Bumrah not overstepped in the final over when Lyon nicked into the slips, but that just sums up the day.
The pair’s partnership lasted nearly 20 overs and yielded 57 valuable runs, providing Australia crucial breathing room. However, Mohammed Siraj broke through with a spectacular delivery to dismiss Labuschagne. By this point, Cummins had grown in confidence and continued to push Australia’s advantage before his own dismissal, making his presence felt with important runs in the lower order. India shuffled its bowlers and even summoned spin in tandem, but the lower order did well enough.
Australia, despite being under considerable pressure entering into the third session, found stability through Marnus Labuschagne’s resilient batting display. He found an ideal partner in Pat Cummins, who adopted a positive approach by rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard moving rather than getting defensive under pressure. Cummins has become habitual of those pivotal contributions with the bat as he has done it numerous times, but the weightage this Test holds from an Australian perspective, that partnership for the seventh wicket could well prove to be the point of difference in this contest.
STUMPS, DAY 4 – SESSION SUMMARY – 33 Overs, 93 Runs, 3 Wickets – No reason to not love this format of cricket. From 91/6 to 228/9, Australia survives the day in a spectacular fashion. This Test match has been a pure box-office. To call it a remarkable display of cricket would be an understatement for what unfolded at the MCG on this Super Sunday! It was a test of pulse, grit, and character in the truest sense. As befitting this storied rivalry, the contest lived up to expectations, with neither side willing to concede ground. The spectators witnessed precisely what one would anticipate from these cricketing powerhouses, as momentum oscillated between the teams like a pendulum.
81.6 – FOUR! Edged but safe and it runs away to the fence as well to close out Day 4.
Batsman_1 : Nathan Lyon 41(54)
Batsman_2 : Scott Boland 10(65)
Bowler : Jasprit Bumrah 4/56(24)
Over : 82
Run : 14
Wicket : 0
Score : 228/9
81.5 – A tad full and angled in from middle, Lyon flicks it away to mid-wicket.
81.4 – Hard length on middle, angling in, Nathan Lyon with a neat tuck off the back foot and in front of square leg for a couple of runs, bringing up the 50-run stand between these two as well. Wow!
81.4 – No ball! Oh, deary me! What an anti climax! KL Rahul somehow manages to stick to the catch and Jasprit Bumrah seems to have a well-deserved five-fer but then comes that dreaded signal from the umpire and Bumrah has overstepped yet again. Nagging length around off, nibbling off the deck, Lyon gets squared up and gets an outside edge down to third slip where Rahul manages to hang on to the bowl almost between his two legs but it won’t count.
81.3 – Excellent running! Fractionally short and around off, Nathan Lyon presses back and dabs it down wide of point and picks up a couple of runs in the deep.
81.3 – Back of a length and around off, straightening off the deck, Lyon presses back and across to block it off. Bumrah has also overstepped and it will be a No Ball.
Well then, possibly the final over of the fourth day now. And the ball has been handed to Jasprit Bumrah (23-7-42-4). Spell number nine for the premier Indian pacer.
81.2 – Just back of a length and around off, Lyon presses back and pushes it down into the off side.
81.1 – FOUR! A rare loosener from Bumrah and Nathan Lyon takes full toll of it.
Well then, the final over of the fourth day now. And the ball has been handed to Jasprit Bumrah (23-7-42-4).
80.6 – Back of a length and angled into the hips, tucked away neatly down to long leg for a single.
80.5 – Shorter in length and over middle and leg, angling just down leg, Nathan Lyon looks to play at it but is beaten.
80.4 – FOUR! That’s the other side of the new ball, it really flies off the bat and that is a top shot again from Nathan Lyon.
80.2 – An appeal from behind for caught behind but the umpire turns down the appeal. Bowled a bit shorter and at the body, some extra bounce with the new ball and Boland almost gets strangled down the leg side but the ball flicks the jersey rather than the glove or the bat.
80.3 – Back of a length and around off, dabbed away off the back foot and wide of the point region for a single.
And there it is! The second new ball has been taken by India.
The second new ball is available now. Will India opt for it? They didn’t. Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the new Kookaburra cherry in his hand and tosses it up to the on-field umpire Joel Wilson. Akash Deep to continue with the old one.
80.1 – Pitches the ball right up around middle, looking for that reverse swing, Lyon though gets nicely forward and punches it towards mid on for a quick single.
79.6 – On the shorter side and around middle, played off the back foot and tucked away neatly past short leg.
Batsman_1 : Scott Boland 9(63)
Batsman_2 : Nathan Lyon 23(42)
Bowler : Washington Sundar 0/7(4)
Over : 80
Run : 1
Wicket : 0
Score : 207/9
79.1 – Floated up, full and on middle, Lyon leans on and strokes it to the right of the bowler.
79.4 – Gives it a bit more air, bowling it quite full and on off, Boland prods halfway to make the block.
About 10 minutes of play left now on this fourth day. If Australia gets all out within the remaining time, India will come out to chase on Day 5. Sundar to continue.
79.5 – Relatively full again from Sundar and around middle, Boland leans on to make another block.
79.3 – Flatter one, on a good length and around off, Boland gets right behind the line of the ball and blocks it off.
The second new ball is available now. Will India opt for it? They don’t. Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the new Kookaburra cherry in his hand and tosses it up to the on-field umpire Joel Wilson.
79.2 – Slowed up and bowled shorter on off, Lyon rocks back and tucks it away towards mid-wicket for one.
78.4 – Nice and full and angling it back in, Boland blocks it off the front foot.
