Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance has given India a fighting chance to create history at the MCG but Australia have their nose in front after an action-packed day four of the fourth Test.
Bumrah was at his at times unplayable beat as the Aussies scrambled their way to 9-228, leading India by 333 and assuring them of a tough victory target in what should be a final-day cliffhanger.
Pat Cummins surprisingly opted not to declare late in proceedings even as the lead ticked over 300 and he could regret not taking advantage of having a late crack at India’s top order.
Marnus Labuschagne and Cummins provided the bulk of the resistance with the bat after Bumrah tore through the middle order as the home side slumped from 2-80 to be 6-91.
Mitchell Marsh continued his horror series to fall to Bumrah for a duck and after 26 from his past six innings, the selectors will be negligent in their duty if they give him another chance next week in Sydney.
The highest fourth-innings chase at the MCG in the past 50 years was Australia’s 2-213 to beat England in 2013, the only successful pursuit of a total over 200.
In all Tests at the MCG, the highest score chased down was 332 in 1928-29 when England scampered home with three wickets on the back of a Herbert Sutcliffe century.
Dud decision not to declare
Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland defied the Indian bowlers for more than 17 overs late in the day, notching up 55 runs, but why didn’t Australia declare?
The last thing India wanted was a tricky little session just before stumps and they appeared happy to play out time rather than get the last wicket.
“I would have loved to have seen them bowl tonight,” former Test opener Phil Jaques said on ABC Radio.
“I think this must be about the fitness or Mitchell Starc. That can be the only reason they’re not bowling tonight.”
Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald have been notoriously conservative in a lot of their decision making over the past few years and this was another case of their lack of adventure proving costly.
India don’t have to win this match. A draw is a good result for them as holders of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia can’t afford to lose the Test with only one game left in Sydney but sometimes you need to risk defeat to achieve victory.
Pat Cummins. (Photo by Morgan Hancock – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
With Sydney’s recent history of wet weather in the new year, Australia can’t rely on their final chance to regain the trophy next week.
Usually a late-wicket partnership frustrates the fielding side but the Australian fans were pulling their hair out wondering why the last pair kept eking out runs rather than going the tonk or scampering off to the sheds after seeing the skipper’s signal.
Australia proudly thumb their nose at England’s Bazball braggadocio but this was Snoozeball.
Lyon ended up unbeaten on 41 with Boland’s longest Test innings by far yielding 10 and there’s even a chance that Cummins will keep India in the field even longer at the start of day five even though there are only 98 overs left in the match.
Aussie batters fail to push home advantage
After polishing off the final wicket of Nitish Kumar Reddy for 114 via Lyon without too much fuss to open the day, the Australians had a golden opportunity to put India to the sword with a lead of 105.
Sam Konstas was more circumspect this time around and he did little wrong with a traditional forward defensive stroke on eight but Bumrah’s off-cutter cannoned into his stumps after sneaking through the glimmer of space between bat and pad.
Usman Khawaja also had his castle rattled by a peach of a delivery, this time from Mohammed Siraj, on 21 but Labuschagne and Steve Smith looked to have steadied the ship, adding 37 runs without too much bother before four wickets fell with just 11 more added to the total.
Smith fell short of his career 10,000-run milestone when he tried to flay Siraj through cover but nicked off for 13. He will head to his home track next week needing 38 more to become the fourth Aussie to reach the landmark.
Travis Head followed up his first-innings duck with a solitary run when he clipped Bumrah to square leg and Marsh was then easy meat for the world’s premier quick.
Bumrah got the ball to seam away from the struggling all-rounder and he was powerless to stop the ball taking the edge on the way to Rishabh Pant’s gloves.
After Alex Carey was bowled by another Bumrah pearler, Cummins enhanced his reputation as a bowling all-rounder with a solid captain’s knock to stem the bleeding.
Cummins scored freely through the offside to put on a 57-run stand with Labuschagne until the Queenslander was trapped in front by Siraj with a ball that kept low on the wearing wicket.
Mitchell Starc’s miserable match continued when he was run out for five after a mix-up with Cummins and when the skipper edged Ravindra Jadeja to slip on 41, the lead was already up to 278.
Jasprit Bumrah celebrates dismissing Sam Konstas. (Photo by Daniel Pockett – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Devastating Bumrah is India’s best seamer ever
Kapil Dev is regarded as India’s best ever fast bowler but Bumrah is at least his equal and by the time the 31-year-old’s career is over, there will be no debate.
Bumrah has 29 wickets in this series at 13.24 and his 4-56 from 24 overs on day four was pace bowling at its finest.
His dismissal of Head was his 200th Test victim and he has drawn comparisons with Sir Richard Hadlee and Curtly Ambrose for the mastery he has held over Australia in this series.
“Without him who knows where India would be. He’s been the standout bowler by the length of the straight this series,” former Australian seamer Stuart Clark said on ABC Radio.
He should have had another five-wicket haul but he no-balled in the final over of the day after having Lyon caught at slip.
Bumrah’s series is already the best by a visiting bowler Down Under since Ambrose terrorised Allan Border’s team 32 years ago and may end up the greatest of all time.
Paul Suttorhttps://https://ift.tt/1XAMrzO on top despite Bumrah masterclass but Cummins botches golden chance with dud decision not to declare
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