MELBOURNE: Australia took an incredible seven wickets after tea on day five to win the fourth Test against India by 184 runs and take a 2-1 series lead into the final match in Sydney.
India were coasting on the back of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant’s partnership through the entire middle session but crumbled in front of a mammoth crowd of 74,362 to be all out for 155 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Australia captain Pat Cummins and fellow pacer Scott Boland finished with three wickets apiece, with spinner Nathan Lyon chipping in two on a dramatic final day which was tinged with controversy over the use of the Decision Review System (DRS).
“Fantastic way to finish the week. I think it’s been five days of fantastic cricket,” said Australia’s Mitchell Starc. “There was always belief in the group. I think this has been a feature of this group for a number of years - this calmness and just go with the flow and adapt to what’s thrown at us.”
India were 112 for three when they resumed after lunch, with Jaiswal and Pant well set and tasked with batting out the game.
However, after showing unusual restraint to bat through the middle session, Pant reverted to type to be out for 30.
He swung hard at a delivery from part-time spinner Travis Head and the miscued pull ended up caught at long-on by a sprinting Mitchell Marsh.
The wicket ending an 88-run partnership and triggered a collapse.
Boland hit the deck with renewed vigour and had Ravindra Jadeja caught behind for two with a delivery that reared off the pitch and found an outside edge.
Steve Smith then lunged for a brilliant catch at slip to remove all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who nicked Nathan Lyon to be out for one.
Controversy erupted when Jaiswal pulled at a short Cummins ball, prompting a big appeal for caught-behind, and the Australia skipped reviewed immediately when it was turned down.
Replays showed a clear deviation high off the bat but no evidence of a nick on the “Ultra Edge” technology.
The TV umpire decided the deviation was enough, though, and instructed on-field umpire Joel Wilson to overturn his decision. Jaiswal initially refused to leave the crease, prompting sections of the crowd to chant, “Cheater! Cheater!”
‘Put up a fight’
Akash Deep was then dismissed for seven, again on review, caught by Head off the bowling of Boland with a thin edge deflecting off his pads. Australia referred the not-out decision and this time “Ultra Edge” showed a healthy nick.
That left tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj with the virtually impossible task of holding Australia out with some 40 minutes to stumps. Both fell for ducks, with Lyon sealing the win by having Siraj out lbw.
“It’s is pretty disappointing,” said India captain Rohit Sharma. “It’s not that we went with the intent of not putting up a fight. We wanted to fight till the end but unfortunately, couldn’t do it.”
“If you look at the overall Test match, we had our opportunities, we had our chances. We just didn’t take them and we let Australia come back into the game when we had them 90 for six.”
In the morning session, Cummins struck twice in an over and left-armer Starc dismissed Virat Kohli cheaply to leave India reeling before Jaiswal and Pant’s partnership galvanized the tourists.
After Australia were bowled out for 234 early on, Cummins ended a watchful 25-run partnership between Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma by dismissing Rohit for nine when the out-of-form opener edged straight to Marsh at gully.
Jasprit Bumrah gives India a shot at victory, but Australia lead by 333
Five balls later, Cummins had his second victim when KL Rahul edged to Usman Khawaja in the slips to be out for a duck, delighting home fans.
Number four Kohli marched out to a mixture of boos and cheers from the rival supporters, four days on from his mid-pitch shoulder bump with Australia’s 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas. He was out for five trying to drive Starc, nicking to Khawaja in the slips.
Bumrah had earlier bowled Lyon for 41 to wrap up Australia’s second innings as India’s pace maestro finished with 5-57 and a total of nine wickets for the match.
Bumrah has now racked up five wickets or better in 13 innings in Tests and has 30 wickets for the series at an average of 12.83.
His pace comrade Siraj finished with 3-70 in a strong comeback after going wicketless for 122 in the first innings.
The big day-five crowd brought the total attendance in Melbourne to 373,691, a record for a Test match in Australia.
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