India’s Rishabh Pant scored 61 off 33 balls against Australia on Day 2 of fifth Test.© AFP

File photo of Manasi Joshi (left) and Virat Kohli.© X and AFP

Team India surrounding Australias Sam Konstas (C) after dismissal of Usman Khawaja during fifth Test.© AFP

Debutant Beau Webster felt Australia were “unfortunate” to be on the opposite side of the decision which saw the third umpire ruling out Steven Smith’s attempted catch for India stalwart Virat Kohli’s dismissal on the opening day of the Sydney Test. The incident occurred in the eighth over after India decided to bat after winning the toss. On the first ball that came Virat’s way, he edged it away to Scott Boland, with Smith dived, taking a low catch at the slip.

Smith appeared to catch the ball close to the ground with his right hand before scooping the ball in the air, with Marnus Labuschagne completing the catch. The officiating umpire, Sharfuddoula Saikat, asked the third umpire, Joel Wilson, to have a look.

Wilson eventually adjudged that the ball had touched the ground before Smith scooped the ball in the air to Labuschagne, who completed the catch. With Virat living an extended life, he did all the hard work but couldn’t make the most of the opportunity and departed on 17(69).

“I had a good view and thought it was clear as day from where I was as being out. Obviously, when you slow it down, the replays and the slow-mo, there is probably some grass that touched that ball. It’s just a matter of how much, and whenever you get a low catch, there’s always going to be an element of grass close to the ball,” Webster said, as quoted from cricket.com.au.

“We all thought it was out, but unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. We were pretty happy he (Kohli, who was dismissed for a painstaking 17) didn’t get a hundred after it. It was a difficult one, and it’s difficult for a third umpire when you have those sorts of replays. It was a bit inevitable in the end,” he added.

Even at the lunch break, Smith was 100 per cent assured his hand was completely under the ball during the entire incident.

“No denying it whatsoever, 100 per cent. But the umpire has made the decision. We’ll move on,” Smith told cricket.com.au at the lunch break when asked if he got his hand under the ball.

Boland eventually walked away with Virat’s scalp after forcing out another edge by bowling in the channel of uncertainty. This time around, Webster completed a clean catch to ensure another dry outing for Virat with the bat.

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar was amazed by the aggression shown by the Indian team and especially stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah on Day 1 of the final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The atmosphere flared up when a heated altercation between Bumrah and young Sam Konstas unfolded towards the final moments of Day 1. The expressions on Bumrah’s face clearly indicated he wasn’t pleased with whatever Konstas had said to him while standing at the non-striker’s end.

On the next delivery after the fiery exchange, Bumrah gave a fitting reply to the young Australian. He put Usman Khawaja in an awkward stance to lure out a thick outside edge, with KL Rahul taking a sharp catch at the second slip.

The entire team celebrated in front of Konstas, with stalwart Virat Kohli being the most animated among all the Indian players. Bumrah initially charged and then slowed down while staring at Konstas, who walked away to avoid the Indian’s gaze.

“Yeah, they’re all fired up, and it’s great to see, right at the end of a long series, this kind of emotion. I mean, Bumrah has been phenomenal, and ‘great’ doesn’t seem to be enough to describe his performance as a bowler. To see him fired up in this fashion is quite rare. Sam Konstas–there’s something about him that gets under the skin of the Indian players. You saw Virat Kohli in the background as well, really fired up,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports.

While the Indian team celebrated with jubilation, Prasidh Krishna was seen staring back at Konstas. KL Rahul and Washington Sundar were among those who stayed calm as the day ended on a spicy note.

“If Bumrah is like this, you know it’s something special. But all in all, you’ve got to applaud the cricketers for having this kind of energy at the end of a long series. Shubman Gill is fired up, and in contrast, it’s good to have someone like Washington Sundar and KL Rahul being calm and calculated. That was fun to see, especially as it was backed up by some high-quality cricket,” he added.

The tangy taste of rivalry between India and Australia is expected to continue on Day 2, with the hosts set to resume their innings at 9/1, trailing by 176 runs.

India vs Australia 5th Test Live Streaming and Live Telecast: It will be a do-or-die game for the Indian cricket team when it faces Australia in the fifth and final Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The touring side started the series with a stunning 295-run victory but failed to maintain the dominance and went on to lose two of the next three matches. While star players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed with the bat, India’s bowlers, barring the mesmerising Jasprit Bumrah, too have had a poor outing. As things stand now, India trail 1-2 in the five-match series and they need to win the final game to keep their World Test Championship Final hopes alive.

On the other hand, Australia are only one win away from booking their WTC Final date with South Africa, who have made it to the summit clash for the first time.

When will the India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 start?

The India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 will start on Friday, January 3 (IST).

Where will the India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 be held?

The India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Melbourne.

What time will the India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 start?

The India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 will start at 5:00 AM IST. The toss will take place at 4:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25?

The India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 will be telecast live on the Star Sports network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25?

The India vs Australia 5th Test, Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 will live streamed on the Disney+ HotStar app and website.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said that the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia could be a “great opportunity” for veteran opener Usman Khawaja to announce his retirement at his home venue. With the series 2-1 in favour of the Aussies, the hosts will be heading for the New Year’s Test at Sydney to secure the series and win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014. Khawaja, who has been delivering great returns as a Test opener since his recall in 2022, has not been at his best this year.

After averaging 67.50 and 52.60 during the last two calendar years, Usman is averaging just 25.93 in nine Tests, having made just 415 runs in 18 innings, with two half-centuries and best score of 75. In four Tests during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he has scored just 141 runs in eight innings at an average of 20.14, with one half-century and best score of 57.

Speaking on the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast, the former Aussie captain said, “This is Uzzie’s home Test match, the SCG. He has been an amazing player, absolutely amazing player. Come back in, score runs overseas, score runs in Australia. He is 38 years of age, I think it could be a great opportunity for Uzzie to announce his retirement, and Sydney to be his last Test.”

While Clarke said that he knows that Khawaja would like to keep playing, the Sri Lanka tour next year is a great chance for a new opener to come in and start his Test career.

“I know he would like to keep playing. His form has not been as good as he would like throughout this series. I know we have got a trip to Sri Lanka, and then we have got the Ashes. There is a lot of cricket in between, but I also think that could be a great opportunity for a new player to come in, open the batting, get some Test match cricket under their belt before the first Ashes Test match,” Clarke continued.

Since his comeback to the side in 2022, Khawaja has scored 2,705 runs in 33 Tests and 62 innings, averaging 49.18, with seven centuries and 13 fifties and best score of 195*.