Sam Konstas (left) was involved in a heated exchange with Virat Kohli during MCG Test.© X (formerly Twitter)

The Australian bowlers Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland achieved a historic record of surviving 50 balls across both innings during the fourth Test against India at Melbourne, being the second 10th wicket partnership pair to do so. The Australian lower-order continued to frustrate the Indian bowling as the latter aimed for a massive victory to take an upper hand in the series at Melbourne during the final day of the Test. Once reduced to 91/6, the Aussie lower order made a huge comeback into the match, ending day four on 228/9, leading by 333 runs.

During the first innings of the Test match, Boland and Lyon stitched a partnership of 19 runs, taking Australia to 474 runs from 455 runs. They survived a total of 51 balls before Lyon was trapped leg-before-wicket by Bumrah.

During the second innings, they did even better, frustrating the Indian bowlers who looked on track to help India get a massive win by sinking Australia to 91/6 and then 173/9. They put on 55 runs in 110 balls, with Boland impressive with his solid defence, making 10* in 65 balls, with a four. Lyon was the aggressor, scoring 41* in 54 balls, with five fours.

Pakistan’s Afaq Hussain and Haseeb Ahsan were the first tenth-wicket pair to do so, surviving 56 balls and 109 balls in the Lahore Test in 1961.

Coming to the match, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. Half-centuries from Konstas (60 in 65 balls, with six fours and two sixes), Usman Khawaja (57 in 121 balls, with six fours), Marnus Labuschagne (72 in 145 balls, with seven fours) and 34th Test ton from Steve Smith (140 in 197 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) took Australia to 474/10 in their first innings.

Bumrah (4/99) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/78) were the lead pacer and spinner for the team, while Akash Deep got two wickets and Washington Sundar got one scalp.

India lost two quick wickets and was reduced to 51/2, but a century stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (82 in 118 balls, with 11 fours and a six) and Virat Kohli (36 in 86 balls, with four boundaries) stabilised the innings. However, Jaiswal’s run-out and Virat’s outside off-stump woes made India end day two on 164/5.

Then it was a 127-run stand between Washington Sundar (50 in 162 balls, with one four) and Nitish (114 in 189 balls, with 11 fours and a six) helped India reach 369. Scott Boland (3/57), skipper Pat Cummins (3/89) and Nathan Lyon (3/96) were the top bowlers for Aussies.

In their second innings, Australia was reduced to 91/6, but Labuschagne (70 in 139 balls, with three fours) and skipper Pat Cummins (41 in 90 balls, with four boundaries) took Australia to 228/9.

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar feels India have missed an opportunity by allowing Australia’s lower order to add valuable runs, making it difficult for the visitors to win the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Australia, who were struggling at 156 for 8, finished the fourth day at 228 for 9, taking their lead to 333 and setting up an intriguing final day. “I think it was a missed opportunity because till tea time certainly it was India’s day, and after tea time, (Pat) Cummins, (Nathan) Lyon, and (Scott) Boland really frustrated the Indian bowlers. At the end of the day, having got a lead of 333, it does make it a little difficult for India to win this game,” Gavaskar told India Today.

Australia’s number 8, 10, and 11 batters consumed nearly 35 overs, with Cummins (41 off 90 balls), Lyon (41 off 54 balls), and Boland (10 off 65 balls) contributing to the team’s second-innings total.

“…even if half of those runs were saved and Australia had been dismissed for 60 runs less, then we’re talking about chasing 260-270. Plus, we would have started to bat at the end of the play today, maybe we would have batted for an hour and got maybe 30-40 for hopefully no loss,” Gavaskar continued.

“…we just have to concentrate and hope that the last wicket India takes very quickly because I don’t think Australia is now going to declare so soon. Right now, they would want to make sure that they bat India out of the game. If they bat India out of the game, then they can put attacking fielders to try and win the game.” Asked if India can still win, Gavaskar said: “If you go back to what happened in 2021, we chased down 329 on the last day at the Gabba. So it’s possible, we’ve got to get off to a flying start, we get off to a start like Virender Sehwag did then… the start is going to be very crucial.” Gavaskar emphasised that India shouldn’t focus too far ahead on the target and should plan the chase according to the hours. He added that skipper Rohit Sharma’s role in providing a solid start will be key.

“This is such a situation where he can actually give the team a fabulous start, just like Sehwag did in that chase in 2008 against England when India chased down 387. He made it easy for the Indian batters. So clearly, I think a good start like I said would be absolutely a godsend.”

Bumrah: A Rare Breed

Once again, it was Jasprit Bumrah (4/53 in 17 overs) who stunned the hosts with a dream spell, and Gavaskar described him as a “rare breed”.

“I think fast bowling is probably the most difficult of cricketing arts, and to be able to do that and bowl so many overs right throughout the series just tells you how dedicated he is to Indian cricket. So just the fact that he’s a very genial fast bowler, I mean that’s a rare breed,” Gavaskar said.

“There is no support for him, so the poor chap has to shoulder the burden. Siraj bowled well today, but otherwise, he’s literally fighting a lone battle with the ball for India.”

Gavaskar opens up about his ‘stupid’ comment of Pant

On Sunday, Gavaskar criticised Rishabh Pant for playing a “stupid” shot in a crucial situation. He explained that he was upset because Pant’s ego seemed to have taken over.

“When I see somebody as talented as Rishabh Pant play that shot; I had no problems with that first shot which (he) played and missed. The reason I got upset was that ego took over for the next ball,” Gavaskar told ABC Sport.

“I’ve just been hit in the midriff for attempting a similar shot. I’m going to show the bowler who’s the boss. Test cricket is not easy. When he got out, they’ve got two fielders there in the deep, and this is a big ground. It’s not easy to hit the sixes. You’ve got the fielders in the catching position over there, deep square leg and a deep fine leg. But he got caught at third man with the edge.” Gavaskar said he has seen Pant play some great innings and that taking such a risk at that stage was unnecessary.

“I’ve seen him play some fabulous innings. But here in Australia, I get the impression that he thinks that’s the only way he’s going to score runs. Here he’s stepping down the pitch and lofting the ball and getting a boundary. That’s not the way he scored runs in the past. He has played those shots which have been outrageously good,” Gavaskar said.

“I’ve seen him play the cover drive along the ground very well, the square pull shot he plays so well, the flick off the pads, everything he’s got. So, therefore, to try and take a little bit of a risk at that stage was a little too much.”

Nitish Reddy, an unknown entity in red ball cricket before the start of Border-Gavaskar series, virtually bailed India out with his dogged maiden Test century in Melbourne on Saturday, severely denting Australia’s hopes of winning the Boxing Day contest. Reddy’s unbeaten 105 took India to 358 for nine, still 116 runs short of Australia’s first innings score of 474 as rain brought an early end to the third day’s play. With the flat MCG deck not offering much to the bowlers, saving the Test match shouldn’t be a big deal for India. Reddy, easily India’s ‘find of the series’, played a pivotal role in visitors’ fightback.

Reddy’s combative spirit and the invaluable 127-run stand he shared with Washington Sundar (50 off 162 balls) proved to be the turning point for the hosts.

Reddy’s innings was termed as one of greatest Test knocks by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar given the situation as India were in a precarious position after Rishabh Pant’s dismissal courtesy a rash shot had left India tottering at 191 for six.

The young Andhra batter could have been stranded on 99 when Jasprit Bumrah got dismissed, leaving Reddy with last-man in Mohammed Siraj, who walked in to another round of boos and faced three deliveries from home skipper Pat Cummins.

Both Reddy and his father Muthyala’s expressions changed with each ball but Siraj survived to allow Reddy savour the moment he must have dreamt a thousand times.

A picture-perfect straight drive off Scott Boland was the moment of the series for India as Reddy balanced his helmet with the bat and took a knee, expressing his gratitude towards the Indian dug-out which gave him a standing ovation.

A decade back, when his father Muthyala left a secured job to open a micro-finance (lending) business and incurred losses, the Reddy family was advised not to give wings to young Reddy’s cricketing dreams but they were unrelenting.

Sitting in the stands near the boundary, Reddy’s father broke down when his son achieved the milestone.

As Indian fans clicked selfies with him it must have reminded of the day when his son received the best U-16 cricketer award from the BCCI in 2017, and an impressionable Reddy was seen clicking selfie with his idol Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma while leaving the hotel premises.

Reddy’s batting was based on stable core, playing the ball late and only going for the drive when the ball was pitched up. He wasn’t defending unnecessarily and 10 fours and a six was a testimony to that.

If the morning was more about Rishabh Pant’s inexplicable shot selection, the afternoon session belonged to Reddy, whose attacking game put the pressure right back on Australia.

There were plenty of boundaries and a six off Nathan Lyon but none more gorgeous than the off-drive off Cummins.

Reddy has been by far India’s most consistent batter in the series and the maiden Test century couldn’t have come at a more opportune time and that too at an iconic venue.

Washington, at the other end, grew in confidence and trusted his defence apart from punishing the loose deliveries. It did help that the drop-in surface at the MCG has got better for batting as the match progressed.

The second new ball did very little for Australian bowlers and the Indian duo ran very well between the wickets. With Mitchell Starc’s back acting up a little, the two batters looked to reduce the deficit further.

In the morning it was all about Pant’s shot selection that hurt India.

The third day’s MCG track is perhaps the best to bat on with green grass making way for a brownish tinge and an old Kookaburra hardly doing anything.

Had Pant stuck around, there was no way he wouldn’t have scored big.

Pant did start well and got a few boundaries but then the urge to play the falling lap pull over long-leg brought about his dismissal.

When he tried it for the first time off Scott Boland, who came round the wicket, Pant was hit in the naval area and seemed to be in pain.

He got up but didn’t realise that Cummins had placed one fielder at deep fine-leg and one at deep third man for both the conventional and reverse lap shot.

Without learning his lessons or caring about success percentage, Pant tried a similar shot but the extra bounce meant that the top edge flew to third man for a regulation catch.

“If there was a word called ‘worstest’, then this was one such shot,” former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar said on air.

But Reddy showed steely resolve as he started with a punchy off-drive off Lyon and also jumped down the track to loft him over for a straight six during a splendid recovery act. 

Ahead of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) head curator Matt Page hinted at 6 millimetres of grass being used on the pitch for the game, saying that surface will help both bowlers and batters. With the series level at 1-1, both teams will be playing the highly-anticipated Boxing Day Test from December 26 onwards, with an aim to secure an all-important lead and an edge ahead of the final Test at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Speaking ahead of the match in a pre-match presser, Page said, “Well, look, I guess we have been really happy with what we have served up the last couple of years. We do not see any reason to change from that. I guess we have seen three fantastic Test matches so far on three great pitches, so for us, it’s trying to do something similar to what we have done the last couple of years and create a thrilling contest.”

Page said that since the last couple of years, six millimetres of grass is being used on the pitch and there has been plenty of changes in the pitch made since the last seven years, when it used to be much flatter, in order to give bowlers some help.

“Seven years ago, we were quite flat. We sat down as an organisation and said we want to create more exciting contests, more exciting test matches, so we leave more grass on them now. That brings the bowlers into it a bit more, but they are still good for batting once the new ball goes off. So we have been running at six mils the last couple of years. We will sort of monitor that as we get in, but we have been really happy with the last couple of years, so it is a rinse and repeat job for us at this stage,” he said.

Page said that fast bowlers do get excited now at the idea of playing at Melbourne, and while it cannot be as quick as Perth and Brisbane pitches, there is still quite a lot of pace on here which makes matches exciting.

The curator also highlighted the different types of pitches in Australia, calling it a “beauty of Australian cricket”.

“Every pitch in Australia is so different these days. Perth, pace, bounce and you get cracks if it gets hot. Adelaide, the pink ball, swings around over the night time and the Gabba is quick, bouncy. So we are not like that. We do not have the extreme pace like Perth and Brisbane and we do not have that pink ball. So, for us, we will get as much pace and bounce in it as we can.”

“Will it play like the others? No. But that is the beauty of Australian cricket is that they (India and Australia), when leave from here, they go to Sydney and it spins.So, all the pitches are different. As I say, we will get as much pace (12:41) and bounce in it as we can. Sideways movement and then give the batters a chance at some point in the game. But will we be like Perth? No,” he added.

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal.

Former cricketer Simon Katich has advised Australian batters to concentrate on rotating the strike and maintaining a solid defence to succeed against the peerless Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Katich noted that since Bumrah rarely bowls loose deliveries, the Australians must be strategically good in their approach. “I know all the talk is around having more positive intent, and I think that’s all well and good and it is certainly something they have to be mindful of. But against someone like Bumrah intent is not about just blazing him for fours, because he doesn’t bowl many bad balls,” Katich told SEN 1116.

“So a lot of that intent has to be about rotating strike and being able to defend really well, because you’re not gonna be able to play with any intent if you aren’t there after the tenth over. That’s the challenge for all of these guys,” Katich added.

To illustrate his point, Katich made a reference to Australia’s second innings in the third Test at Brisbane, where the hosts attempted an aggressive approach but ultimately lost their wickets.

“We saw it in the second innings in Brisbane. Australians came out with really positive intent, trying to score more quickly and look what happened, 7/80 in no time.

“It’s not easy to do against the red ball that moves around off the seam in a wearing wicket which the Gabba was starting to become with cracks.

“The top order has to be very careful and mindful of how they go about it. You’re not going to score many runs if you’re trying to take him on off the length, because he is so good,” he added.

For the remaining two Tests, Australia has opted to place their trust in teenage sensation Sam Konstas, replacing opener Nathan McSweeney, who was given a maiden call-up ahead of the series.

“I know the young kid’s (Konstas) got a lot of potential, and a lot of ability, but it’ll be a challenge because not many guys around the world have been able to do that to that quality of bowling,” Katich said.

Marsh should make way for Webster

Katich also felt Mitchell Marsh’s inability to bowl the expected volume of overs suggests he isn’t “100%” fit and should be replaced by uncapped rookie Beau Webster for the Boxing Day Test against India.

Marsh has been dealing with recurring back stiffness since the white-ball tour of the UK in September. During the Perth Test, he bowled 17 overs in total, taking two wickets on the opening day but later pulled up sore.

In Adelaide, he bowled four overs while in Brisbane he rolled his arm for two overs.

“I’ve been saying for a couple Tests, Mitch Marsh has not been able to bowl the volume of overs that everyone expected of him. Given the conditions and given he is a wicket taker,” Katich said on ‘SEN Breakfast’.

“We saw that in Perth, he bowled well on day one. Took some key wickets and then struggled to back up. I mean obviously the Aussie hierarchy know better then we do around where his fitness is at.

“But for him to bowl two overs the other day after Josh Hazlewood went down, that to me indicates something’s not 100% right with him.” After Marsh had pulled up sore, 30-year-old Tasmania all-rounder Webster was added to Australia’s squad.

“At the end of the day, Beau Webster deserves to be in that squad,” Katich said.

“He’s done very well for Tassie in the last few years, he’s a genuine all-rounder given what his role is for Tassie and he plays that dual role with bat and ball,” Katich added.

Travis Head’s ability to judge the short ball quite early is behind the Australian batter’s phenomenal success in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, feels former India cricketer Ravi Shastri, while adding on a lighter note that the visitors would like to have a balm for the ‘Headache’. Head, after being dismissed for 11 in his first innings of the series, has gone on to score 89, 140 and 152 in his next three outings. He played a pivotal role in the pink ball Test that Australia won by 10 wickets to level the five-match series 1-1.

“I think he (Head) is very smart. From what I saw of him three years ago, he has improved immensely. Especially with the way he plays the short ball. He’s prepared to leave it. He has learned to leave it well at times,” Shastri said on the ICC Review.

The former India coach added that Head’s ability to judge the delivery’s line and length quickly gives him time to play the right stroke.

“It’s not a big shot all the time off a short delivery angled at his armpits or something. He’s prepared to either ride it or go for the big shots. And if it is middle, middle and off, then he hits it in front of square as well,” Shastri said.

The Indian legend further said when on song, Head is difficult to stop.

“He picks up length very well. That’s one of his great strengths. And he has a flashing blade for the offside. So he’s a hard man to contain. And he’s in the form of his life.” On a lighter note, Shastri said India are looking for a balm for a ‘headache’ called Travis.

“Because his new surname is Travis Head’ache’,” Shastri said.

“They are looking for balms in India. For foot problems, ankle problems (and) even a headache they are looking for a balm. He is ideal for that.” While Jasprit Bumrah has troubled virtually every Australian batter, Head has been an exception, playing the Indian quick with elan.

Even as other Australian batters have struggled against Bumrah, who has 21 wickets at an average of 10.9 in the series, Head has scored 83 runs off 91 balls.

“We all knew he was dangerous, but that first shot he played off Jasprit Bumrah, that cover drive, off the front foot. It was in many ways a little bit on the up, off a good delivery, decent delivery. It told me that this is a player in prime, prime form,” said Shastri.

The cricketer-turned-commentator said Head’s batting prowess gave an insight into his uncluttered mind.

“He went on to show exactly that (clear mind). And the thing with him is there’s no, his mindset is very clear. There’s no clouded mindset. He’s very clear about the situation. This is my strength.

“I am going to play in that fashion. Yes, I will watch the state of the game. I might shift from fourth gear to third gear. But I will always be in third and fourth gear once I get my eye on,” Shastri added.

Ahead of the Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), Indian bowlers showed relentless effort at the net practice in Melbourne on Saturday. The series is evenly poised at 1-1 before the Boxing Day Test, set to be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday. Sean Abbott is likely to feature in Australia’s playing eleven after Josh Hazlewood’s injury which forced him out of BGT squad. Taking to their official X handle, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a clip of the Indian bowlers sweating out at the practice session in Melbourne. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar were all their best before the crucial Test match of the series.

“There is no substitute for hard work. The relentless effort behind the scenes translates into success on the field. The Indian bowlers are ticking every box as we get ready for the Boxing Day Test,” BCCI wrote while sharing the video.

There is no substitute for hard work.

The relentless effort behind the scenes translates into success on the field. The Indian bowlers are ticking every box as we get ready for the Boxing Day Test #AUSvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/ikNQjJz77b

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 21, 2024

Earlier in the day, while speaking to the reporters, Jadeja said that the top order of the Indian batting lineup needs to make runs.

“The top order needs to make runs. If the top order doesn’t make runs, then definitely there is pressure on the middle and the lower-order batters. The responsibility also increases. As a team, we need the top order to perform. As a batting unit, if everybody contributes, then the team will do well. We want the entire team to perform,” Jadeja told reporters in Melbourne.

Australia has made a couple of changes to its squad, addressing Hazlewood’s absence and the top-order issues. Sam Konstas replaces Nathan McSweeney in the squad for the fourth Test.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Australia Squad: Pat Cummins (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (VC), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.