Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield, right, celebrates her half century with Ellyse Perry during the 1st One Day International (ODI) cricket match between India Women and Australia Women, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur in New Chandigarh on September 14, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

India’s Jasprit Bumrah reacts as he is out bowled during play on the third day of the fifth cricket test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

India were all out for 157 in the second innings, leaving Australia a victory target of 162 in the fifth and final Test here on Sunday.

Resuming day three at 141 for six, India lost their remaining four wickets for 16 runs.

Pat Cummins and Scott Boland shared the wickets in the session. Boland took six for 45 for the home side to claim a 10-wicket match haul, while Rishabh Pant’s 61 was the high score for India.

Brief Score:

India 1st innings: 185

Australia 1st innings: 181

India 2nd innings: 157 allout in 39.5 overs (Rishabh Pant 61, Scott Boland 6/45).

India’s Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Australia’s Travis Head on day four of the fourth cricket Test match between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on December 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A slow walk gathering pace, legs suddenly whirring while approaching the bowling crease, back arching and the ball being released as if from a high-strung catapult. This is the signature Jasprit Bumrah style, almost similar to the manner in which aeroplanes gently roll before munching tarmac in the blink of an eye and being airborne.

In the latest Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Bumrah has been at his menacing best. Stumps have been disturbed, edges grazed and such is his impact that even a delivery that may not necessarily demand a wicket would still yield one as batters rushed their shots.

Bumrah’s 30 wickets from four Tests

There was theatre when Shane Warne bowled; an equally dramatic rush happens when Bumrah is at work. Great players impose their will on contests. Kapil Dev during India’s 1991-92 tour Down Under bagged 25 wickets. Thirty two years later, another Indian fast bowler has 30 scalps from just four Tests while the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) awaits the fifth Test here from Friday.

Kapil’s was the late wind that lit up a stunning career in its twilight. For Bumrah, aged 31 and with 44 Tests under his belt, this is the middle stage, and his current tally of 203 wickets in cricket’s longer format is bound to quadruple. To bag 200 plus with an average of 19.42 is spectacular. He is the first bowler to get to this milestone while the average stayed below the twenty mark.

Prior to Rohit Sharma’s return as captain at Adelaide, Bumrah led India well in the triumphant first Test at Perth. While the subsequent contests witnessed Australia’s comeback and a series scoreline of 2-1 now favours the host, Bumrah has remained undaunted. Even as a tailender, he has put a price on his wicket.

After castling Sam Konstas in Australia’s second dig at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the speed merchant mimicked the opener’s crowd-rousing gestures. It was a rare hint of raw emotion. When Nathan Lyon suffered a similar outcome, the timber-dismantler just stood and held a cold gaze.

This was the hero in a Wild Western, gunning down rivals with a phlegmatic air. After going through the ‘Bumrah inquisition’ on the pitch, every Australian batter has been subjected to the ‘Bumrah question’ in press conferences. Their usual responses reflected shock and awe.

It is not easy to perform consistently while his regular partner Mohammed Shami is yet to resurface at the international level following injury and rehabilitation. The other Mohammed, Siraj, has slowly found a rhythm to gain 16 wickets. Akash Deep, meanwhile, has strived hard without luck.

All this meant that Rohit was often employing Bumrah in repetitive spells. The ‘shock’ bowler was now doubling up as a stock bowler, and it is a workload that the Indian captain is conscious about. When India strides out at the SCG, Bumrah is expected to replicate his excellence. It would be ideal if the batters too can contribute.

Readers of a certain vintage may remember a Sachin Tendulkar 100 being the lone balm while India lost. Now the roles are reversed. A Bumrah five-for is taken for granted even as the team slumps toward defeat’s shadow. He needs support from the rest of the playing eleven. Even then he will do all the heavy-lifting. Bumrah knows no other way.

After a long gap, Virat Kohli had a hundred in the first Test at Perth while skipper Rohit Sharma’s last came against England at Dharamshala in March last year. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP

Late on Monday (December 30, 2024) the light dimmed on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Seagulls descended on the turf, cleaning staff were busy removing the waste that a massive sporting contest tends to generate, and Australian cricketers lingered around, savouring their 184-run triumph against India in the fourth Test.

Marnus Labuschagne lay sprawled on the grass while a child scampered around him. There was laughter and giggles. If it was rainbow and sunshine for Pat Cummins and his men, there was sadness trailing the Indian unit. On two previous tours, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was secured. This time around, the visitors are trailing 1-2, and hoping to draw level in the final Test commencing at Sydney on January 3.

Australia remains a tough opponent in its backyard, and this was evident on the concluding day of the fourth Test. India was cruising at 121 for three, and this after a middle session in which Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant stabilised the second innings.

Suddenly, violating his own self-imposed restraint against the previous 103 deliveries he faced, Pant launched a lofted shot off Travis Head and the ball just found an alert Mitchell Marsh near the ropes. It was the game’s tipping point. From 121 for four, India slid to 155 all out.

The beauty of Test cricket is that it also offers space for a stalemate. However, in these frenetic times of winning at all costs, a draw is seen as an aberration. But a draw was indeed possible for India and that hinged on Jaiswal and Pant stretching their fourth-wicket partnership. It was not to be. An old truism is that batters who are set need to cash in.

In 1984, following rush-of-blood shots by Kapil Dev and Sandeep Patil against England at Delhi, the selectors wielded the axe. It was obviously an extreme measure and one that will not find an echo in these days of letting a player reveal his natural vibe. Still, Pant has to find a method in his madness.

If youngsters like Jaiswal and Pant did the hard yards but slipped at the final hurdle, the middling performance of veterans like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli derailed the team. In the past, a tour of Australia has forced a closure to pedigreed Indian stars. Dilip Vengsarkar felt this effect after the 1991-92 tour. It was the same for Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman following their 2011-12 visit.

Down Under, either legacies are built or retirements get hastened. After a long gap, Kohli had a hundred in the first Test at Perth while Rohit’s last came against England at Dharamshala in March last year. Their drought in Tests often gets camouflaged through their flamboyance in limited overs cricket. Having bowed out of T20Is, while still being in the mix for Tests and ODIs, the captain and his predecessor need to perform.

Sadly, the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Kumar and Washington Sundar in the fourth Test went in vain. It is time the batting clicks. K.L. Rahul has been an exception but he too could not prosper at the MCG. Runs on the board is a non-negotiable requirement and India’s willow-wielders have to respect that. There may be speculation about the selectors’ cold-tap on the shoulder, but for now Sydney awaits.

Rohit Sharma of India looks dejected after being dismissed by Pat Cummins of Australia on day five of the fourth Test in the series between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 30, 2024
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Rohit Sharma sat down and grimaced a little. Post-defeat inquisitions can be macabre even if the queries are couched in euphemisms, and the Indian captain answered all at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Monday (December 30, 2024) evening.

Reflecting on the fourth Test’s defeat against Australia, Rohit said: “Obviously, we had the opportunity to bring the game (fourth Test) to us or to draw it. We tried, but again, many boys who made runs could have played longer but the new guys will learn.”

The questions then centred around him: “Obviously, few results have not gone our way and as a captain, it is disappointing. As a batter, a lot of the things I am trying to do are not falling in place. Mentally, look, it is disturbing.”

Looking ahead, the batter said: “There is still a game (Sydney) to go. If we can play that well, a (series) draw will be really nice. [We will] make sure that when we turn up at Sydney we try and move that momentum towards us.”

Asked about Rishabh Pant’s manner of dismissals, Rohit explained: “Pant has had a lot of success doing what he does. As a captain, you want to back that thought of him playing the way he plays. Sometimes when things don’t look good, it frustrates everyone.”

Queried about managing Jasprit Bumrah’s spells, the skipper admitted: “To be honest, he has bowled a lot of overs. But again, every Test we play, we keep that in mind, the workloads of all the bowlers. If somebody is in such great form, you want to try and maximize. But there comes a time when you need to give him that extra breather as well.”

Rohit also lauded Nitish Kumar: “We saw there is a lot of potential which is why he is here. With the bat he was brilliant, read the situation pretty well and has a solid technique and super mind.”

The captain also appreciated the efforts put in by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. “It’s just that they have been unfortunate not to be seen (often) in the wicket’s column.”

Virat Kohli, wearing a black armband, walks out before the start of play on the second day of the fourth cricket test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia, on Friday (December 27, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP

The Indian cricket team sported black armbands on the second day of the fourth Test against Australia to honour former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who died in New Delhi.

Mr. Singh, a two time former Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday (December 26, 2024) after losing consciousness at his home owing to age-related ailments. He was 92.

Also read: Politicians, allies pay tributes to Manmohan Singh LIVE

“The Indian team is wearing black arm bands as a mark of respect in the memory of former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Dr. Singh, also a renowned economist, was the architect and the brainchild of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy and ushered in an era of economic liberalisation that is widely believed to have changed the course of India’s economic trajectory.

Australia resumed day two at 311 for 6 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Usman Khawaja of Australia plays a shot during day one of the Men’s Fourth Test Match in the series between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss Thursday (December 26, 2024) and decided to bat first against India in expected hot conditions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the fourth test of the five-match series.

The series is level at 1-1 after a rainy draw at Brisbane,

A crowd of over 90,000 was expected to attend the first day of play, despite a predicted top temperature of 39 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit).

Australia made two changes to the side which dominated the drawn test in Brisbane. Seamer Scott Boland has been recalled for Josh Hazlewood, who suffered a calf-muscle strain in Brisbane.

Teenager Sam Konstas replaced struggling opener Nathan McSweeney, who averaged 14.40 in three tests in his debut series. Konstas, 19, is the fourth-youngest Australian male debutant.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said Konstas would provide an attacking weapon against the brilliant pace bowling of India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who has taken 21 wickets in the series.

Cummins, who was player of the match on his test debut for Australia aged 18, added: “There’s a level of naivety, that you just want to go out and play, like you did when you were a kid in the backyard.”

Australia’s Travis Head, the leading scorer in the series with 409 runs including two centuries, passed a fitness test Wednesday after suffering a quadricep-muscle strain in Brisbane.

India went with a bowler-heavy lineup, bringing in offspinner Washington Sundar so the visitors have six bowling options. Shubman Gill it out and captain Rohit Sharma has been named at No. 3 in India’s batting order after talk he would return to his customary position opening the batting.

India can take some confidence from its triumphs on its two previous two test tours of Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-2021, including claiming victory in Melbourne on both occasions.

However, apart from K.L. Rahul (235 runs at 47.00) and Bumrah (21 wickets at 10.90), India has been unable to build momentum in this series. A 295-run win in Perth was followed by a 10-wicket loss in Adelaide and the rain-soaked draw in Brisbane.

The series has added significance as Australia and India are ranked second and third, respectively, behind South Africa in the race to qualify for the World Test Championship Final to be held at Lord’s in June 2025. South Africa is hosting Pakistan in a two-test series that also starts Thursday.

The fifth and final Australia-India test is scheduled to start on Jan. 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

___

Lineups:

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India:: Yashasvi Jaiswal, K.L. Rahul, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep

Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah got a huge boost on the eve of the Boxing Day Test when he achieved the joint-highest rating ever by an Indian player, equalling the record held by spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the ICC Ranking for Bowlers.

The quick gained 14 rating points following his 9/94 in the drawn third Test at Brisbane, equaling Ashwin’s highest-ever 904 rating points and consolidating his position at the top of the rankings.

Bumrah has a chance to better Ashwin’s rating points, which the now-retired off-spinner achieved in December 2016, when the fourth match of the Border-Gavaskar Test begins at the MCG on Thursday, December 26, 2024.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada (856) and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood (852) are trailing the Indian pacer at the second and third place respectively.

Charismatic Australian batter Travis Head’s stellar run in the ongoing series against India helped him climb to fourth spot (825 rating points) in the Test Ranking for Batters. He is still behind the England duo of Joe Root (895) and Harry Brook (876), and former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson (867).

Head smashed a scintillating 152 at the Gabba to follow up his century in the second Test at Adelaide. Compatriot Steve Smith’s century at the Gabba got him into the top-10 once again.

Among all-rounders, India’s Ravindra Jadeja continues to lead the lead the chart with 424 rating points, while Australia skipper Pat Cummins earned his place back in the top-10, following his four wickets and 42 runs in the third Test at Gabba.

Indian squad celebrate the victory during Day 4 of the first Test match against Australia, at Perth Stadium, in Perth on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Fans will no longer be allowed at India’s practice sessions in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia after fans passed “rude” comments during the team’s training here ahead of the second Test starting on Friday.

The practice session was thrown open to fans on Tuesday.

While a handful of them gathered to watch Australia, thousands converged to catch the Indian team live in action from close quarters as the practice facility stands in Adelaide are very close to the nets.

“It was complete chaos. During the Australian training session, not more than 70-odd people turned up but during India’s session, 3000 came. No one expected so many fans to turn up,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“There was another fans’ day in Sydney [ahead of the fifth Test] which stands cancelled as players were very disturbed by the rude and insensitive comments that were passed [here],” he added.

An eye-witness said that fans badgered the likes of Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant to hit sixes and passed comments on the fitness of another player.

“Virat [Kohli] and Shubman Gill could have been mobbed because of so many people. Some were doing Facebook live with friends and talking loudly just as the batter took stance,” he said.

“One supporter continuously urged a player to say ‘hi’ to him in Gujarati. Another particular cricketer was body-shamed.”

The game in Adelaide will be a day-night Test, followed by matches in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

India’s Harshit Rana, left, asks after Australia’s Josh Hazlewood, after his delivery hit the latter on his helmet on the fourth day of the first cricket test between Australia and India in Perth, Australia, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Australia suffered a blow in the lead-up to the second Test at Adelaide from December 6 as Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out.

According to a statement by Cricket Australia, the speedster has a ‘low grade left side injury’. Sean Abbott and Brendan Dogget have been added to the Australian squad. However, most probably, Scott Boland will get the selector’s nod as Hazlewood’s replacement for the playing eleven.

Hazlewood took five wickets in the first test in Perth where Australia were thrashed by 295 runs to fall 1-0 behind in the five-match series.

Australia have another injury concern for all-rounder Mitchell Marsh who pulled up sore after bowling 17 overs in Perth.

Uncapped all-rounder Beau Webster was called into the squad two days ago as cover for Marsh.

Australia are already without regular all-rounder Cameron Green, who was ruled out of the series after opting to have surgery on a stress fracture in his lumbar spine.

India leads the five-Test series at 1-0.

(with inputs from Reuters)