India’s Prasidh Krishna, centre, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia’s Alex Carey, left, during play on the second day of the fifth cricket test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in Sydney, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

It has taken nearly a year for Prasidh Krishna to bowl again for India in Test whites. Having played in South Africa during the 2023-24 two-Test series, the pacer was picked for the fifth and final Test here following an injury to Akash Deep.

The Karnataka seamer did well and bagged a three for 42 which forced Australia to stumble at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, January 4, 2025. Prasidh dismissed Steve Smith, Alex Carey and Beau Webster. “When I got the ball in hand, obviously there was a bit of nerves. The first over went well, the next few didn’t go well,” the bowler said.

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Prasidh tweaked his approach after lunch: “The analyst and I sat together and we had a better idea of what my reference point is when I am bowling, and that really helped.”

Despite a start-stop career, the Bangalorean is optimistic: “Honestly I haven’t really thought about how much time I have missed in cricket. I have had two injuries in two years, but it feels great (to be back) and hopefully keep doing this on the field for longer.”

About the surface, Prasidh said: “It is getting difficult in some areas, the ball is keeping low sometimes but there is enough bounce for us to be in the game and look for those edges and try and beat them on either side of the bat.”

Having relished Rishabh Pant’s onslaught, Prasidh said: “It was real fun, all of us were sitting together and watching him bat. I know it’s a lot of risk but that’s the way the game is played today.”

Probed about an ideal target for the host, Prasidh replied: “There is no particular number in mind but getting as many runs would be good and we are ready to bowl them out.”

As per ICC, Beau Webster is set to become the 469th Test player for Australia, and is the preferred sixth batter for the side.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Leading the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at 2-1 while stepping into the fifth and final Test, Pat Cummins is bent upon seizing another triumph. Speaking to the media at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday (January 2, 2025), the Australian captain said: “You go to every Test match, trying to win. It is no different this week. Happy with the last three Tests. We have been the front-runner and we aim to keep it up.”

The skipper admitted to one change in the playing eleven: “(Mitchell) Marshy misses out and Bo (Beau Webster) is debuting. Mitchie obviously hasn’t quite got the runs, or perhaps wickets. So it felt like it was time for a freshen up.”

There was a worry about Mitchell Starc’s fitness in the lead-up to the fifth Test, but Cummins offered a positive update: “He went off for a scan yesterday and got the all-clear to play this match. It’s a big game in the context of the series, World Test Championship too. It’s a home game. So yeah, he was never going to miss.”

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Asked about the surface, the host captain said: “It’s a bit different to the traditional SCG (pitch). For two (Sheffield) Shield wickets this year, they seamed really well. It felt like there was a bit on offer for the bowlers, but also runs to be scored. There will be some stages where it is pretty good for batting, but potentially break up and spin towards the end.”

Cummins was also queried about whether he sensed anything new from the Indian team, be it Rohit Sharma’s captaincy or Virat Kohli’s proactive role on the field. The speedster offered a straight bat: “I don’t know, it’s probably not for me to judge. I am in my own little bubble, so I haven’t noticed anything different.”

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.