Melbourne, Dec 30 (NationPress) When India’s score reached 112/3 at tea, Yashasvi Jaiswal was unbeaten on a measured fifty and Rishabh Pant exhibited commendable restraint. In their pursuit of 340 runs, a draw appeared likely, particularly after a wicketless second session.
However, when it was most crucial, India faced a severe batting collapse in the final session, losing their last seven wickets for just 34 runs, culminating in a 184-run defeat to Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the Boxing Day Test on Monday.
Before a record crowd of 74,362 spectators, Australia seemed set for victory after reducing India to 33/3 in the first session. Yet, Jaiswal and Pant managed to hold them off in the second session as the ball began to wear.
In the decisive final session of this thrilling Test match, Pant fell to Travis Head, which opened the floodgates for Australia as India crumbled from 121/3 to 155 all out. Captain Pat Cummins and Scott Boland each took three wickets in a superb bowling display from Australia, who now lead the five-match series 2-1, with the next Test match scheduled in Sydney next week.
India will feel let down as they had a chance to secure a draw but ended up losing. The shot selection of the batsmen in the second innings, leading to a swift collapse, along with the poor form of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, will be scrutinized.
Moreover, India's inability to rapidly dismiss Australia’s lower order and the lack of bowling depth—especially with three all-rounders in the lineup—will also come under review, as the final Test in Sydney is now a must-win for India to preserve the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
In the morning, India needed only ten balls to conclude Australia’s second innings at 234 in 83.4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah claimed his fifth wicket by sending Nathan Lyon’s stumps flying with an inswinger that slipped through the gate. Bumrah's match figures improved to 9/156, bringing his wicket tally in this series to 30.
In pursuit of 340, India commenced cautiously as Australia’s bowlers consistently troubled them with superb deliveries. This compelled Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal to rein in their scoring shots, allowing Australia to establish a solid rhythm.
Rohit’s first aggressive shot attempt led to his downfall; in an effort to whip Cummins through the leg side, he edged the ball and was caught at gully after a second attempt to catch it. He departed for just 9 runs off 40 balls.
On the last ball of the same over, Cummins bowled a length ball that confused KL Rahul, who edged it to second slip for a duck after just five balls. With Australia restricting the run flow, Jaiswal and Kohli became increasingly defensive.
They faced difficulties defending, but just before lunch, Kohli attempted a big drive, only to be caught at first slip off Mitchell Starc, departing for 5 runs off 29 balls. The post-lunch session began with Jaiswal playing successive controlled cut shots to earn boundaries off Scott Boland, then executing the same shot for another boundary in Boland’s next over.
Pant also attacked Boland, hitting a boundary after a swipe across the line, while Jaiswal slashed Mitchell Starc for yet another boundary. A moment later, Starc’s nip-backer struck Jaiswal on the back pad, prompting a review from Australia, but the umpire’s call saved the batter, as replays indicated the ball barely clipped the top of the leg stump.
As the old ball softened and Australia’s bowlers began to tire, Jaiswal and Pant were diligent in seeking runs while maintaining patience at the crease. Jaiswal secured his second half-century of the match with an exquisite flick off Nathan Lyon, marking his seventh four of the innings.
Pant, who had faced criticism for his first-innings dismissal, was cautious, defending and leaving deliveries, before flicking Starc through fine leg for four, as the duo headed off for tea after a commendable session of rearguard cricket for India.
However, the dynamic changed drastically after the tea break. Australia initiated the final session with part-time off-spin from Travis Head, which proved effective when Head broke the 88-run partnership by having Pant miscue a pull to a tumbling long-on, resulting in his dismissal for 30 runs off 104 balls.
Three overs later, Boland struck again, delivering a back-of-a-length ball that jumped at Ravindra Jadeja, leading him to edge it behind to Alex Carey. Lyon then joined the wicket-takers, delivering a ball that skidded straight and took the outside edge of Nitish Kumar Reddy as he fell for just 1 run.
Jaiswal continued to fight alongside Washington Sundar, even as Australia tested him with short balls. The tactic worked when Jaiswal attempted to pull a bouncer from Cummins but gloved it to Carey, who took a splendid low catch.
Australia opted for a review, and third umpire Sharfuddoula ruled Jaiswal out for 84 runs, citing a significant and clear deflection between bat and glove, despite snicko showing no line. From that point, the outcome was inevitable—Boland caught Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah out, while Lyon trapped Mohammed Siraj lbw to secure a memorable victory for Australia.
Brief Scores: Australia 474 and 234 in 83.4 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 70, Nathan Lyon 41; Jasprit Bumrah 5-57, Mohammed Siraj 3-70) defeated India 369 and 155 in 79.1 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 84, Rishabh Pant 30; Pat Cummins 3-28, Scott Boland 3-39) by 184 runs
