Lyon and Boland stand firm as Australia take lead beyond India after Bumrah took the hosts’ middle order apart.
Lyon and Boland frustrate India after Bumrah rips through middle-order.
Another outstanding performance from Jasprit Bumrah blasted the game wide open in one of the most captivating Test cricket days you could ever hope to witness. However, before the final-wicket duo of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland increased Australia’s lead to 333 and maybe out of India’s grasp, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins played their second crucial innings of the game.
India was frustrated by Lyon and Boland, who managed to score a valuable 55 runs and were unable to be separated before stumps after keeping themselves in the game for a large portion of the day. When Lyon edged to third slip in the day’s last over, where KL Rahul managed to hold the ball between his legs, a weary Bumrah overstepped and could have taken his fifth wicket.
India’s ultimate goal will undoubtedly bring back thoughts of the Gabba in 2021, especially considering how the lower order kept them in the game yesterday. They will have to defy history once more because there has only been one higher successful pursuit at the MCG, and that was in 1928. None of the seven other top-ranked chases have occurred since 1962. Over the first four days, 299,329 people have watched the match, which is the most people have ever seen at a Boxing Day Test.
Earlier, Australia’s first-innings lead reduced to 105 thanks to Nitish Kumar Reddy’s first century. With Bumrah receiving strong backing from Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, India’s new-ball bowling made life very difficult for the top order, and the host team advanced at a rate of just two and a half runs per over. However, at 80 for 2, with a 185-run lead, Australia was on the verge of more comfortable territory, but the situation quickly changed.
In the first half of the afternoon session, Steven Smith’s wicket set off a collapse of 4 for 11 in three overs, which included Bumrah’s 200th Test wicket in a thrilling burst of action that saw him dismiss Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Alex Carey.