Australia claimed its dramatic 184-run victory over India on the fifth day of the fourth Test at MCG to wrest the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with such emphatic win that it could bring a huge impact on India reaching a steep climb to salvage the series in the last Test match.
Australia Sets Mighty Target
The last day began by extending by Australia the overnight second-innings score to set very high a target for India. That target, combining their contributions from lower-order batters helped in frustrating Indian bowlers from forcing them to add very vital runs before declaring. Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland presented their batting skills to ensure that faced India a very daunting challenge on a too-wearing pitch that started offering turns.
India’s Promising Start Flops
Well above the challenging total, India had tested their opening woes again. While veteran batters Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli fell cheaply leaving India at 33 for 3 during the morning session. Rohit, who is often seen as India’s anchor, failed to deliver under pressure, while Kohli’s dismissal off Mitchell Starc was a crucial turning point, exposing the fragile Indian middle order.
Yashasvi Jaiswal: A Lone Warrior
This budding cricketer of India, Yashasvi Jaiswal, turned out to be the only ray of hope for the country as he made a good try to score an admirable 84. Jaiswal mixed his technique with temperament well across both the pace of Pat Cummins and the spin of Lyon. His innings ended with a controversial decision, as dubious DRS adjudged him ‘out’, denying him a second century in this series. From here, it all changed for the visitors and began to sink into collapse.
Middle-Order Collapse and Rishabh Pant’s Aggression
Rishabh Pant, meant for an aggressive brand of cricket, would take India well and truly close to the destination; or so it seemed. The Indian team collapsed in a heap when his aggressive looking pull shot off Scott Boland was a mere catch to completely seal off the interiors. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja failed to hold fort in the middle, before succumbing to the relentless Australian bowling attack. The final session saw the Indian innings collapsing dramatically, bundled for 155 runs.
Shine the Australian bowlers
The Australian bowling unit led by Nathan Lyon utterly fulfilled whatever having been undertaken in the plans. Lyon was to take the ball four times by creating slight variances and drawing a spiked line because of dust collecting on the pitch for the surface. Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc supplement him well to provide breakthroughs at the right time with the right bowler. In losing their rhythm, Scott Boland got them two wickets at the beginning of the middle overs.
Crowd Witnesses a Historic Moment
The over 370,000 total attendance by the last three days set a record on the ground for the MCG over the same period in the last Test match. The eclipsing of all the previous numbers is a proof of the increasing popularity of Test cricket and some really talketh about the emerging importance of great series such as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Both Teams in Future Perspective
Australia will be able to taste their long-awaited success of a decade in reliving their glory days of winning back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This has occurred, particularly because of the Australian squad that composes brilliant moments and an equally well-rounded, all-star cast. The defeat sends home an alarm for India. Their batting lineup is surrounded by doubts, especially concerning the erratic contributions of mature players. There is one Test match remaining; India must fight quickly to gain respect and their slim hopes of staving off the ravages of time on their World Test Championship destiny.
Looking Ahead For Sydney
Their last Test in Sydney will carry the weight of something dramatic at stake. A draw will see Australia crowned champions, while an Indian victory will require superhuman efforts to level the series. Their board will need to address many pressing concerns regarding the batting order’s frailties as an attack-minded approach is also needed from the bowlers.
Conclusion
The fourth Test at the MCG will be encapsulated by a drama-filled, skill-laden contest with brilliant moments. Australia won; still, this match showed how Test cricket remains forever alluring. The common view is that as tests turn worldwide towards Sydney, both teams will spare nothing to acquire glory at the end of the match.
