Dec 30, 20244 min read

AUS vs IND, 4th Test, Day 5: Australia beat India by 184 runs, go 2-1 up in series

AUS vs IND, 4th Test, Day 5: Australia take seven wickets in the final session and take 2-1 lead in the BGT 204-25. India make their path impossible for WTC 2023-25 finals.

Brief Score: AUS 474 & 234 (M Labuschagne 70, N Lyon 41, J Bumrah 5/57) beat IND 369 & 155 (Y Jaiswal 84, R Pant 30, P Cummins 3/28) by 184 runs.

Australia secured a thrilling victory at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, taking an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With this win, they ensure a worst-case scenario of a drawn series. The triumph strengthens their bid for the World Test Championship final and highlights the resilience and drama that define Test cricket.

The hosts defeated India by 184 runs, wrapping up the match by taking seven wickets after tea on Day 5. Chasing 340 on the final day, India was bowled out for 155. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland stood out for Australia, claiming three wickets each. For India, Yashasvi Jaiswal fought valiantly; scoring 84 runs, but a controversial dismissal denied him a triple-digit score for the second time in the match.

Talking Point: Senior batters continue to struggle

Senior batters like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul are currently facing a slump in their performance, struggling to score runs consistently. The early wickets of Rohit, Rahul, and Kohli have highlighted a concerning pattern in India’s top-order batting throughout the series. The lack of consistency from the top three has put immense pressure on the middle order, and despite a few solid contributions, the collapse has been a recurring theme in the ongoing tour.

Rohit adopted a more patient approach in the second innings compared to his earlier outings in the series. Despite facing 40 deliveries—the most he has faced in an innings this series—the India skipper managed to score just nine runs. His dismissal triggered another collapse, with KL Rahul falling for a duck in the same over. Virat Kohli then joined Yashasvi Jaiswal, but his struggles persisted. After facing 29 balls, Kohli chased a delivery outside off-stump—an issue that has troubled him recently—and was dismissed just before lunch.

Australia all-out on 234, Bumrah completes another five-wicket haul

India lost three crucial wickets in the morning session while chasing a target of 340 runs. Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli were the batters dismissed. Pat Cummins struck twice, while Mitchell Starc removed Kohli just before lunch, leaving the visitors struggling at 33/3. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah had cleaned up Nathan Lyon in the second over, restricting Australia to 234 runs. Bumrah needed just four balls to wrap up the innings and secure yet another five-wicket haul. For the hosts, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland put up a resilient 61-run stand for the last wicket.

Jaiswal, Pant keep India alive, reach 112/3 at Tea

Rishabh Pant (28) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (63) ensured India did not lose a wicket in the second session, guiding the team to 112/3 at the Tea break. Jaiswal brought up a fighting half-century while building a crucial partnership for the fourth wicket. Pant endured a few blows to the body, while Jaiswal settled down to block out the Australian bowlers. The wicketkeeper-batter demonstrated his ability to bat patiently when required. Both Pant and Jaiswal initially adopted an aggressive approach post-Lunch before settling in to stabilize India's innings.

Yashasvi Jaiswal falls to controversial DRS call; India 155 all out

Yashasvi Jaiswal fell victim to a controversial DRS call in the final session of Day 5. The young India batter had been anchoring the innings with a resilient 84 as wickets tumbled around him, keeping India's hopes alive. However, Australia reviewed an on-field not-out decision for a caught-behind appeal, leading to a contentious overturn. Replays suggested a deflection off the glove, but Snickometer showed no audio spike. Despite the absence of a clear audio cue, third umpire Sharfuddoula relied on visual evidence to declare Jaiswal out, leaving him visibly disappointed.

Shortly after Jaiswal’s dismissal, Akash Deep became the victim of another well-executed DRS review by Australia. Earlier in the session, Australia had wrested control with quick dismissals of Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. The flurry of wickets left the visitors reeling, with the controversial DRS decisions adding to the drama of a fiercely contested final day.

Statistical highlights from Australia vs India, 4th Test, Day 5

Jasprit Bumrah's tally of 30 wickets so far in BGT 2024-25 is the third-highest tally for an India bowler in a Test series against Australia. Harbhajan Singh leads the list with 32 wickets in 2000-01, while Bishan Singh Bedi is at the second spot with 31 wickets in 1977-78.
Bumrah ends the year 2024 at the top of wicket-takers list, with 71 wickets.
Bumrah now has 24 Test wickets at the MCG. That's the third-most for a visiting bowler at the iconic venue, behind Sydney Barnes (35) & Robert Peel (27).
Rohit Sharma was dismissed for the eighth time in Tests by Pat Cummins.
Virat Kohli was dismissed for the sixth time in Tests by Mitchell Starc.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has the most runs (359) for India in BGT 2024-25.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 1478 runs in the calendar year 2024. This is the second-highest number of runs scored by an India batter in a calendar year. Sachin Tendulkar has the highest tally for an India batter in a calendar year (1562 runs in 2010).
Nathan Lyon (538) has overtaken Ravichandran Ashwin (537) to become the 4th highest wicket-taker amongst spinners.

What’s next

Up next, Australia will face India in the fifth and final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match is scheduled to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground from 3 January 2025. With the hosts firmly on track to reclaim the trophy, the final Test offers India a chance to salvage pride while Australia will look to finish the series on a high note.