AUS vs IND, 4th Test, Day 2: India half down after Australia posted 474 in first innings. Steven Smith scored 11th Test century against India and 34th overall.
Brief Score: IND 164/5 (Y Jaiswal 82, V Kohli 36, S Boland 2/24) trail AUS 474 ( S Smith 140, M Labuschagne 72, J Bumrah 4/99) by 310 runs.
India slumped to 164/5 after losing three quick wickets in the final session of Day 2 in the fourth Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). The visitors are still trailing Australia by 310 runs in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli added 102 runs for the third wicket. For Australia, Scott Boland and Pat Cummins struck twice each to put their side firmly in command. Earlier, Australia posted 474 after resuming at 311 for six, with Steven Smith anchoring their innings with a composed 140.
Talking Point: Rohit Sharma flops as captain and batterÂ
Rohit Sharma’s struggles continued as he managed just three runs before mistiming a pull shot off Pat Cummins, offering a simple catch to Scott Boland at mid-on. The India skipper has witnessed a dip in his batting form and captaincy effectiveness recently. Rohit missed the first Test match and since his return in the second game he has not been able to contribute with the bat. He has not managed to score beyond single digits, which raises considerable concern. In this Test, Rohit opened the innings but struggled once again, falling cheaply.
Talking about his captaincy, he made many difficult decisions in this game like picking two spinners in the team. With this decision, the batting was prolonged. However, the quality was lacking. Also the implementation of appropriate bowling changes at critical moments was essential which he missed at times. Various factors influenced the flow of the game, and it appears that Rohit is not performing at his peak. This is a cause for concern. If the India skipper continues in this manner, it will not yield positive results moving further in the BGT. Hence, he desperately needs runs in the second innings to shore up his captaincy.
Read More: AUS vs IND, 4th Test, Day 1: Australia 311-6 as top 4 come to the party; Bumrah takes 3 wickets
Steven Smith’s hundred propels Australia to 454/7 at lunch
Resuming at 311/6 after a dominant opening day, Steven Smith continued his remarkable form by smashing his second century in consecutive matches to put Australia on the driver’s seat at lunch. Smith ground India to dust in the first session with able assistance from Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Smith and Cummins put up a bruising partnership that seemed to knock the wind out of India’s sails in the first session. Australia lost the lone wicket of captain Cummins, who missed out on a well-deserved half-century. Cummins scored 49 and forged a match-defining 112-run stand for the seventh wicket with Smith.
Australia bow out for 474, India 51/2 at Tea as Rohit departs earlyÂ
Australia were bowled out for 474 in the second session of Day 2. The hosts added only 19 runs after the lunch break, losing Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc in the first seven balls after the break. Smith departed for 140, suffering an unlucky dismissal to Akash Deep. Jasprit Bumrah was the top wicket-taker for India yet again, picking up four.
India had a disastrous start in their first innings as they lost an early wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul carried the momentum forward for Team India after Rohit Sharma’s return to the top of the order ended in disaster. The India captain threw his wicket away cheaply, departing for just 3. However, Rahul’s resistance ended as he fell to a jaffa from Pat Cummins off the last ball of the session and India settled for 51/2 in 15 overs at Tea.
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Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal put on a 100-run stand, India 164/5 at stumps
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli got India off to a strong start in the third session. The duo were in charge of a two-down India in the final session and they appeared under control. Soon Jaiswal cruised past his half-century in 81 balls. Kohli, meanwhile, diligently left balls on and outside off and avoided falling into the trap. He looked far better than he did in all the innings that he played since his century in Perth.
However, a lapse in judgement led to Jaiswal’s run-out, departing 18 runs short of a century. This dismissal affected Kohli’s concentration, resulting in his wicket in the subsequent over as he attempted to play a wide delivery from Scott Boland. The situation worsened for India when Boland dismissed nightwatchman Akash Deep in the day’s penultimate over, leaving India in a precarious position.
Statistical highlights from Australia vs India, 4th Test, Day 2
- Steven Smith scored his 34th Test hundred, his 11th against India.
- The seventh wicket stand of 112 runs between Steven Smith and Pat Cummins is the fourth-best for this wicket for Australia against India in Tests.
- Smith now has 5 Test hundreds at the MCG. This is the joint third-most for a batter at this venue along with England’s Jack Hobbs. Donald Bradman leads the list with 9 hundreds followed by Matthew Hayden with 6.
- Smith now has the most Test hundreds (11) against India in Tests. He surpassed Joe Root who has 10 tons against India.
- Australia’s first innings total of 474 is their third-highest in Tests against India since January 2015, also being the second-highest in Australia in the said period.
- Mohammed Siraj’s spell of 122-0 from 23 overs is the joint second-costliest wicketless spell for an India pacer in Australia.
- Rohit Sharma got out for the seventh time against Pat Cummins in Tests; third time in BGT 2024-25.
- Jasprit Bumrah now has the joint-highest wickets (25) in a Test series down under for an India pacer. Kapil Dev had also taken 25 wickets in the 1991-92 series between the two teams in Australia.
What’s next
Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten at the crease at the end of Day’s play and will start Day 3 for India. The duo will look to score big and decrease Australia’s lead. Meanwhile, the hosts will aim to bowl the visitors out as soon as possible to further strengthen their position in the game.
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