India vs Australia Live Score 4th Test Day 5 (India National Cricket Team vs Australia National Cricket Team Match Scorecard): Hello and welcome to the live blog of the fifth day of the ongoing Boxing Day Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Australian lower order steered the side to a commanding 333-run lead on Sunday, setting up the Boxing Day Test for an intriguing last-day finish. Australia finished the fourth day at 228 for nine, leaving India skipper Rohit Sharma a bit irritated as the home team was in a spot at 156 for 8 at one stage.
Australia’s number 8, 10 and 11 batters saw off nearly 35 overs and it could prove decisive if India doesn’t bat exceedingly well on a track which has remained true in all four days. Bumrah (4/53 in 17 overs) was an artist at work in the first two sessions and found his ally in Mohammed Siraj (3/66 in 22 overs) as momentum suddenly swung in India’s favour.
Playing XIs:
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
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Right then, 333 is the magical number that Australia currently lead by and they might have to force the issue early on the final day to avoid a draw. India though, no matter what, will have to put on a top batting performance to avoid defeat. We still have a long way to go, so, stick around as the action from Day 5 isn’t far away.
On the other hand, India fight back hard with the ball and gave themselves a huge chance as Mohammed Siraj and especially Jasprit Bumrah did wonders to have the opposition 91/6 but they just didn’t close things out and now, will have a very tricky job to do with the bat on Day 5 of the game to keep the BGT trophy in their grasp.
Australia batted for almost the whole chunk of Day 4 after having picked up the final Indian wicket and it was an innings filled with ups and down but eventually, this last wicket stand between Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland has proved to be telling. The lead is well over 300 and it will be interesting to see whether Australia declare right away or not.
Hello and a warm welcome to wherever you are you in the world. It is Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India and with all these results still possible, this match is heading towards the legendary status for so many reasons.
… DAY 5, SESSION ONE …
The pitch did show some signs of deterioration and the ball beat the edges innumerable times throughout the day, but it is still a decent one to bat on, given how the last-wicket stand for Australia stood up. Also, hard luck for Akash Deep who bowled his heart out but remained wicketless. India’s fielding performance, however, fell below their usual standards, with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s two dropped catches proving costly – opportunities that could have brought Australia’s innings to an earlier close.
The riveting day’s play, marked by extraordinary displays of grit, valor, survival, and resistance from both teams, has perfectly set the stage for a thrilling final day finish in this Boxing Day Test. With India facing an uphill task, and Australia sniffing a victory, tomorrow promises to be a test of nerves, skill, and character. The historic ground has witnessed many memorable fifth-day finishes, as both teams prepare for one final push. Well then, 96 overs remain to be completed in the last three sessions to spare. India would be itching to get this last wicket super early in the day, while whatever runs come from the willows of Boland and Lyon, would potentially dash out India’s chances. We are up for an EARLY START tomorrow as well as the first ball will be bowled at 4.30 am IST (11 pm GMT, the previous day) on Monday, 30th December. Till then, adios!
With 9 men down, Australia got more invaluable runs from the bat of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland who resisted through the end of the day. Their determined stand not only frustrated and tired the Indian bowlers but also helped Australia surpass the psychologically important milestone of a 300-run lead, providing their team with additional insurance heading into the fifth and final day. Nathan Lyon did the most with the bat, but Scott Boland too showed good character for his 10 runs off 65 balls. Australia could have been effectively all out had Bumrah not overstepped in the final over when Lyon nicked into the slips, but that just sums up the day.
The pair’s partnership lasted nearly 20 overs and yielded 57 valuable runs, providing Australia crucial breathing room. However, Mohammed Siraj broke through with a spectacular delivery to dismiss Labuschagne. By this point, Cummins had grown in confidence and continued to push Australia’s advantage before his own dismissal, making his presence felt with important runs in the lower order. India shuffled its bowlers and even summoned spin in tandem, but the lower order did well enough.
Australia, despite being under considerable pressure entering into the third session, found stability through Marnus Labuschagne’s resilient batting display. He found an ideal partner in Pat Cummins, who adopted a positive approach by rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard moving rather than getting defensive under pressure. Cummins has become habitual of those pivotal contributions with the bat as he has done it numerous times, but the weightage this Test holds from an Australian perspective, that partnership for the seventh wicket could well prove to be the point of difference in this contest.
STUMPS, DAY 4 – SESSION SUMMARY – 33 Overs, 93 Runs, 3 Wickets – No reason to not love this format of cricket. From 91/6 to 228/9, Australia survives the day in a spectacular fashion. This Test match has been a pure box-office. To call it a remarkable display of cricket would be an understatement for what unfolded at the MCG on this Super Sunday! It was a test of pulse, grit, and character in the truest sense. As befitting this storied rivalry, the contest lived up to expectations, with neither side willing to concede ground. The spectators witnessed precisely what one would anticipate from these cricketing powerhouses, as momentum oscillated between the teams like a pendulum.
81.6 – FOUR! Edged but safe and it runs away to the fence as well to close out Day 4. Immaculate length from Bumrah and on a tight line around off, Nathan Lyon fends off the back foot but gets an outside edge that goes wide of the slip cordon and rolls away into the deep third fence. Bumrah is down on his haunches as Australia rake in a lead of 333 runs and that will be STUMPS ON DAY 4!
Batsman_1 : Nathan Lyon 41(54)
Batsman_2 : Scott Boland 10(65)
Bowler : Jasprit Bumrah 4/56(24)
Over : 82
Run : 14
Wicket : 0
Score : 228/9
81.5 – A tad full and angled in from middle, Lyon flicks it away to mid-wicket.
81.4 – Hard length on middle, angling in, Nathan Lyon with a neat tuck off the back foot and in front of square leg for a couple of runs, bringing up the 50-run stand between these two as well. Wow!
81.4 – No ball! Oh, deary me! What an anti-climax! KL Rahul somehow manages to stick to the catch and Jasprit Bumrah seems to have a well-deserved five-fer but then comes that dreaded signal from the umpire and Bumrah has overstepped yet again. Nagging length around off, nibbling off the deck, Lyon gets squared up and gets an outside edge down to third slip where Rahul manages to hang on to the bowl almost between his two legs but it won’t count.
81.3 – Excellent running! Fractionally short and around off, Nathan Lyon presses back and dabs it down wide of point and picks up a couple of runs in the deep.
81.3 – Back of a length and around off, straightening off the deck, Lyon presses back and across to block it off. Bumrah has also overstepped and it will be a No Ball.
Well then, possibly the final over of the fourth day now. And the ball has been handed to Jasprit Bumrah (23-7-42-4). Spell number nine for the premier Indian pacer.
81.2 – Just back of a length and around off, Lyon presses back and pushes it down into the off side.
81.1 – FOUR! A rare loosener from Bumrah and Nathan Lyon takes full toll of it. Dishes out a wide full toss, begging to be hit and Lyon slashes it away behind point for another boundary.
80.6 – Back of a length and angled into the hips, tucked away neatly down to long leg for a single.
Batsman_1 : Nathan Lyon 29(46)
Batsman_2 : Scott Boland 10(65)
Bowler : Akash Deep 0/53(17)
Over : 81
Run : 7
Wicket : 0
Score : 214/9
80.5 – Shorter in length and over middle and leg, angling just down leg, Nathan Lyon looks to play at it but is beaten.
80.4 – FOUR! That’s the other side of the new ball, it really flies off the bat and that is a top shot again from Nathan Lyon. Fuller in length and on off, Lyon leans across and drills the on-drive a bit uppishly but well to the left of mid on for a boundary.
80.2 – An appeal from behind for caught behind but the umpire turns down the appeal. Bowled a bit shorter and at the body, some extra bounce with the new ball and Boland almost gets strangled down the leg side but the ball flicks the jersey rather than the glove or the bat.
80.3 – Back of a length and around off, dabbed away off the back foot and wide of the point region for a single.
And there it is! The second new ball has been taken by India.
The second new ball is available now. Will India opt for it? They didn’t. Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the new Kookaburra cherry in his hand and tosses it up to the on-field umpire Joel Wilson. Akash Deep to continue with the old one.
80.1 – Pitches the ball right up around middle, looking for that reverse swing, Lyon though gets nicely forward and punches it towards mid on for a quick single.
79.6 – On the shorter side and around middle, played off the back foot and tucked away neatly past short leg.
Batsman_1 : Scott Boland 9(63)
Batsman_2 : Nathan Lyon 23(42)
Bowler : Washington Sundar 0/7(4)
Over : 80
Run : 1
Wicket : 0
Score : 207/9
79.5 – Relatively full again from Sundar and around middle, Boland leans on to make another block.
