India late slump before close put Australia ahead in 4th test after Smith century

 


India's hopes of taking the lead in the series with a Boxing Day Test victory have taken a significant hit. Far from chasing a win, Team India is currently struggling at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Chasing Australia's imposing total, half of the Indian batting lineup is back in the pavilion with just 164 runs on the board. At the end of the day, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja remain at the crease, but India trails by a massive 310 runs in the first innings. Pat Cummins and his team are firmly in control of the Boxing Day Test.


At the close of play on Day 1, Australia had posted 311 runs despite losing six wickets. Steve Smith was instrumental in building the innings, smashing a brilliant century to keep Australia ahead. Smith looked in vintage touch as he attacked a tired Indian bowling who could not use the 2nd new ball well on a good batting pitch . Smith drove , cut & played excellent hook shots off Bunrah & Siraj for 6s while Pat Cummins batted superbly to score a sparkling  49  .  Their innings eventually ended at 474 soon after lunch , thanks to some aggressive batting on the second day, adding 163 runs in just one and a half sessions. Starc , Lyon & Boland added crucial late runs while Smith was bowled in peculiar style for a gallant 140. This daunting total of 474  has left India on the back foot, with the batters succumbing to poor shot selection one after another.


Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opened the innings for the first time in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cricket experts had advised Rohit to move up the order since he wasn’t finding runs in the middle order. However, the shift brought no change in fortune. Playing an unnecessary aggressive shot off Cummins in just the second over, Rohit was dismissed for a mere 3 runs off five balls.


After Rohit’s departure, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul attempted to stabilize the innings, building a 43-run partnership. However, Rahul (24)  fell just before the lunch break, leaving India under pressure as Cummins bowled him for 24 with an unplayable delivery before lunch . Post-lunch, Virat Kohli seemed in good touch, adding 102 runs in partnership with Jaiswal who was batting breathtakingly well with sparkling shots all around the ground . . However, disaster struck towards the end of the day when Jaiswal was run out in a careless moment as he went to take a tight single but Kohli didnt respond as he was ball watching . Kohli, too, fell victim to his old weakness of chasing wide deliveries, scoring just 36 before being dismissed by Boland . Nightwatchman Akash Deep also failed to hold his ground dismissed by Boland, leaving India in dire straits.


As it stands, India’s chances of winning the Melbourne Test are fading fast, with the Australian team firmly holding the upper hand.  However with the pitch really looking good for batting & Nathan Lyon so far not looking  very threatening in this series , India can still eke out a draw with determined batting .


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