Australia beat India by 184 runs in the final session in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday. With this win, they took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. The five-day match saw a total attendance of over 3,70,000, including 74,362 on the fifth day.
After facing a challenge of 340 runs, the Indian team was reduced to 155 runs in the second innings. In the final 40 minutes, Nathan Lyon tripped Mohammad Siraj and ended the match.
Australian captain Pat Cummins took 6 wickets in the match and won the man of the match title with crucial knocks of 49 and 41 runs. Cummins said, “It was the most memorable Test match of my career. The crowd made the match even more special.”
India’s innings collapsed:
The Indian team started at 25 not out, but Pat Cummins managed to get Rohit Sharma (9) and K. L. Dismissed Rahul (0) gave India a shock. In the afternoon session, Mitchell Starc caught Virat Kohli (5) and India were in trouble at 33-3. Rishabh Pant (30) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (84) put on a partnership of 88 runs for the fourth wicket. However, Pant lost his wicket trying to hit an aggressive shot off Travis Head. After that, the Indian innings could not recover and the next seven wickets fell for just 34 runs.
Scott Boland (3-39) and Nathan Lyon (2-37) bowled impressively to wrap up India’s innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed on 84 after Australia’s DRS review, which sealed India’s defeat.
Historic audience numbers:
The attendance for the match was 3,73,691, breaking the record of 3,50,534 set in the 1936–37 Ashes series, which became a new record at the Melbourne ground.
A commendable performance from Jasprit Bumrah: India’s Jasprit Bumrah took 5-57 to end Australia’s second innings on 234 runs. With 30 wickets in the series, Bumrah is the highest wicket-taker in the series.
Focus on the final test:
Australia will need to avoid defeat to clinch the trophy in the final Test starting January 3 in Sydney, while India need a win to level the series. Indian captain Rohit Sharma said, “We had our chances, but we fell short of making the most of them.”
This match has been a learning experience for the Indian team and both teams are now gearing up for the final in Sydney.