MELBOURNE, Australia — On the second day of the fourth test in the five-match series, a sudden collapse due to a run-out allowed Australia to keep their lead, as India finished at 164-5 by the end of play on Friday. Australia began the day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a score of 311-6 and ended with a total of 474, spearheaded by an impressive 140 runs from Steve Smith, who played in front of a crowd of 85,147 spectators.
India faced a challenging start, initially recovering from a position of 51-2 to reach 153-2. However, things took a drastic turn as the team lost three wickets for just six runs just before stumps, leaving them trailing by 310 runs in their first innings. Captain Rohit Sharma’s dismissal for merely 3 runs, caught out at mid-on by Pat Cummins in the second over, set a troubling tone for India. Cummins, who finished with figures of 2-57, struck again just before tea, bowling K.L. Rahul for 24 and leaving India in a precarious situation.
The Indian innings began to stabilize thanks to a solid 102-run partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal, who notched up 82, and Virat Kohli, who contributed 36. Unfortunately, Jaiswal’s promising innings ended when he attempted a risky single after hitting the ball towards mid-on, only to realize too late that Kohli was not running. Commenting on the key moment, Steve Smith noted the significance of breaking that partnership, emphasizing how critical it was as Kohli began to look poised for a significant score.
With the pressure mounting, India’s Washington Sundar, who took 1-49 in Australia’s first innings, will need to step up with the bat on Saturday. Rishabh Pant (6) and Ravindra Jadeja (4) remain not out, while Sundar is next in line to bat. Despite the setback, Sundar expressed optimism regarding the team’s morale and their ability to continue fighting.
Scott Boland proved instrumental for Australia as well, achieving 2-24 by dismissing Kohli, who was caught behind, and Akash Deep, who went for a duck. Smith, resuming play at 68, reached seventh on the all-time century list with his 34th Test century, reaching his hundred from 167 balls, punctuated by a beautiful cover drive.
Smith, who is 35 years old, had also scored a century in the previous third test at Brisbane and now stands just 51 runs away from the prestigious 10,000-run mark. The only wicket to fall in the morning session was Cummins, who was caught off a delivery from Ravindra Jadeja (3-78) after a notable 112-run partnership with Smith.
Post-lunch, both Smith and Mitchell Starc departed early in the session. Smith ended an impressive innings, being bowled after hitting 13 fours and three sixes. Jasprit Bumrah continued his excellent form with 4-99, bringing his series tally to an impressive 25 wickets, averaging 13.12.
This match follows a fiery first day that saw match referee Andy Pycroft impose a fine of 20% on Kohli’s match fee for making “inappropriate physical contact” with Australia’s debutant opener Sam Konstas, who scored 60 runs. With the series now tied at 1-1 after a rainy draw in Brisbane, the fifth and final test is set to begin on January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
