Australia Claims Thrilling Test Victory Over India

MELBOURNE, Australia — In a captivating conclusion at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia secured a dramatic 184-run victory over India on the final day of the fourth Test match. This victory was witnessed by a record crowd, with over 370,000 spectators attending the match over five days, which is a remarkable feat in cricket history.

The match came to an end when Nathan Lyon bowled Mohammed Siraj LBW with less than 40 minutes remaining, bowling out India for a total of 155 runs in their second innings. With this win, Australia now leads the series 2-1, setting the stage for the upcoming fifth and final Test scheduled to commence on January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. A draw in the next match will be enough for Australia to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.

“I would say this is probably the best Test match I’ve been a part of,” said man of the match Pat Cummins. He had an impressive performance, taking 3 wickets for 28 runs over 18 overs and contributing significantly with the bat, scoring 49 and 41. “I am not certain of the exact number of fans today, but it felt like a massive crowd,” he added. “Overall, it was just a fantastic win for us.”

Earlier in the innings, India found themselves at 25 without loss, but a stunning double-wicket maiden from Cummins shifted the momentum, dismissing both Rohit Sharma (9) and K.L. Rahul (0). The team went into lunch at a precarious 33-3 after losing the vital wicket of Virat Kohli, who fell for only five runs, caught at slip off Mitchell Starc’s delivery.

Despite this rocky start, Rishabh Pant (30 off 104 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal formed a partnership, adding 88 runs for the fourth wicket. Though India seemed to be playing for survival, Pant’s aggressive play cost him when he was caught after attempting a big shot off Travis Head, causing India to collapse from 121-4.

In a swift downturn, India lost three wickets for just nine runs, with Scott Boland (3-39) striking twice and Lyon (2-37) sending Nitish Kumar Reddy, the first-innings centurion, back to the pavilion for just 1 run. A crucial moment came when Jaiswal was dismissed following a review call on a suspected caught behind, despite no sound being detected on the snickometer. Nevertheless, replays indicated a faint contact, leading to his departure after scoring 84 runs.

As the final hour drew near, Australia’s appeal against Akash Deep was initially dismissed by the umpire, yet it was overturned following a successful review, resulting in another wicket for Boland. He followed this with another dismissal, sending Jasprit Bumrah back for a duck, while Nathan Lyon clinched the final wicket of Siraj, leading to ecstatic celebrations from the Australian team and their supporters.

With the next Test just days away, Cummins reminded that celebrations would be short-lived. “We have a quick turnaround ahead,” he noted. “We’ll enjoy this victory for a couple of hours, but then it’s all about recovery over the next few days. We need to prepare for the last Test of the summer, balancing joy with the necessity for rest.”

The fifth day’s attendance reached 74,362, which contributed to a historic overall figure of 373,691 spectators, surpassing the previous record of 350,534 set during the 1936-37 Ashes series held in Melbourne.

On the morning of the final day, Australia had been bowled out for 234, with Bumrah achieving his 13th five-wicket haul by dismissing Lyon early. Bumrah is leading the series with an impressive tally of 30 wickets at an average of 12.83 and remarkable match figures of 9-156. He holds the unique distinction of being the only player in Test cricket history with over 200 wickets and a bowling average below 20.

Steve Smith led Australia’s score with an impressive 140 in their total of 474 during the first innings. India responded with 369 runs, highlighted by Reddy’s 114. Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, expressed disappointment over the outcome, reflecting, “We aimed to fight until the last ball, but we fell short. We had opportunities that could have changed the game but unfortunately, we let Australia back into it after having them at 91 for six during their second inning.”