The ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah delivered again when the Indian team wanted him to and brought his side back into the ongoing boxing day Test with a sizzling spell of fast bowling on day four at the MCG. Bumrah claimed 4/56 and was the pick of all the India bowlers in the second innings.
The day began with plenty of optimism in the Indian camp as centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mohammed Siraj walked into bat to add to India's overnight score of 358. Unfortunately for the tourists, the optimism didn't last long as Nathan Lyon dismissed Reddy for 114 and ended India's innings for 369.
India came out with gumption and attacked the Australian opening pair of Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja. Bumrah came out all guns blazing and created an opportunity on the penultimate ball of the third over. Bumrah forced Khawaja, who was batting on 2, to edge one to Yashasvi Jaiswal who was stationed at leg gully but the ball burst through Jaiswal's hands. It was the first of the three catches shelled by Jaiswal on the day as he went on to drop Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins.
Fortunately for Team India, the missed opportunity didn't cost them much as Mohammed Siraj cleaned up Khawaja for 21. Bumrah opened his account in the second innings with the wicket of Sam Konstas, who was his nemesis in the first innings. Bumrah knocked over Konstas for just 8.
Steve Smith was the third wicket to fall for Australia as Siraj got him to edge a fullish wide one to Rishabh Pant for 13. Smith's wicket opened the floodgates as Bumrah made light work of birthday boy Travis Head (1) and Mitchell Marsh (0) in a single over. Head's wicket allowed Bumrah to complete 200 wickets in Test cricket - the fastest India pacer to the milestone.
Bumrah also didn't let Australia's wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey (2) hang in for long and rattled his stumps to give India a real crack at the lower order. Australia's lead was just 204 when Jaiswal dropped Labuschagne off Akash Deep on the second ball of the 40th over and it hurt India badly.
Labuschagne was on 46 and went on to score 70 before Siraj trapped him in front of his stumps. Cummins and Labuschagne added 57 runs for the seventh wicket and shut the door down on India's face. Cummins edged one to Rohit Sharma off Ravindra Jadeja on 41 but India couldn't mop up the Aussie tail.
Lyon (41*) and Scott Boland (10) added 55 runs for the final wicket and remained unbeaten at the end as Cummins decided against the idea of declaration. Australia are on 228 for nine and lead by 333 runs with the final day left in the Test match.
