 "IND vs AUS, 5th Test Day 3 Highlights: Australia regain Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India knocked out of WTC final race")
India vs Australia 5th Test Highlights: Australia were set a target of 162 on Day three of the fifth and final Test against India in Sydney on Sunday after the visitors were all out for 157 in their second innings. India only had a four-run lead, and the visitors once again collapsed to a low total with a majority of batters failing to get going in the second innings. Rishabh Pant (61), who scored a 29-ball fifty , was the only silver lining for India in the second innings.
India are trailing the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series 1-2. India, led by Jasprit Bumrah, had won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs before losing the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw amid interruptions of rain whereas Australia clinched a thumping 184-run win in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Australia were off to a flying start, but Sam Konstas was dismissed for 22. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/ECjPAxWdoq
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 5, 2025
Australia were bowled out for 181, giving India a four-run lead on the first innings, and could not take advantage of India captain Jasprit Bumrah leaving the SCG for medical scans for back spasms . Bumrah later returned to the SCG but there was no confirmation on whether the star bowler would be able to bowl in the remainder of the test — or bat in India’s second innings.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsBeau Webster top-scored for the hosts with 57 and a wicket in a bright debut, while Steve Smith narrowly fell short of bringing up 10,000 career test runs in front of his home crowd. Pant then lit up the SCG with a swashbuckling 61 off 33 balls with six boundaries and four sixes to leave the match evenly poised after the end of just the second day.
“If I was sitting at home and watching (it), I would have loved it and, and to be able to (watch) it from the ground, I mean there’s nothing like it,” said Prasidh Krishna. “I know it’s, it’s a lot of risk, but then that’s the way the game is played today.”
At stumps, Jadeja was eight not out and Washington Sundar was unbeaten on six. Scott Boland backed up his four wickets in India’s first innings with four more on Saturday.
First, he bowled two near-unplayable deliveries to bowl opening pair KL Rahul (13) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22). Boland (4-42) followed that up by yet again tempting Virat Kohli outside off stump which the veteran guided straight to Smith at slip in what may be the 36-year-old Kohli’s final test innings in Australia.
“Every time he plays, he does the job well,” McDonald said of Boland. “His ability just to be relentless on a length, move the ball both ways is, yeah, it’s proving difficult, in particular on the surface back over to the left.” Webster (1-24) chalked up his first test wicket, having Shubman Gill (13) caught behind after a wild swipe.
Earlier, Australia conceded a four-run deficit as it was bowled out at tea. Steve Smith (33) and Webster appeared to have stabilized the host’s innings after its top order was toppled in quick time by Bumrah (2-33) and Mohammad Siraj (3-51).
Bumrah took Labuschagne to go with Khawaja’s wicket and took his overall series tally to 32 wickets, the highest ever by an Indian bowler in a single series in Australia, passing spinner Bishan Singh Bedi’s 31 during the 1977-78 series.
Australia lead the series 2-1 and must avoid defeat to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15. A win by India and a drawn series at 2-2 would allow the visitors to retain the trophy for a record-extending fifth consecutive time.
A win for Australia at the SCG would book the team’s spot in a second straight World Test Championship final where it would play the already-qualified South Africa at Lord’s in June.
With inputs from The Associated Press
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