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India entered tea with strong hopes of salvaging a draw in the Boxing Day Test, but Pat Cummins and his men relentlessly kept up the pressure, sealing a remarkable victory at the MCG. As the final hour unfolded, Australia triumphed in a thrilling contest, securing a 2-1 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match, played […]
India entered tea with strong hopes of salvaging a draw in the Boxing Day Test, but Pat Cummins and his men relentlessly kept up the pressure, sealing a remarkable victory at the MCG.
As the final hour unfolded, Australia triumphed in a thrilling contest, securing a 2-1 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match, played before a record crowd, saw Australia take seven wickets in the final session after it seemed India was on course to escape. Yashasvi Jaiswal battled through 208 deliveries, before falling to the indomitable Cummins, while Scott Boland played a key role, taking three crucial wickets to guide Australia to one of their most memorable victories. Nathan Lyon sealed the win by dismissing Mohammed Siraj lbw, sparking wild celebrations among the Australian players. The 184-run margin, though decisive, didn’t quite capture the drama and tension of the final day, nor the significance of this victory for a team that had bounced back after their crushing loss in Perth.
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After India slipped to 33 for 3, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant fought back, adding 88 runs in 32 overs to take India into the final session with seven wickets in hand. However, Travis Head struck, dismissing Pant, and Australia seized the opportunity, taking 7 wickets for just 34 runs. The Australian quicks were exceptional, with Mitchell Starc bowling at mid-140kph despite a back niggle, while Cummins and Boland added to their MCG heroics. Cummins earned the Johnny Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match for a remarkable all-round performance, contributing 90 runs and taking six wickets.
The match also saw a controversial moment when Jaiswal’s defiant innings ended via DRS after he appeared to glove a pull shot down the leg side off Cummins. Despite Snicko showing no clear contact, third umpire Sharfuddoula ruled there was a deflection, aligning with the TV replay. Jaiswal seemed to acknowledge the hit, but still questioned the decision on his way off. With the lower order left to survive 21 overs, India’s resistance crumbled. This defeat means India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final are now out of their hands, but they can still retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a win in Sydney. For Australia, a 3-1 series victory would secure their spot in the WTC final alongside South Africa, who qualified after their own thrilling win over Pakistan.
The final day began with Australia nine wickets down, opting to continue batting, adding just six more runs but reducing the day’s overs. Nathan Lyon became the fifth wicket for Jasprit Bumrah, extending his record for the most Test runs without a half-century. This set the stage for India to chase 340 in 92 overs, with comparisons to the famous Gabba 2021 chase never far from the conversation.
India began cautiously against some probing new-ball bowling, with Rohit Sharma later admitting that their goal was to set a platform for a chase, though it always seemed a long shot. Australia had to wait for their breakthroughs, but as has often been the case, it was Pat Cummins who led the charge. He dismissed the struggling Rohit Sharma, who edged to gully where Mitchell Marsh took a sharp catch, and just five balls later, Cummins produced a beauty to KL Rahul, who was squared up and caught at first slip.
In the final over before lunch, Mitchell Starc, battling through injury, earned a deserved wicket when he tempted Virat Kohli to drive outside off, the ball finding Usman Khawaja’s hands. The dismissal ended Kohli’s controversial stint in Melbourne and dashed any realistic hopes of India chasing down the target.
In the afternoon, Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant played solidly, fending off everything Australia threw at them. Jaiswal, who had dropped three catches the previous day, including a key chance off Marnus Labuschagne, survived a tight lbw appeal against Starc on 31 and brought up his second half-century of the match from 127 balls.
Shortly after tea, India were 121 for 3 when Travis Head, brought in partly to help Australia’s over rate, dropped a ball short outside off stump. Pant, attempting a pull shot, found Mitchell Marsh at long-on, who took a superb catch. That dismissal gave Australia a fresh opening and renewed belief.
Cummins quickly returned to the attack, and Scott Boland soon had Ravindra Jadeja caught behind off a rising delivery. In the very next over, Nathan Lyon struck, with India’s first-innings savior Nitish Kumar Reddy edging one that straightened, and Steven Smith took a brilliant low catch at slip. Australia had taken 3 wickets for just 9 runs, breaking the innings wide open.
Jaiswal’s dismissal will undoubtedly be scrutinized in the coming days, as the DRS came into play once again to confirm that Akash Deep had edged the ball onto his pad, sending it to short leg. By that point, Australia were firmly in control, especially with the new ball just around the corner. However, they didn’t even need it to seal the win.
Boland found Jasprit Bumrah’s outside edge, and Steven Smith took another brilliant catch. Then, Nathan Lyon struck, delivering a cannonball into Mohammed Siraj’s front pad. India’s review came, but it was clear the ball was heading straight for the stumps. As the decision was upheld, Lyon couldn’t hide his joy, performing a little jig of delight.
This Test, watched by a record 373,691 spectators, will go down as one of the most memorable in recent history.
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