MELBOURNE :Australia took seven wickets after tea on day five to win a classic fourth test against India by 184 runs and snatch a 2-1 series lead heading into the final match in Sydney.
India were coasting on the back of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant’s partnership through the entire middle session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but lost 7-34 to be all out for 155 in front of a mammoth crowd of 74,362.
Australia captain Pat Cummins and fellow pacer Scott Boland finished with three wickets apiece, with spinner Nathan Lyon chipping in two on a dramatic final day which was tinged with controversy over the use of the Decision Review System (DRS).
“It was an amazing test match. I reckon that’s one of the best to be part of,” said Cummins, named Player of the Match after scoring 100 tail-end runs and taking six wickets.
“All week the crowd’s been ridiculous, and the cricket’s been just as good. Petty happy at the moment, happy to contribute.”
The big day-five crowd brought the total attendance in Melbourne to 373,691, a record for a test match in Australia.
India were 112 for three when they resumed after tea with Jaiswal and Pant well set, looking to bat the tourists to safety, if not take a record 340 runs for victory.
However, after showing unusual restraint early on, Pant threw away his wicket with a hard pull at part-time spinner Travis Head to be caught for 30 by a sprinting Mitchell Marsh in the deep.
The wicket ended an 88-run partnership and turned the match.
Boland had number six Ravindra Jadeja caught behind for two with a steepening delivery before Steve Smith lunged for a brilliant catch at slip to remove Nitish Kumar Reddy, who nicked Lyon to be out for one.
Controversy erupted when Jaiswal pulled at a short Cummins ball, prompting a big appeal for caught-behind, and the Australia skipper reviewed immediately when it was turned down.
Replays showed a clear deviation high off the bat but no evidence of a nick on the “Ultra Edge” technology. The TV umpire decided the deviation was enough, though, and overturned the decision.
Jaiswal, out for 84, remonstrated with the on-field umpires and sections of the crowd chanted, “Cheater! Cheater!”
‘PUT UP A FIGHT’
Akash Deep was then dismissed for seven, again on review, caught by Head off the bowling of Boland with a thin edge pinging off his pads. Australia referred the not-out decision and this time “Ultra Edge” showed a healthy nick.
That left tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to try to hold Australia out with some 40 minutes to stumps. Both fell for ducks, with Lyon sealing the win by trapping Siraj lbw.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” said India captain Rohit Sharma, who was dismissed for nine on Monday after managing three in the first innings.
“If you look at the overall test match, we had our opportunities, we had our chances. We just didn’t take them.”
India will rue their failure to clean up Australia’s tail late on day four, with Lyon and Boland finishing with a 61-run partnership for the final wicket.
Bumrah bowled Lyon for 41 on the final morning to wrap up Australia’s second innings for 234. He finished with 5-57 for the innings and nine wickets for the match.
Cummins had taken flak from some fans and pundits for not declaring on day four to give his bowlers a chance for quick wickets after tea.
But he silenced the critics by striking twice in the same over before lunch on Monday, dismissing Rohit and KL Rahul for a duck.
Rohit now has 31 runs at an average of 6.20 for his three matches, the worst-performing specialist batter in the series.
Virat Kohli was unable to save India, falling for five to Mitchell Starc with another nick behind when driving outside off-stump.
The result left India’s hopes of making the World Test Championship final on a knife-edge, while boosting Australia’s chances.
India need to draw the series with victory in Sydney and then hope other results fall their way to reach the WTC decider.
