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Going to be led by Jasprit Bumrah instead of regular captian Rohit Sharma, India seek series parity as the fifth and final Test of a highly entertaining Test series unfolds in Sydney. India are the Border-Gavaskar Trophy holders so a win in the ultimate clash will mean they get to retain the bragging rights. Australia, on the other hand, will be keen to lay their hands on the coveted silverware for the first time in ten years.
Jasprit Bumrah was deservedly named Player of the Series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 after finishing with 32 wickets in the five-match series.
Australia defeated India by six wickets in the fifth and final Test at Sydney. The hosts rued the services of Bumrah who only bowled 10 overs before going off the field due to back spasms and didn’t return. He’s carried the Indian team throughout the series and it was no wonder that his body gave up at the home stretch after a workload of 151.2 overs in the series.
He was devastating at times, so it's no surprise to see Jasprit Bumrah named the NRMA Insurance Player of the Series. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/7qFlYcjD2d
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 5, 2025
Metronomic accuracy. Potent movement either way. Workhorse Scott Boland replaced the injured Josh Hazlewood ahead of the Boxing Day Test and he’s proven his mettle once again. Ten wickets in Sydney for the champion bowler.
Scott Boland is named the NRMA Insurance Player of the Match after a 10-wicket haul 👏#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/JMYd4iNohL
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 5, 2025
Memorable performance on debut from Beau Webster as he dances down the wicket and thrashes Washington Sundar over mid-off. Australia win by 6 wickets and pocket the hard-fought series 3-1, also punching themselves a ticket in the WTC final. A loud roar from Webster before embracing his partner. Ecstatic scenes in the Australian dressing room. Webster now strolls back to the center to collect a stump as a souvenir.
Despite the dismissal of Usman Khawaja, the runs have come thick and fast for Australia after Lunch. India’s attack lacks bite in the absence of their spearhead.
Fresh off a 57, debutant Webster has joined Head at the crease and looks adamant to see the rest of the chase through. Australia have one hand on the trophy now!
7 wickets in the session and this game is deliciously set up with the odds in favour of Australia. It took the hosts 7.5 overs today morning to close the Indian innings as Boland registered a six-fer, claiming 4 off the top 7 batters while at it.
After securing a lead of 161, India conceded 26 runs off the first 2 overs, 12 of them were extras. Thankfully for the tourists, Prasidh found his lengths after his opening over and claimed all three wickets to tumble thus far. Konstas perished slogging, while Smith and Labuschagne flirted with deliveries distant from the off stump.
Prasidh Krishna’s maiden official delivery on this tour got big on Steve Smith, and he strikes with a replica in the second innings.
The spiteful bounce that the lanky Prasidh is able to generate makes life difficult for batters. Takes the shoulder of Smith’s bat and goes low to the right of Jaiswal at third slip. He dives to complete a good catch.
Since Smith was shuffling forward, it wasn’t really possible to restrain the momentum and he ended up getting into an awkward tangle. India have struck thrice in quick succession, is there life in this game?
The Australian No.3 was woefully out of form coming into the series, with questions hanging over his place in the side as he’d become prone to idleness at the crease. The BGT saw a resurgence of sorts as he scored three fifties, but apart from that there were a lot of low scores.
A harmless short of length tempter wide of off, Labuschagne decides to have a crack at it and ends up steering it straight into the hands of Jaiswal at third slip. He was leaving all those deliveries up until this point but a rush of blood swallows him.
6.2 overs to 50 runs – the second fastest team 50 against India behind Sri Lanka who got there in 5.5 overs in the fourth innings at Colombo SSC in 1985.
India need wickets and they need them quick if they harbour any aspirations of retaining the BGT or reaching the WTC final.
The precocious talent was in a hurry. It was fun while it lasted as his entertaining knock ends with a catch spooned to mid-off on 22(17). Australia are 39 for 1 in the fourth over chasing 162.
26 runs is the most runs conceded by India in the first two overs of an innings in Tests, and Konstas is adding insult to injury. Siraj strays down leg and the young lad doesn’t miss out. Two flicked boundaries in the over.
The most experienced pacer in the absence of Bumrah, Siraj is struggling to make an impact in the second essay after having a decent outing in the first. The low total on the board doesn’t help one bit, to be fair.
Bumrah, who was the last India batter to be dismissed, hasn’t taken the field for the start of the fourth innings. Having experienced back spasms yesterday and gone to the hospital for scans, Bumrah fronted up to bat on day three, but signs are that he might not be able to bowl. The target looks even weaker with Bumrah absent.
India don’t have too many runs to play with and Siraj has taken away five from the total. India are rueing the services of Bumrah as the first over reaps as many as 13 runs, with Sam Konstas manufacturing a boundary of the ultimate ball.
India have added only 16 runs today and lost four wickets in the process. Ideally they would have wanted 30-40 more but batters have had a tough time surviving on this track, so game on!
Washington Sundar’s resistance has come to an end. India lose another big wicket. He tried to defend but the ball went between his bat and pad to disturb the woodwork. Pat Cummins has decided to attack the sticks and the plan is working like a charm. The ball angled in significantly and Washington Sundar just didn’t have the answers.
This is the first time in his 9-Test career that Washington Sundar has faced under 100 balls in a Test where he got dismissed twice.
Body blow for India as Jadeja exits. The Australian skipper once again is leading from the front. The southpaw tried to cover the line but the ball deceived his judgement to brush the edge. India lose number 7. They have a lead of only 151 in the bag. Australia will smell blood now. Massive strike early in the day. Was fuller from Cummins and Jadeja wasn’t able to bunt it out.
He didn’t score even a single run in an entire hour yesterday, a very strange approach on a surface where runs have come at a premium. If you fancy reading more about how the second day panned out, check out Aryan Surana’s feature:
Careworn heading into the do-or-die match in Sydney, 🇮🇳 found the proverbial tonic via the Konstas episode, the aftereffects of which reflected in the performance of the change seamers, the improved catching and Pant’s rip-roaring 61 off 33 balls #INDvsAUShttps://t.co/d6BbCHasfO
— Aryan Surana (@iamaryansurana) January 4, 2025
