Australia gains early lead in Sydney in World Test Championship to set up fifth Test against India.
India dropped captain Rohit Sharma but their batting woes continued as they were dismissed for 185 on the opening day of the crucial fifth and final Test against Australia in Sydney.
Scott Boland led the way with four for 31 on Friday as Australia’s bowlers made do with friendly conditions to limit India’s total and knocked down wickets with a regularity that delighted a sell-out crowd of 48,000.
Only the doubt of what Jasprit Bumrah, the outstanding player of the series and Rohit’s replacement as captain, could do on the surface limited the joy of the home fans packed into the famous old ground.
They got a hint from the last ball of the three overs that India managed to bowl before the close of play when Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja for two.
Teenager Sam Konstas, who had a brief spat with Bumrah shortly before Khawaja’s departure, will resume at seven, not out with Australia nine for one.
Australia lead the series 2-1 and will not only seal the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also a place in the World Test Championship final against South Africa with a win in the final.
“I thought all the bowlers were really good. To bundle them out for under 200 was a great day,” said Australia’s debut all-rounder Beau Webster, who admitted it might not be the highest-scoring surface. “I’m not really sure what the good result is still, until both teams achieve it,” he added.
Boland hastened the end of India’s struggling innings early in the last session when he had Rishabh Pant caught at mid-on for 40 minutes and dismissed Melbourne centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy off successive balls.
Washington Sundar was bowled by Boland’s hat-trick ball without making contact with him, but Ravindra Jadeja was quickly trapped by Mitchell Starc (3-49) for 26 to leave India reeling at 134-7.
Sundar was unfortunate to depart for 14 when a TV review revealed a brush of his glove on a Pat Cummins delivery, while Bumrah wobbled the tail with 22 runs from 17 balls before the Australian captain caught him at mid-on field to end the innings.
Pant said he would have been happier with another 40 or 50 runs, but felt India’s score was not that far from the level of a tricky wicket. “It’s still a very competitive result, because of the way the ball is moving now,” he told reporters. “There’s a lot of help for the pitcher and hopefully we can take advantage of that.”
India could still retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy with a win, but looked back from the moment Bumrah won the toss and sent his team into bat.
Cummins said he would have done the same, but the pizza man was still licking his lips at the shade of green on the harbor – and the leaden skies above Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The tourists had 11 runs on board when Rahul departed for four and just six more when Jaiswal, on 10, was caught at slips off Boland.
Boland thought he had Virat Kohli out for a golden duck in the next delivery, but the crowd’s cheers turned to jeers when the ball was adjudged to have kissed the grass as Steve Smith lifted it to catch Marnus Labuschagne.
Cummins bowled Nathan Lyon for the last over before lunch and the spinner removed Shubman Gill, Rohit’s replacement, for 20 with an edge on the busy slip cordon.
Kohli had scored 17 runs from 69 balls when he became Boland’s second victim with a stab at a delivery outside off, which Webster took with a fine diving catch at slip.
Bumrah said at the launch that Rohit’s absence from the team was the 37-year-old’s own choice. “Our captain has shown leadership by choosing to rest in this game,” he explained.
