3rd Test, Day 4: India Need Two Wickets To Win, Pat Cummins Resists

India needed just two wickets to win the Boxing Day Test but Pat Cummins scored a gritty half-century to keep Australia alive on the fourth day at the MCG, Melbourne, on Saturday. The visitors got extra 30 minutes to bundle out the Australian team but failed to dismiss the tail-enders. Pat Cummins was on 61 (not out) and Nathan Lyon unbeaten on six as Australia ended the Day 4 at 258/8, 141 runs away from huge target of 399 runs.

After early morning drizzle, India started an overcast fourth day in Melbourne with a 346-run lead and with five wickets in hand on a wearing pitch becoming increasingly difficult to bat on.

Skipper Virat Kohli declared at 106 for eight, leaving Australia to chase what would be a record fourth innings total of 399 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The previous biggest successful run chase at the ground came in 1928, when England made 332 for seven.

India still have a day in hand to wrap up the last two wickets as they zero in on a first-ever series win Down Under. There is just the Sydney Test next week to go, with the series level at 1-1.

Australia's task was made harder when Aaron Finch again flopped, throwing his role as a Test opener under ever more scrutiny with speculation that he either has to drop down the order in Sydney or make way for someone else.

He played a poor shot to pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who snared six wickets in the first innings, and was caught by Kohli for three.

Fellow opener Marcus Harris followed him back to the pavilion for 13, getting an inside edge from spinner Ravindra Jadeja to Mayank Agarwal close in.

Usman Khawaja was the next to go after a lively 33, trapped LBW by Mohammed Shami. He chose to review the decision with the ball-tracking technology showing it clearly hitting the off stump.

When Shaun Marsh was also trapped leg before by Bumrah for a brisk 44 and his brother Mitch, another candidate for the Sydney axe, fell for 10, Australia's faint survival hopes were fading fast.

Travis Head put up some resistance with a battling 34 before his stumps were knocked over by Ishant Sharma and when skipper Tim Paine went for 26 it appeared all but over, until Cummins dug in.

Cummins had brought the game back to life late on Friday by grabbing four wickets in a devastating spell after his team were skittled for just 151 in reply to India's first innings 443 for seven declared.

Debutant opener Agarwal, who had witnessed the carnage from the other end, showed early aggression on Saturday when they resumed, rushing down the pitch to smack spinner Nathan Lyon for two big sixes.

But he was no match for Cummins who was again Australia's saviour when a low delivery ricocheted off the bat onto the stumps and he was out for 42.

It was Cummins' third five-wicket haul in his 17 Tests and he achieved the feat in just nine overs for 14 runs.

Not satisfied, he then had Jadeja caught at short point by Khawaja for five to give him career-best figures of 6/27 off 11 overs.

When Rishabh Pant fell to Josh Hazlewood for 33, Kohli made the declaration.

(With AFP inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Virat Kohli Pat Cummins Ravindra Jadeja Australia vs India 2018/19 Cricket Australia vs India, 3rd Test