Melbourne (Australia), December 30: Australia clinched a dominant 184-run victory over India in the Melbourne Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Monday, taking a 2-1 lead in the prestigious five-match series. The win dealt a significant blow to India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s.
India resumed Day 5’s third session at 112/3, with Rishabh Pant (28) and Yashasvi Jaiswal at the crease, still holding out hope for a victory. The pair started confidently, facing Australia’s spin attack with resilience.
However, the turning point came in the 59th over, when Travis Head’s spell helped dismiss Pant. Attempting to attack, Pant hit the ball towards long-on but lacked the power to clear the boundary. Mitchell Marsh sprinted to his left and took a well-judged catch to send Pant packing.
Australia’s bowlers then capitalized, rattling the Indian middle-order. Ravindra Jadeja, replacing Pant, couldn’t settle before being dismissed by Scott Boland for just two runs in the 63rd over. India was now 127/5.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, India’s hero from the first innings, was dismissed cheaply by Nathan Lyon for just one run in the 64th over, leaving India at 132/6. Washington Sundar joined Jaiswal at the crease in an attempt to rebuild.
In the 71st over, Australia skipper Pat Cummins made a crucial breakthrough, getting rid of Jaiswal in a controversial manner. Jaiswal, who had scored a valiant 84 off 208 balls, attempted a pull shot off a short ball but missed. The original decision was not out, but Cummins quickly opted for a DRS review. The third umpire, after reviewing the visuals, overturned the decision, ruling Jaiswal out. The crowd erupted in boos, with some fans chanting “Cheater-Cheater.”
With India’s hopes fading, Sundar and Akash Deep kept rotating the strike, but the pressure was mounting. In the 77th over, Boland struck again, dismissing Deep for seven runs, leaving India at 150/8.
Boland then dismissed Jasprit Bumrah for a duck in the 79th over, and with India needing 186 more runs to win, the result seemed inevitable. Mohammed Siraj replaced Bumrah, but the Aussie bowlers maintained relentless pressure, setting an attacking field.
In the 79.1st over, Nathan Lyon claimed the final wicket, removing Siraj for a duck, thus sealing Australia’s 184-run victory.
Boland and Cummins were the standout performers with the ball, each taking three wickets, while Lyon bagged two. Mitchell Starc and Travis Head contributed with one wicket each.
Australia’s dominant win gives them a 2-1 lead in the series.
Brief Score:
Australia: 474 & 234 (Marnus Labuschagne 70, Nathan Lyon 41; Jasprit Bumrah 5/57)
India: 369 & 155 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 84, Rishabh Pant 30; Pat Cummins 3/28)