Australian lower order fights back after Bumrah magic

MELBOURNE: Jasprit Bumrah left the host in a daze with a dream spell but the courageous Australian lower order steered the side to a commanding 333-run lead on Sunday, setting up the Boxing Day Test for an intriguing last-day finish.

Australia finished the fourth day at 228 for nine, leaving India skipper Rohit Sharma a bit irritated as the home team was in a spot at 156 for 8 at one stage.

Australia’s number 8, 10 and 11 batters saw off nearly 35 overs and it could prove decisive if India doesn’t bat exceedingly well on a track which has remained true in all four days.

Bumrah (4/56 in 24 overs) was an artist at work in the first two sessions and found his ally in Mohammed Siraj (3/66 in 22 overs) as momentum suddenly swung in India’s favour.

Bumrah was unplayable for the better part of the second innings and completed 200 Test wickets on the day at an incredible average of 19.56.

But as luck would have it, he couldn’t complete his five-for as he overstepped when he had Nathan Lyon caught in the slips by KL Rahul. Insult to the injury was the last-ball boundary hit by Lyon.

With immaculate length, awkward bounce and late movement, Bumrah had the Australian line-up in complete tangle but India let slip the advantageous position in the final session.

Pat Cummins (41 off 90 balls), Lyon (41 batting, 54 balls) and Scott Boland (10 batting, 65 balls) beefed up the second innings total, leaving a jittery Indian top-order with a mountain to climb on the final day.

A victory isn’t impossible but for it to happen India would need something freakish from Rishabh Pant and at least a couple of senior batters need to shrug off the rust.

The pitch has no demons but Indian batters need to clear the cobwebs in their minds.

Marnus Labuschagne played his grittiest knock of the series with a 70 but Yashasvi Jaiswal’s three dropped catches could cost India dear despite another day of heavylifting by the peerless Bumrah.

Labuschagne fought doggedly but could have been dismissed for 47 if Jaiswal held onto a regulation catch in third slip off Akash Deep.

For the first time since the Perth Test, Bumrah had meaningful support from the other end as Australia lost three wickets in a space of 10 deliveries.

The pacer’s effort helped India regain a good bit of control despite conceding a 105-run first innings lead even after Nitish Reddy’s brilliant 114.

Steve Smith (13) edged while trying to drive Siraj while Bumrah had Travis Head (1) who flicked uppishly to man-of-the-moment Nitish Reddy at square leg.

Bumrah had ended Shaun Marsh’s Test career during the 2018-19 series, and this time his younger brother Mitchell Marsh (0) had no answers to the star Indian pacer’s probing questions.

Brief scores: Australia (1st innings) 474 & (2nd innings) 228/9 in 82 overs (M Labuschagne 70, N Lyon 41 batting, P Cummins 41, J Bumrah 4/56, Md. Siraj 3/66) vs India (1st innings) 369 in 119.3 overs (NK Reddy 114, Y Jaiswal 82, W Sundar 50, P Cummins 3/89, S Boland 3/57, N Lyon 3/96)