Australia Beat India 4-2 in the Fourth Test at the MCG
Ahead by 155 runs with 42 nail-biting overs left, India’s hopes of saving the Test faded away as canny Scott Boland and Pat Cummins sucked up wickets at regular intervals.
Khawaja pulled a short one for a boundary and that was the last sniff of a win for the visitors who have struggled with their batting all series.
Australia beat India in a thrilling final to clinch the championship title, showcasing a dominant performance with both bat and ball. The Aussies held their nerve under pressure, while India struggled to keep up the momentum in the closing stages of the match.
The first Test
The first Test was a disaster for India as they were crushed by Australia’s metronomic bowling. The Indian batting crumbled and only Sehwag and Parthiv Patel provided any resistance. Rohit Sharma was unable to hit a century as he struggled with his form throughout the series.
The Australian batting didn’t fare much better as the top order collapsed twice. But Damien Martyn stepped up and scored a crucial century.
India were in a great position at one stage but lost the match. Harbhajan Singh took two 10-wicket hauls in the match.
The second Test
The second Test of the series saw Australia take an early lead as Ed Cowan and David Warner hit half centuries but Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc missed out on theirs. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara responded for India with a huge partnership taking them over 400.
But Australia made the most of it, with a brilliant spell from Matthew Kuhnemann who finished as leading wicket-taker for the series. Nathan Lyon was also very good with his fast-medium bowling, while Prabath Jayasuriya picked up four wickets in the innings and nine for the series.
Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara put up a valiant fight for India as they struggled to 135/7, but in 42 nail-biting overs they managed to get the job done. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy had eluded Australia for over a decade and they could not have wished for a better way to reclaim it. The victory was especially significant given Pat Cummins (ankle), Josh Hazlewood (side), Marcus Stoinis (retirement) and Mitch Marsh (back) were all ruled out of the tournament.
The third Test
After a comprehensive defeat in the second Test, India were under pressure to avoid another humiliation. But Virender Sehwag and Cheteshwar Pujara ensured that the Indian batting order did not collapse again. This helped them build a big total and give Australia a tough time in their chase of 394. Harbhajan Singh took another 10-wicket haul (5-146 and 6-78).
On the fifth day, the pitch started to deteriorate and rain threatened to turn the game into a dead rubber. But the Australia batsmen stepped out with intent and tried to force a result.
Usman Khawaja played with a real sense of purpose, hitting some airy drives and taking on the spinners. But his innings ended when he was caught at short extra-cover off Jasprit Bumrah. Australia were 85/6 at the time.
The fourth Test
Australia came from behind to win a gripping fourth Test against India at the MCG and take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series going into the final match at Sydney.
Ed Cowan and David Warner both scored half centuries while Shikhar Dhawan, who replaced Sehwag, made a superb century on his debut.
But it was the pace bowlers who did the damage as Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon all picked up two wickets each.
At tea it was a deadlock at 154/6 with India needing to survive another 42 nail-biting overs to force a draw. But drama engulfed the final session as the third umpire overruled a DRS review ruled out against Indian batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal. It appeared the youngster had clearly edged a ball to leg side from Mitchell Johnson but on-field umpire Billy Bowden turned down the appeal.
