Captain Jasprit Bumrah gave India a glimmer of hope of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the dramatic dismissal of Australian opener Usman Khawaja in the final delivery of the first day at the SCG.
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The hosts were in complete control of the New Year’s Test after steamrolling India for 185 in 72.2 overs on a bowler-friendly deck, with the Australian openers tasked with surviving three overs in a tricky passage of play before the strains.
However, the referees were forced to intervene when Bumrah became embroiled in a tense war of words with Sam Konstas at the non-striker’s end during the latter part of the day, a potential time-wasting ploy by the part of the adolescent.
And in a late twist, Khawaja edged Bumrah’s final delivery to KL Rahul at second slip, at which point the Indian fast bowler immediately turned and looked at Konstas as his teammates celebrated the late breakthrough.
Australia are 1-9 on day one, with Konstas undefeated on 7, still trailing by 176 runs.
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Konstas vs Bumrah: “heated” final over | 01:25
Earlier on Friday, Australian seamer Scott Boland claimed four wickets, including his 50th Test scalp, to tear apart India’s middle order before fellow quick Mitchell Starc (3-49 from 18 overs) helped clean the tail. The Victorian finished with 4-31 from 20 overs, his best bowling figures since his unforgettable Test debut at the MCG in 2021.
None of the Indian players reached fifty, while boundaries proved difficult to break as the tourists took turns at around two runs per over throughout the day.
The innings was marred by some controversial decisions from third umpire Joel Wilson, with Snicko Tech once again in the spotlight, while the Australians wasted chances against all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on 3 and 5.
Gill defeated by Smith’s tweet | 00:31
After taking over from ax captain Rohit Sharma, Bumrah came out donning the navy blue jacket and opted to bat first after winning the toss.
Indian opener Rahul survived five overs on the soft wicket before lofting a half-volley over the injured Starc’s leg stump towards square leg, where Konstas accepted a regulation chance.
Brought into the attack in the eighth over, Boland needed just four deliveries to unearth a breakthrough, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal heading towards the slip cordon where Australian debutant Beau Webster grabbed his first Test catch.
“It’s over!” – DRS drama favors Kohli | 03:07
Controversy erupted in the next delivery when Indian superstar Kohli closed in on a rushing Steve Smith at second slip, who parried the Kookaburra with an outstretched hand to teammate Marnus Labuschagne at gully. However, third official Joel Wilson controversially disallowed the dismissal after a lengthy review, ruling that Smith had received assistance from the box before throwing the ball. The Australian vice-captain shook his head in disbelief after his acrobatic effort went unrewarded.
Kohli and the recalled Shubman Gill added 40 for the third wicket before the Indian No. 3 suffered a brain faint on what proved the final delivery before lunch, needlessly charging at spinner Nathan Lyon and slipping for 20.
Smith gives it to Gill after a brainfade | 00:49
At the start of the afternoon session, Kohli lazily tapped a long delivery from Boland and advanced to Webster for 17, booed by the Sydney crowd as he left the field. The 35-year-old was denied another wicket in his over when Smith dropped a cart at second slip, gifting Jadeja a youth.
Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who top-scored with 40, absorbed two painful blows as he faced Starc from Paddington End – one left him with a bruise on his left arm while the another crashed into his helmet, forcing a concussion test.
Webster: “We all thought it was over” | 08:35
Soon after, Lyon squandered a one-handed chance at backward point to hand Jadeja another reprieve and deny Webster his first Test wicket, with Pant rubbing salt in the wounds by slapping the next delivery down the ground to a 99m six. In the comical scenes, venue staff needed a ladder to retrieve the ball from the top of the viewing screen.
Pant required further medical attention after hitting a Cummins bumper on the shoulder, but survived until the tea break as part of a 48-run partnership with Jadeja for the fifth wicket.
Boland BREAKS India with near hat-trick | 01:50
The momentum shifted firmly back in Australia’s favor early in the evening when Boland struck on consecutive deliveries – Pant hitting a pulled shot towards mid on before Smith swallowed a catch at second slip to remove the centurion from Melbourne Nitish Reddy Kumar for a golden duck. The hat-trick narrowly escaped Washington Sundar’s outside edge, with Boland receiving a standing ovation from the members’ stand when he returned in good leg.
Jadeja’s labored knock ended when Starc trapped him squarely on the pads for 26 – the left-hander lost a review before shyly taking off the ground when ball tracking showed the Kookaburra would have hit mid -height of the central stump.
Wilson was once again the center of attention as Australia reviewed a caught chance against all-rounder Sundar, who was sent out for 14 after a small spike appeared on Snicko as the Kookaburra passed his glove.
“Something there” – Assessment passed! | 02:50
Prasidh Krishna departed after attempting some wild work before Cummins (2-37 from 15.2 overs) ended the innings, with Bumrah blasting for 22 (17) in a late reply.
With the Sydney crowd cheering for a trademark ramp, Konstas instead charged at Bumrah and clipped the first delivery of the Australian innings to mid-wicket for a boundary. Later in the same period, Bumrah hit Khawaja on the glove, allowing the Australians to waste valuable time with medical staff running to the ground.
However, Konstas’ late antics ignited Bumrah and gave India something to celebrate after what was otherwise a one-sided day.
Earlier, Australian great Mark Waugh presented Webster with his baggy green as the Tasmanian all-rounder became the country’s 469th men’s cricketer.
The fifth Test between India and Australia will resume on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. AEDT.
