The fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 saw Australia defeat India by 184 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The home side won the toss and opted to bat first. Sam Konstas (60) and Usman Khawaja (57) gave Australia a solid start. Konstas played a fantastic knock, striking Jasprit Bumrah all around the park. At three, Marnus Labuschagne (72) also contributed with a valuable innings that helped keep the scoreboard ticking. However, the star of the first innings was Steve Smith (140), who smashed a remarkable century, putting Australia in a commanding position. Smith’s innings featured 13 fours and three sixes. Towards the end, skipper Pat Cummins (49) hit a few boundaries, taking Australia to a formidable total of 474/10.
Jasprit Bumrah once again proved to be India’s best bowler, claiming four wickets. Ravindra Jadeja supported him well, taking three wickets, while Akash Deep bagged two and Washington Sundar took one.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (82) continued his fine form with the bat, giving India a strong start after the dismissal of skipper Rohit Sharma. Jaiswal had decent partnerships with KL Rahul (24) and Virat Kohli (36), but unfortunately got run out while batting with the latter one. What seemed like another setback turned into a remarkable story for emerging Indian talent, Nitish Kumar Reddy (114). The in-form batter, who had been consistent throughout the series, finally achieved his first landmark at the MCG by scoring a crucial century. Reddy, alongside Sundar (50), put together a vital 127-run partnership, helping India recover and pull themselves out of trouble.
For the Aussies with the ball, Cummins, Scott Boland, and Nathon Lyon all picked up three wickets each.
In the second innings, the home side had a disastrous outing, with no batter from the top order, other than Labuschagne (70), able to make a significant contribution. The partnership between Labuschagne and Cummins (41) helped rescue the team from a collapse, while Lyon (41) added valuable runs towards the backend of the innings.
Bumrah was once again the standout bowler, claiming another five-wicket haul, while Mohammed Siraj took three wickets. Ravindra Jadeja also picked up a wicket in the innings.
Chasing 340, Jaiswal (84) looked determined and seemed set to bat all day, but he was dismissed in the 70th over. Unfortunately, there was little support from the other end. Rishabh Pant (30) looked solid for a while, and the partnership was progressing smoothly until Pant attempted to hit a big shot, only to pick out Cummins at the boundary. Pant acted recklessly when he tried to make a huge shot at such a critical moment. In the face of increasing pressure, some would argue that it was a thoughtless error. From 121/3, Indian batting heavily collapsed to 155/10.
With this result, the home team has taken a 2-1 lead in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Scorecard:
Australia: 474/10, Overs 122.4, Steve Smith 140, Jasprit Bumrah 4/99
India: 369/10, Overs 119.3, Nitish Reddy 114, Scott Boland 3/57
Australia: 234/10, Overs 83.4, Marnus Labuschagne 70, Jasprit Bumrah 5/57
India: 155/10, Overs 79.1, Yashasvi Jaiswal 84, Pat Cummins 3/28