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On Sunday, December 29, the Indian cricket team added 10 runs to their overnight score of 358/9 early on Day 4 of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored his maiden Test ton on Saturday, December 28 to help India finish on a dominant position, was dismissed by Nathan Lyon at the score of 114 off 189 deliveries.
With Indian team being bundled out at the score of 369 early on Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test, Australia then added to their lead of 105 runs. In the bowling department for the hosts, skipper Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon finished among the wickets, picking three each, whereas Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head went wicketless.
Australia put 333 runs lead at Stumps on Day 4
While the Aussie openers could not last long in the middle as Jasprit Bumrah shattered Sam Konstas in the seventh over, Mohammed Siraj bowled out Usman Khawaja (21). Thereafter, Marnus Labuschagne looked in good touch and steadied the innings in the middle, scoring 70 off 139 deliveries. However, Steven Smith, who scored his 34th Test hundred in the first innings at MCG, becoming the only batter to score 11 Test hundreds against India, most by any player, could not make much of an impact as he got out off Mohammed Siraj’s delivery.
Travis Head (1 off 2), Mitchell Marsh (0 off 4) and Alex Carey (2 off 7) also did not do much with the bat with the hosts suffering a sudden collapse. But skipper Pat Cummins, once again played a crucial 41-run knock to help the side add to the lead. After the fall of nine wickets, Nathan Lyon (41 off 54) and Scott Boland (10 off 65) stitched 55-run stand for the tenth wicket to help put 333-run lead.
For India, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah once again shone, picking four wickets in his 24-over spell. Mohammed Siraj also picked three wickets whereas Ravindra Jadeja got one to his name.
