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In a dramatic turn of events, the last over of day four in the fourth Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) Test match saw Jasprit Bumrah being denied a five-wicket haul after he overstepped the line at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The right-arm fast bowler, who had the second new ball in his hand, got Nathan Lyon to nick it to third slip where KL Rahul somehow managed to hold onto the ball, following which the on-field umpire called it a no-ball to the disappointment of Indian players and fans.
Notably, Jasprit Bumrah was used extensively in short spells throughout the day four’s play by captain Rohit Sharma, and in the afternoon session, he ran through the likes of Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Alex Carey within a space of a few balls, to bring India right back into the Test match. But ultimately, the unbeaten stand of 55 runs for the last wicket between Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland, helped Australia take the lead up to 333 runs, to put themselves in a great position to win.
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Jasprit Bumrah is fourth fastest to 200 Test wickets in terms of balls
The no-ball wicket came at the worst possible time for India, not only because it gave the opportunity to the Australians to extend their lead further, but also meant that Jasprit Bumrah missed out on taking the third five-wicket haul in the ongoing five match BGT series. Earlier, the 31-year-old became the fourth fastest to 200 wickets in Test cricket in terms of balls (8484), behind the likes of Waqar Younis, Dale Steyn, and Kagiso Rabada.
Apart from four wickets for Jasprit Bumrah in the Australian second innings at the MCG, Mohammed Siraj returned back to form by picking up three wickets of his own. The right-arm fast bowler, who had made his Test debut for India four years ago at the same ground, got the better of Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne after the latter scored back-to-back fifties in Melbourne.
The day five is expected to be a thrilling spectacle with the Indian batting lineup expected to go after the target if they get a good start in the first session, which will also allow the Australians to come into contention in terms of picking up wickets quickly.
