Australia’s Dominant Over at the MCG
Steve Smith’s 140 took Australia to 474 on Day 2 of their first innings against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Friday, in the 4th Test. This was his fifth on a Boxing Day Test, and the 34th of his career, taking the home side closer to a big score. Australia resumed the day at 311-6, with key contributions from Sam Konstas (60), Marnus Labuschagne (72), and Usman Khawaja (57) in the opening day. Smith’s knock came after all the top four batsmen had made significant contributions, setting up a solid foundation.
Bizarre Dismissal Ends Smith’s Knock
Smith, who was just 10 runs away from his 150, was dismissed in a bizarre fashion. While trying to pull a delivery from Akash Deep, Smith charged down the pitch but accidentally dragged the ball onto his stumps, causing the bail to dislodge. That dismissal, which left him visibly perplexed, marked one of the rare ends of what had otherwise been an innings of patience and calm. His knock of 140 put him along with other cricketing giants, like Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara.
Collaboration with Pat Cummins
This morning session, Smith was putting in an impressive 144 runs in collaboration with Pat Cummins, the skipper of the Australian side. The contribution from him came as a well-knitted 49. With the collaboration, Australia moved into a mark that is past 400. Here the Australians continued dominating in the game.
Bowling from the side of India
For India, it was pacer Jasprit Bumrah who was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets for 99 runs. Ravindra Jadeja also used the ball to good effect and took 3 wickets for 78 runs. Akash Deep made a mark taking 2 wickets for 94 runs. The Australian side then went on to build up a total that would pose a serious challenge to the Indian side.
Series Update
The five-match series is evenly balanced at 1-1. India took the first Test in Perth by a 295-run margin, whereas Australia secured a commanding 10-wicket victory in Adelaide. The third Test at Brisbane was a rain-curtailed draw. Hence, the fourth Test becomes a significant match for both teams to gain an edge in the series.
Australia have made a big total and India hasn’t yet batted. This contest is wide open still. However, having batted so well in the first two days of the match, Australia would have been in a very strong position, but with the series level, every session counts as both teams would want to get an important win.
