Australia vs India: Marnus Labuschagne, a half-century and a cussed drive late within the match, takes a 333-run lead | Cricket Information

Marnus Labuschagne’s half-century and dogged batting led Australia to a 333-run lead on the finish of the fourth day of the fourth Take a look at in Melbourne on Sunday, leaving India going through a record-breaking chase to steal the victory.

Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland paraded to an enormous ovation from the house followers on the Melbourne Cricket Floor, after combining for an unbeaten 55-run partnership for the ultimate wicket as Australia discovered themselves at 228-9.

Lyon weren’t out forty first, Boland (eleventh) was tenth and India’s hopes of victory had been decreased significantly within the last hour.

Indian dynamo Jasprit Bumrah threatened to show the match on its head with a three-wicket blast earlier than tea in entrance of 43,867 followers.

However quantity 3 Labuschagne (70) and captain Pat Cummins (41) steadied Australia with a 57-run partnership earlier than Boland and Lyon annoyed India additional.

The day ended bitterly for the vacationers when Bumrah had Lyon stunned by a juggling KL Rahul within the last over – with a no-ball.

Just one group chased down greater than 300 for victory in an MCG Take a look at; England made 332 to beat Australia in 1928.

Whereas Boland and Lyon made issues look straightforward, Labuschagne stated there was sufficient room on the sphere for Australia’s bowlers on day 5.

“The motion (off-seam) has most likely been the identical, however the quantity of bounce is considerably much less,” Labuschagne instructed reporters in regards to the change of wicket.

“So it makes hitting fairly difficult as a result of extra balls are hitting the stumps at a shorter size.”

As spectacular because the resilience of the Australian rearguard was, it adopted some poor high quality middle-order batting.

After being in management at 80-2, Australia collapsed in a Bumrah-led assault to break down to 91-6.

Mohammed Siraj triggered the collapse when Steve Smith chased a supply vast and full and hit wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant to be out for 13.

Bumrah had Travis Head caught at sq. leg to say his two hundredth Take a look at wicket.

He struck once more 4 balls later to take away quantity six Mitchell Marsh for a duck with a gloved catch from Pant earlier than throwing Alex Carey by way of bat and pad for 2.

Australia was teetering, however Cummins weathered the storm with typical defiance.

After scoring 49 runs within the first innings, he produced an important 41 to dampen India’s momentum.

When Labuschagne was at weight in opposition to Siraj, Cummins added 25 extra runs with Mitchell Starc (5) and Lyon earlier than falling to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.

Yashasvi Jaiswal wasted two probabilities, with Labuschagne spared on 46 when he despatched Akash Deep to gully and opener Usman Khawaja obtained a reprieve from two with a spill to leg gully.

Khawaja went on to make 21 earlier than Siraj bowled him within the morning.

Nitish Kumar Reddy additionally missed a troublesome probability to take away Cummins for 9 runs, misjudging the trajectory of the ball as he chased down the Australian skipper’s work at mid-off.

Reddy stated it will be necessary to have “one or two good partnerships” to provide India an opportunity of victory.

“We will see later, on the fourth day, that the pitch was doing a bit of bit extra,” Reddy stated. “We needn’t put extra stress (on ourselves) by saying the pitch is doing this or that.”

The five-game sequence is tied at 1-1. The fifth and last Take a look at is scheduled to start on January 3 on the Sydney Cricket Floor.