Australia’s top order helped the hosts win early honors on Boxing Day by rediscovering its magic throughout the holiday season. Australia’s top four players—Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith—all reached 50 after winning their first toss of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Although the former three were unable to turn their efforts into three-figure scores, their contributions were crucial to the team’s opening-day total of 311 for 6. India was able to stay in the match thanks to Akash Deep’s heroic effort and Jasprit Bumrah’s double strike in the last session.
Australia sought’something else’ to throw at India after three Test matches, and they turned to 19-year-old Sam Konstas to challenge Bumrah’s dominance over the top three. With the unrestrained boldness of his strokeplay, the debutant dazzled a boisterous holiday crowd at the renowned stadium, uncorking the party popper.
Early in this match on a decent surface at the MCG, he charged and reverse-scooted India’s fast bowlers, was not hesitant to get into a fight, and overall thrown a big spanner in India’s plans. Along the way, he was blessed with good fortune, especially in the first over when Bumrah beat him four times. In response, the child attempted two reverse scoops, but each time his bat only made contact with the thin Melbourne air.
However, when Konstas made three connections with his reverse scoops in the seventh over, the match was completely turned upside down. For the first time since the Sydney Test of 2021, Bumrah had given up a six in the format when two of them went to the ropes and the other fell over it. During a stretch of play that made even the smart Bumrah bowl white-ball lengths, it put India in a difficult situation.
Konstas scored 34 from the 33 he faced from India’s talisman during his opening six-over period, which cost him 38. More significantly, it meant that Khawaja, who had lost to Bumrah four times in this series, only had to face three balls from his opponent during that first stint and was able to start his innings.
After forcing India into a fly halt in the opening hour of a Test match, Konstas devised a new strategy: back away and pound the fast bowlers via the off-side. He whacked away anything short across midwicket, unafraid of hitting the ball in the air. He became Australia’s second youngest Test match half-centurion in just 52 balls, and he acknowledged the occasion by smashing Siraj for four and six off the next two deliveries, bringing his total of boundaries to eight (6x4s;2×6). His innings ended on 60 when Jadeja beat him on the inside edge and won an LBW appeal to break the 89-run opening stand.
But Konstas the kid, who walked back to a loud applause, had set the tone for the rest of the batters, particularly Khawaja and Labuschagne, who had reasonably smooth openings to their innings. After conceding 112 runs in just 25 overs in the first session, India improved their bowling performance in the second session by using straight lines and an extra fielder on the leg side. Akash Deep and Bumrah each bowled two maidens to start the second session, before Khawaja broke the rut with a pulled boundary.
Both Deep and Bumrah reached the edges, but the softer ball, combined with an early lack of zip off the surface, prevented the catches from carrying to the cordon. Only 26 runs were scored in the 13 overs of play in the hour to refreshments, which allowed Khawaja to reach his first half-century of the series. Mohammed Siraj, on the other end, had Labuschagne in a lot of pain with deliveries that sliced back into the right-hander.
Bumrah eventually returned for another spell and broke the 65-run stand by accounting for Khawaja for the fifth time in these four Test matches, proving that all the attrition had paid off for India. However, Khawaja’s toe-ending a pull shot straight to midwicket was quite fortuitous, causing even the bowler to seem surprised.
After one partnership ended, Australia’s top two batsmen were moved to the middle. Smith got off to a quick start, particularly against Jadeja, whom he regularly went down the field to loft over the top. Smith had recently hit a century in Brisbane. At the start of the last session, Labuschagne and Smith were eager to take advantage of a ball that was 53 overs old, having scored 61 runs from the first 12 overs. India threw away a review the other time, and the umpire’s call once granted the master batsman a reprieve. Deep caught Smith on the shuffle twice during another curious but fruitless stretch of bowling.
But right after the drinks break, Labuschagne’s run out to Washington Sundar and subsequent catch to Virat Kohli at mid-off turned the tide of the match. Australia went from 237 for 2 to 246 for 5 thanks to another brilliant spell with the old ball from Bumrah. Travis Head was cleaned for a duck by the series’ highest scorer when he shouldered arms. Then, as Mitchell Marsh attempted to swipe across the line, he was caught for four.
When India got the second new ball, Australia was able to make a respectable 53-run partnership out of Smith and Alex Carey until the relentless Deep got the latter out for 31. Smith and Cummins wrapped off the difficult session under the lights, with the star batter going unblemished at 68.
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