SYDNEY, (Reuters) – India’s pace attack, spearheaded by skipper Jasprit Bumrah, put Australia firmly on the back foot by taking four wickets in the first session of day two of the fifth test to leave the hosts on 101 for five at lunch today.
All-rounder Beau Webster, unbeaten on 28 in his first test innings, and Alex Carey, who was four not out, will resume after the break still 84 runs behind India’s first-innings tally of 185.
Bumrah, captaining India in place of the dropped Rohit Sharma, had removed Australian opener Usman Khawaja with the final ball on Friday and picked up where he left off on a surface still offering plenty for seam bowlers.
He had Marnus Labuschagne caught behind for two off the faintest of touches before Mohammed Siraj got the Indian fans in the packed crowd to their feet with two wickets in one over from the other end.
Teenager Sam Konstas had produced another of the ramp shots off Bumrah that distinguished his maiden test innings in Melbourne last week on his way to 23, only to flash a fizzing Siraj delivery to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully.
Travis Head followed for four runs three balls later with a thick edge that KL Rahul took comfortably at second slip, and Australia were rocking at 39-4.
Steve Smith and Webster steadied the ship with a partnership of 57 for the fifth wicket, but the former was removed with both lunch and his 10,000th test run in sight.
Prasidh Krishna, in the team for the injured Akash Deep, got Smith on his back foot defending, and the ball flew to the slips where Rahul again took the catch.
Smith’s hard-earned 33 left him five runs short of the 10,000-run mark.
Australia lead the series 2-1 and will clinch a spot in the World Test Championship with a win at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while India will retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if they can triumph in the finale.
On day one, India’s batting woes continued as they were dismissed for 185.
Scott Boland led the way with four for 31 as Australia’s bowlers revelled in seam-friendly conditions to restrict India’s scoring and knock over wickets with a regularity that delighted a sellout crowd of 48,000.
Only the suspicion of what Bumrah, the outstanding bowler of the series and Rohit’s replacement as captain, might do on the surface constrained the joy of home fans packed into the famous old ground.
They got a hint from the last ball of the three overs India managed to bowl at Australia before the close of play when Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja for two. “I thought all the bowlers were really good today. To bowl them out for under 200 was an excellent day for the bowlers,” said Australia’s debutant all-rounder Webster.
“(But) I’m not really sure what a good score is just yet, until both teams bat on it.”
Boland precipitated the end of India’s laboured innings early in the final session when he had Rishabh Pant caught at mid-on for 40 and dismissed Melbourne centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy off consecutive balls.
Washington Sundar was beaten by Boland’s hat-trick ball without making contact with it but Ravindra Jadeja was soon trapped plumb in front by Mitchell Starc (3-49) for 26 to leave India reeling on 134-7.
Sundar was unfortunate to depart for 14 when a TV review detected a brush of his glove on a Pat Cummins delivery and Bumrah wagged the tail with 22 runs from 17 balls before the Australia skipper had him caught at mid-wicket to end the innings.
Pant said he would have been happier with 40 or 50 more runs but felt that India’s score was not that far from par on a tricky wicket.
“It’s still a very competitive score, because of the way ball is moving now,” he told reporters. “I think there’s lot of help for the bowler, and hopefully we can capitalise on that.
India could still retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a victory but looked on the back foot from the moment Bumrah won the toss and sent his team into bat.
Cummins said he would have done the same but the paceman was still licking his lips at the greenish tinge on the wicket and the leaden skies above Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
The tourists had 11 runs on the board when Rahul departed for four and only six more when Jaiswal, on 10, was caught in the slips off Boland.
Boland thought he had Virat Kohli out for a golden duck off the next delivery but the roars of the sellout crowd turned to jeers when it was ruled the ball had kissed the grass as Steve Smith flicked it up for Marnus Labuschagne to catch.
Cummins tossed the ball to Nathan Lyon for the last over before lunch and the spinner removed Shubman Gill, Rohit’s batting replacement, for 20 with an edge into the busy slip cordon.
Kohli had scored 17 runs from 69 balls when he became Boland’s second victim with a stab at a delivery outside off which Webster collected with a fine diving catch in the slips.
Bumrah said at the toss that Rohit’s absence from the team was the 37-year-old’s own choice.
“Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game,” he said.
