The cricketing world is currently engrossed in the ongoing Test match, with the series between Australia and India tantalizingly tied at one game apiece. The 4th Test, also known as the traditional Boxing Day Test, started on Thursday, December 26, and is set to conclude on Monday. Despite the inclement weather and the eventual result of the previous Test at the Gabba, there were several noteworthy performances and events.
Steve Smith broke his hoodoo to score a 33rd ton, while Travis Head once again demonstrated why he is considered by many as the most destructive batter in world cricket at the moment. The Australian team, however, seemed to struggle against the bowling prowess of Jasprit Bumrah. The momentum in the series has swung back and forth, mirroring the events at the MCG. Smith’s century helped Australia make the early running, before their seamers made inroads. Nitish Kumar Reddy then entered the fray at the ideal time to blast his maiden Test century.
More wickets from Bumrah stopped the Aussies from getting too far ahead, and now the 4th instalment of this thrilling Border–Gavaskar series comes down to a 5th Day shootout. The hosts will need to take 10 wickets, while India will be chasing in excess of 300. This means that a draw and a tie also remain possible outcomes. India’s performance in the series has been commendable, especially considering the fact that they have only won one Test match so far. That victory came under the leadership of star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Rohit Sharma, who had stayed back in India due to the birth of his second child when the first Test match was played, has been struggling since his return. India lost the Adelaide Test match under him and the Gabba Test match ended in a draw. As things stand right now, Rohit’s future will completely depend on India’s BGT retention and their World Test Championship finals qualification.
Virat Kohli, hailed as India’s most successful Test skipper of all time, relinquished his role as a skipper after India’s tour to South Africa in the fall of 2021. Rohit Sharma later took the charge as India’s skipper in all the three formats. Both Kohli and Rohit have been champion players for India across formats, but their style of leadership is different from each other.
During the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test match, an animated Virat Kohli was spotted setting the field for India in Rohit Sharma’s presence. Kohli’s overly animated body language left broadcaster Mark Nicholas confused. Kohli even plotted Steve Smith’s dismissal with his long-time Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate, Mohammed Siraj. ‘Virat Kohli is extremely animated on the field, as if he is captaining the side’, said Nicholas while calling the game.
In the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test, both teams made changes to their squads. The Indians brought in a talented spin-bowling all-rounder from Mumbai, Tanush Kotian, who is the like-for-like replacement for Ravichandran Ashwin who announced his retirement from International Cricket after the 3rd Test in Brisbane. As for Australia, they surprisingly dropped their first-choice opener Nathan McSweeney for the last two Tests and replaced him with 19-year-old Sam Konstas who has an impressive first-class record with 718 runs in the 11 matches he has played and is averaging 42.23 with two centuries and three half centuries to his name.
The pitch at the MCG is generally quite well-balanced. Historically, the surface has assisted fast bowlers early on in a match because of its true bounce and lateral movement. Depending on the pace of the match, batters can expect conditions to improve, especially on Days 2 and 3. Spinners may gain an advantage as soon as the pitch ages.
Unfortunately for India, few of their players including the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli had some altercations with the Australian journalists and they have now started to blow things out of proportion. Despite India not being at their best, the Australian media knows that they are a powerful bunch of players and they can hit back on the Australian team in the last two Test matches of the series. All the white noise being created by the Australian media is nothing but their shameful ploy of pressurizing the Indian players.