Jasprit Bumrah brought some cheers to the Indian camp by dismissing Usman Khawaja at the fag end of the day.
Credit: X/@BCCI
Sydney: The shadow of Rohit Sharma’s absence loomed heavily over the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with the overcast skies mirroring the somber mood within the Indian camp.
At the toss, stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah maintained that Rohit had "opted to rest," but the explanation cut little ice -- much like the decision to bat first on winning the toss.
The Sydney Cricket Ground’s reputation as a spin-friendly venue clashed with the reality of a green-tinged pitch and overcast conditions, offering plenty of encouragement to the Australian pacers. The surface, with its high and unpredictable bounce, proved challenging for the Indian batters, who endured a series of painful blows. Rishabh Pant (40, 98b, 3x4, 1x6), in particular, bore the brunt, taking hits to his forearms, thighs, shoulders, helmets, and more.
While the ball moved in the air initially and off the seam throughout, it was the disconcerting bounce that left the Indian batters in trouble. Australia’s pace attack, featuring bowlers towering between 6’2” and 6’5”, made the most of the conditions, extracting extra lift and discomforting the visitors throughout the innings.
India’s decision to bat first, though debatable, wasn’t entirely without merit. With inclement weather forecast for the final two days, the team may have aimed to post a substantial total early and allow enough time to bowl Australia out twice.
Despite their intent to weather the storm, the Indian batters found themselves undone by a relentless Australian bowling attack on the opening day of the fifth and final Test.
The hosts, led by Scott Boland 4/31, exploited the early conditions to perfection, ripping through India’s top and middle order as India, who brought in Shubman Gill for Rohit and Prasidh Krishna for Akash Deep, folded for 185 in 72.2 overs. With Mitchell Starc (3/49) and Pat Cummins (2/37) completed India's misery. They were all disciplined, probing and gave little away to drive home an early advantage.
In reply, Australia were on nine for the loss of Usman Khawaja with a heated exchange of words and glares between Bumrah and Sam Konstas adding spice to the contest.
India’s reshuffled opening pair, Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul, struggled to make an impact. Gill, returning to the XI after being benched in Melbourne, joined Virat Kohli in a cautious partnership that offered brief stability. Kohli survived a close call when the third umpire overturned Steve Smith’s catch, ruling that part of the ball had brushed the turf. Runs were scarce, but the innings seemed steady until Gill fell to Nathan Lyon’s last ball before lunch -- a recurring theme in this series, with Indian batters often losing their wickets just before innings breaks.
Post-lunch, Kohli squandered yet another promising start, edging Boland to slip. Pant and Ravindra Jadeja then dug in, enduring a torrid time at the crease but managing to see India through to tea at 107/4.
Coming here after copping criticism and incurring ire in the change-room for playing two loose shots in the Boxing Day Test, Pant showed welcome restraint. The southpaw grinned and grimaced through a literally painful innings. His partnership with Jadeja, though gritty, was far from convincing.
The collapse came in the final session, as India lost their remaining six wickets for just 61 runs, with the tail alone contributing 37 of them and Bumrah belting 22 of them. It was a disappointing finish to a challenging day, leaving the visitors with much to do. But if the pitch retains its bite, India have a genuine chance of staging a comeback.