🏏Australia vs India, 4th Test: Melbourne, 26 - 30 Dec 2024: Day 5 🏏 - Page 57

Originally posted by: DiamondLife

Hope Siraj breaks his own record tomorrow and plays 50+ balls

Originally posted by: DiamondLife

Hope Siraj breaks his own record tomorrow and plays 50+ balls

I "wish" that India could further reduce run trail to under 100.

I think Australia will try to go for the win here and will come out attacking and this time Konstas will get out playing a silly shot to Siraj.

This match is set for a draw.

🏏Australia vs India, 4th Test: Melbourne, 26 - 30 Dec 2024: Day 4 🏏

India vs Australia 4th Test Day 4 LIVE score: High-octane start expected as Reddy set to switch gears, AUS hunt wicket

India vs Australia 4th Test Day 4 LIVE Score: The first session will see centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy resume batting with Mohammed Siraj, with Australia desperately searching for the last Indian wicket.

India vs Australia 4th Test Day 4 LIVE Score: Australia looked like they were all set to dismiss India for a score that would be far lower than the follow-on mark but Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar had other ideas. The pair pulled the rug from under the buoyant hosts' feet with an eighth-wicket stand that lasted 285 balls and produced 127 runs. India were reduced to their last wicket quite quickly after Sundar fell on 50 off 162 balls but the drama of the day continued as Mohammed Siraj somehow kept one end alive and Reddy got to his maiden Test century with the most beautiful of lofted straight drives for four. He starts Day 4 on an overnight score of 105 off 176 balls and India are 358/9, trailing Australia by 116 runs.

India vs Australia 4th Test Day 4 LIVE Score: At a stadium which has created heroes and iconic images throughout its fabled history, one more was added to the rich tapestry of the Melbourne Cricket Ground as Nitish Kumar Reddy headlined India’s fightback in the Boxing Day Test match on day three. Reddy brought up his maiden international century when India needed it most, with a fine display of stoic and solid defensive batting mixed in with some typical flourishing and aggressive strokeplay.

Although play was cut short by bad light and a spot of rain towards the end of day’s play, the most exciting 15 minutes of the day arrived right towards the end, with Washington Sundar’s dismissal on 50 after a terrific, match-saving 127-run partnership with Reddy. Reddy was batting 97* at the time, but Jasprit Bumrah’s dismissal partway through Pat Cummins’ over meant there was a real chance of the Andhra all-rounder being stranded down the other end on 99. With his family watching on from the crowd and clearly feeling the tension, much like the tens of thousands of Indian fans at the MCG, the crunch moment came as number eleven Mohammed Siraj played a picture-perfect forward defence to see out the over and turn the strike over to the man of the hour.

Celebrating in style with a reference to Bahubali, Reddy’s loft over mid-on brought up a crucial century, as India slowly continued to chip away at the deficit. Now, heading into day four, Reddy’s knock has ensured that India can be confident about avoiding a loss in Melbourne, if not potentially even harbour hopes of going for a win as this Test reaches its climax. India will head out with one wicket in hand and a 116-run deficit, but Reddy has shown himself to be capable of scoring runs at a canter when required. Anything from this point will be a bonus, with the pressure of the match situation on Australia’s batters once they walk in for their second innings.

If Pat Cummins’ men want to try and force a result, they will have to go hell-for-leather in a similar manner to the Gabba, which didn’t quite work out for them before rain interrupted day five and saw a wash-out draw. The question the Aussie think-tank will ask themselves is two-part: how many sessions do they think they will need to bowl India out a second time, and how many runs will they be comfortable defending in that amount of time?

The directive, particularly for young debutant Sam Konstas and firecracker Travis Head, will be to go out and bat with freedom and look for runs, with the knowledge that even if wickets fall, there are plenty of batters within the Australian team who are capable of hanging on and making sure it doesn’t turn ugly for the hosts. Australia might look to bat until the final 8-10 overs of day four, looking to get as close to a lead of 400 as possible, which might need them to score at almost 4 runs per over consistently through the day on a pitch which is gradually showing some signs of spice.

In that ideal situation, the Aussies will be on the hunt for a wicket or two in the fading light of Melbourne, heaping all the pressure right back onto India and asking a fragile batting order to see out the entirety of day five, by which point it would be extremely surprising if the pitch doesn’t begin to deteriorate and offer more for Australia’s deathly-precise bowling unit. The less time India bats in the fourth innings, the more likely a draw is, while if Australia collapse in pursuit of runs similar to at the Gabba, even a win might be on the cards for the visiting team.

Australia’s approach early in their innings on Sunday will come to define the direction that this match takes, with all three results fairly feasible at the moment. India will be keeping a wary eye on how much purchase Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep, as well as the spin duo of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, will find on the MCG pitch.

Nitish Kumar Reddy established himself as one of the heroes of this year’s tour down under, but the story in this Test match might not be done quite yet.

Nitish Kumar Reddy's MCG century - in numbers

Not many, Indians or otherwise, have achieved what Nitish Kumar Reddy did at the MCG on Saturday

105* - Nitish Kumar Reddy's score at stumps on the third day of the MCG Test is the highest for batter from No. 8 or lower in Tests in Melbourne. Australian Reggie Duff's 104 from No. 10 in 1902 was the previous highest.

5 - Visiting batters to score Test hundreds batting at No. 8 or lower in Australia, including Reddy. It is also the first century by a No. 8 (or lower) batter for India in Australia, with Anil Kumble's 87 in 2008 at Adelaide the previous highest.

Reddy is only the second Indian to reach a century while batting at No. 8 or lower against Australia, following Wriddhiman Saha's 117 in Ranchi in 2017.

127 - Partnership runs between Reddy and Washington Sundar for the eighth wicket. It is the joint-third-highest for India against Australia, behind the 140 between MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the ninth wicket in the 2013 Chennai Test and 129 by Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh for the eighth wicket in the 2008 Sydney Test.

The 127-run stand is also the fourth-highest for India in away Tests for the eighth (or lower) wicket in Tests.

2 - Instances of two players facing 150 or more balls for India in a Test innings while batting at No. 8 or lower (where data is available). Syed Kirmani and Shivlal Yadav did this against New Zealand in Auckland in 1981, and now Reddy and Washington have done the same in Melbourne.

It is also the third such occurrence for any team in the past 25 years, with the previous two coming in the same Test - Shane Dowrich and Jason Holder for West Indies in their first innings and Zimbabwe's Regis Chakabva and Graeme Cremer in their second innings in the 2017 Bulawayo Test.

21y 214d - Reddy's age coming into the Melbourne Test. He is the third-youngest India player to score a Test hundred in Australia, after Tendulkar (18y 253d) and Rishabh Pant (21y 91d). Reddy is the third-youngest visiting batter to score a Test hundred in Melbourne.

2 - India batters to score their maiden Test hundred at MCG: Vinoo Mankad (in 1948) and Reddy. He is the first visiting batter to score his maiden Test hundred at the venue since JP Duminy in 2008.

8 - Sixes by Reddy in this series are the joint-highest by a visiting batter in a Test series in Australia. Michael Vaughan in the 2002-03 Ashes and Chris Gayle in 2009 also hit eight sixes each.

Day 4: The young Nitish Reddy stole the limelight yesterday. At one stage, India were in danger of not being able to avoid the follow-on. But, Nitish combined with Sundar and the duo ensured that India not only avoided the follow-on but brought the deficit down to almost 100. Nitish displayed astute technique, classy strokeplay and great mental toughness to carve his way through to a maiden Test hundred. The 127-run stand between the duo has brought life back into this game. That partnership was reminiscent of India’s first innings partnership between Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur in the fourth Test of the series in Brisbane in 2021 – Back then, that 7th wicket stand was the turning point that propelled India to win a scintillating game and retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Having said all that, India still have a long way to go in this game. Australia are still in a strong position. They would be eager to bowl out India as soon as possible this morning and then take it from there. Meanwhile, Nitish would be eyeing to score quickly with the No. 11 around him and reduce India’s deficit further. There are no demons on this surface with the ball coming on nicely to the bat. The weather forecast for today looks good. Expect another exhilarating day of Test cricket!

India still have a long way to go in this game. Australia are still in a strong position. They would be eager to bowl out India as soon as possible this morning and then take it from there. Meanwhile, Nitish would be eyeing to score quickly with the No. 11 around him and reduce India’s deficit further. There are no demons on this surface with the ball coming on nicely to the bat. The weather forecast for today looks good.

There was a whole heap of pretty wild cricket yesterday: Pakistan have given themselves a chance at Centurion; Melbourne Stars didn't bother appealing for a run out of Sam Billings (and lost their fifth game); Afghanistan batted all day without losing a wicket against Zimbabwe; and Sri Lanka somehow lost the opening T20I against New Zealand.

Aayush: "A potentially great day in store! If the pitch does not drastically change, AUS has to make all the moves. They will look to wrap up with a lead over 100, then bat for 65 overs, and give themselves about 100 overs to bowl India out with a target of 375 on the board." - The sums for Pat Cummins, if it comes to that, will be very interesting.

Rob: "Barring a catastrophic collapse of either side, which would likely need a drastic change in the pitch in the last two days, this is going to be a draw." Still nearly 200 overs available in this game. Draw perhaps favourite, but a lot can happen.