Rishabh Pant (6*) and Ravindra Jadeja (4*) came close at the late crease, but India’s progress to reach 153 with two wins was seriously dented as three wickets fell behind in the final half-hour. . Scott Borland and Pat Cummins each scored twice to put Australia firmly in the lead.
Skipper Rohit Sharma continued to struggle, scoring just three runs until he mistimed Cummins’ pull shot, giving an easy catch to Borland at mid-on. Cummins struck again and bowled KL Rahul for 24 with a tee stroke.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was outstanding for India, producing a fluent 82 featuring an elegant front-foot drive and versatile boundaries. However, his promising innings ended in a comical loss due to a mix-up with Virat Kohli. Jaiswal asked for a quick single from Boland, but Kohli refused, leaving him stranded and breaking a crucial 102-run partnership.
Kohli faced criticism and a 20% match fee fine on the opening day for a shoulder charge on debutant Sam Constas, but he fell for 36, forcing Borland into Alex Carey. Coach Borland then dismissed night watchman Akash Deep for a duck and Australia’s dominance further strengthened.
Earlier, Australia increased their overnight score with Smith leading the way. Resuming on 68, he and Cummins added 112 runs for the seventh wicket. Smith’s century came to an end off Nitish Kumar Reddy, marking his second 100 after 101 in Brisbane. The veteran batsman joins an elite group of players with 34 Test centuries, including Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara, and only six others, led by Sachin Tendulkar at 51. After achieving the milestone, Smith started the match, but Cummins was dejected. Brave No. 49 caught off Jadeja in deep water. Smith’s dismissal was unusual as Akash Deep’s inside edge deflected off his pads and hit the stumps. Mitchell Starc (15) and Nathan Ryan (13) fell for the final wickets, with Jadeja (3/78) and Jasprit Bumrah (4/99) sharing the spoils.
The five games in a row are evenly matched with one win and one loss. India won the opening match in Perth by 295 runs, but Australia responded with a 10-wicket win in Adelaide. The third Test in rain-hit Brisbane ended in a draw.
