IND WON
Test
IND beat AUS by 137 runs
Man of the Match - Jasprit Bumrah
IND
443-7
& 106-8
 
151-10
&
261/10
AUS
Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 2018/19 |3rd Test |12/26/2018
Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne
Commentary
  • So that is it from this game. The Indians have taken an unassailable lead and have also retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy. They now, however, head to Sydney to do something no Indian team has done - win a Test series Down Under. Will they do so or will Australia bounce back? Join us to find out on the 3rd of January 1030 local (2330 GMT, previous day). Till then, take care and goodbye!
  • Man of the Match, Jasprit Bumrah, starts by saying, be it boxing day or be it any other day, it is special to play Test cricket and he is happy to contribute to the team's success. Mentions he always focuses on consistency and he always tries to contribute to the team's success. Further adds he now wants to focus on the next game. States it was always a dream to play Test cricket and he was very happy when he made his debut in South Africa. Ends by saying the start has been good and he would want to continue in the same manner.
  • Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, says they are not going to stop here, they are very confident now and they would look to play positive cricket in Sydney. States they will be looking for a win in Sydney and that is what their mind-set is. Mentions what the people outside say does not matter, what is being discussed in the dressing is what matters. Further adds the wicket was getting difficult to bat on as the game progressed. Credits the way Bumrah bowled. Appreciates the record-breaking effort by his pacers this year. Adds their first class cricket is amazing and reckons they were brilliant with the old ball. Acknowledges the effort by Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara and also the other batsmen to fulfill their role. Ends by saying they will try and play good cricket and nothing good or bad can distract them from trying to win the next game.
  • Australian skipper, Tim Paine, says it is very disappointing, he felt they made some strides forward in Perth but failed to continue the good work in this game. Further adds they are trying to get better and now they are looking forward to the game in Sydney. Mentions there is always some discussion about the batting line-up, the conditions in Sydney will be different and they will once again have a chat about who should bat where. Reckons the wicket was a good one but he felt it would deteriorate as the match progressed. Credits Pat Cummins for his effort in this game. Ends by saying it has been a difficult year but in the coming months they will have some world class players available and it will probably get better for them.
  • Australia were rocked again, and everyone did their part to get the job done. They had to wait a bit on the final day, but even the rain gods weren't going to stop them from a famous win. It was a good win for them. Australia's batting once again falls into the limelight. It's something they would like to focus on and better in the final Test in Sydney.
  • There was talk of maybe the tourists batting too slow on a surface which wasn't doing much, but everything changed on Day 3 when suddenly the surface offered assistance to the bowlers. 15 wickets in total fell on that day, and Australia were bowled out for 151 where Bumrah led the charge with his 6-fer. Despite having a lead of 292, the follow-on wasn't enforced and a target of 399 was set. More could have been achieved, if it wasn't for Cummins, who finished with career-best figures and took a 6-wicket haul of his own.
  • It was a collective performance from the Indians and that's the thing which will please them the most. Debutant Mayank Agarwal and Hanuma Vihari, who replaced Vijay and Rahul at the top of the order, did a fine job with Mayank scoring a confident 76. It set the platform for Pujara and Kohli who largely took the game away from the Aussies by really digging in there. Rohit later came in with a fifty of his own which enabled India to post 443 on the board.
  • The start of the day was marred by rain, but after a stop-start and a relative long-ish break, play began and it took the visitors less than 5 overs to wrap things up. Bumrah got the set Cummins first and then soon after, Sharma got Lyon to get his side over the line. It wasn't easy by any means though, India were made to work hard. India should have won the game on Day 4 itself after running through the Australian batting line-up, but Cummins and Lyon stood firm and took the game into the final day. Rain did threaten, but eventually it couldn't save the hosts.
  • A handsome victory for the Indians. They retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with this win. It's also their 150th win in Test cricket. Smiles all around as the away side celebrates. Kohli is pumped, his teammates are pumped and his team's supporters in the crowd give out a loud cheer. The decision from the skipper and the management to not enforce the follow-on did eventually pay off, but not without a few nails being bitten for sure.
  • 89.3
    W
    I Sharma to Lyon, OUT! THAT IS IT! Ishant just made me eat my words. He does not have the pace of Bumrah to hurry the batsman but he has bounced Lyon out here. He bangs it short and on middle, Lyon goes for the pull but the bounce gets big on him, it takes the top edge and goes towards Pant who takes it above his head. All smiles on the faces of the Indians, Virat kohli is absolutely pumped up as INDIA WIN BY 137 RUNS! THEY LEAD THE SERIES 2-1!
  • 89.2
    0
    I Sharma to Lyon, Goes shorter in length, Ishant though does not have the same pace as Bumrah to hurry the batsman. Lyon gets on the back foot and blocks it. Ishant should be bowling a little fuller here.
  • 89.1
    0
    I Sharma to Lyon, Lands it on a length around off, the ball pitches and comes back in. Lyon tries to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads.
  • END OF OVER 89 | 0 Runs & 1 Wkt | AUS 261/9
  • 88.6
    0
    J Bumrah to Hazlewood, On the stumps and the batsman is solid in defense.
  • 88.5
    0
    J Bumrah to Hazlewood, Follows the yorker up with the bouncer, the batsman ducks under it.
  • 88.4
    0
    J Bumrah to Hazlewood, Bowls the yorker on middle, Hazlewood does well to jam it out.
  • 88.3
    0
    J Bumrah to Hazlewood, Lands it on a length and attacks the stumps, Josh defends it.
  • Josh Hazlewood is the last man in.
  • 88.2
    W
    J Bumrah to Pat Cummins, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! No. 9 goes down and it is that of the well-set Cummins. Excellent delivery. Gets it around the off stump, in that corridor of uncertainty. It straightens a touch. Cummins plays inside the line, the ball takes the outside edge and goes low towards Pujara who takes a decent catch at first slip. End of a fighting knock by Cummins. India now just a wicket away from taking a 2-1 lead.
  • 88.1
    0
    J Bumrah to Cummins, Slightly short, does not bounce as much as the Indians would have wanted it to. Cummins punches it to mid on.
  • END OF OVER 88 | 0 Runs & 0 Wkt | AUS 261/8
  • A short leg comes in place.
  • 87.6
    0
    I Sharma to N Lyon, Nathan Lyon comes forward to this full ball and drives it to mid off. Another maiden.
  • 87.5
    0
    I Sharma to Lyon, Back of a length, just around off, defended well from the back foot.
  • 87.4
    0
    I Sharma to Lyon, Lyon hangs back inside the crease, waits for the ball to come to him before patting it away down on the off side.