MELBOURNE: India's batting woes continue in Melbourne, mirroring their struggles in Adelaide and Brisbane. After Australia set a formidable total of 474 in the first innings, India's reply faltered from a promising 153/2 to a precarious 159/5. At stumps on day two, India are reeling at 164/5 from 46 overs, with Jadeja and Pant unbeaten on four runs each.
The collapse India suffered in the final hour today perfectly validates the advice given by former Indian captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar to Rishabh Pant a few days ago. It was a piece of advice that every Indian batter should have taken note of. "Be patient for the first half an hour, respect the conditions, Rishabh," Gavaskar had reminded him back then.
While opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a half-century for India, no other batter could make a significant contribution. Jaiswal was run out after scoring 82 runs off 118 balls. The Australian captain, Pat Cummins, was the one who effected the run-out when the team score was at 153. Cummins and Scott Boland each took two wickets.
Captain Rohit Sharma (3), KL Rahul (24), Virat Kohli (36), and night-watchman Akash Deep (0) were the other batters dismissed. Earlier, resuming at 311 for six on the second day, Australia saw Steve Smith score a century in the fourth Test as well. Facing 167 balls, Smith recorded his 34th century in Test cricket. He was eventually dismissed for 140 off 197 balls. Captain Pat Cummins added 49 runs. For India, Jasprit Bumrah continued his excellent form, taking four wickets for 99 runs. Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets, while Akash Deep and Washington Sundar picked up two and one wickets, respectively.