Boland bags four as Australia runs through India
Scott Bailey |
Scott Boland has put Australia a step closer to reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar trophy, bagging four wickets to bowl India out for 185 on day one of the fifth Test.
With India needing to win the final Test at the SCG to level the series and retain the trophy, Boland proved the biggest thorn in their side on Friday as they were bowled out in the final session.
The Victorian finished with 4-31, taking the four most important wickets in India’s line up in Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Yashavi Jaiswal and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Australia then went to stumps at 1-9, with Jasprit Bumrah luring Usman Khawaja into an edge to second slip off the final ball of the day.
Sam Konstas had begun the tricky three-over batting period by charging Bumrah’s first ball and hitting him for four, before a verbal exchange between the pair in the last over when India’s captain appeared to accuse the young Australian of stalling for time.
Bumrah let non-striker Konstas know his thoughts in no uncertain fashion upon removing Khawaja.
Still, the late drama couldn’t overshadow a nightmare day for India, who axed captain Rohit Sharma for the decider and then won the toss and batted on a green wicket under heavy cloud cover.
Boland continues to be considered Australia’s back-up paceman, playing only 13 of 37 Tests since his magical debut in Melbourne three summers ago, and having been called up for the Boxing Day Test to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood.
But there is now a very clear argument he belongs in Australia’s first-choice attack after another record-breaking day in Sydney.
The 35-year-old’s 20 overs took him past 2000 balls at Test level, a mark generally considered as a qualifier to be recognised on the all-time bowling averages list.
Boland now has 50 wickets at 18.88, placing him above Bumrah (19.36) with the best average of any bowler with 2000 or more balls since Englishman Frank Tyson (18.56) in the 1950s.
In his best return since his unforgettable 6-7 on debut, Boland swung the ball prodigiously and seemed to have it on a string.
He had Jaiswal (10) caught at slip by debutant Beau Webster in his first over, before he thought he had Kohli first ball when he edged to slip.
Steve Smith went low and scooped the ball up to Marnus Labuschagne in the gully, but third-umpire Joel Wilson ruled the ball had touched the ground in Smith’s attempt.
Boland eventually got his man, removing Kohli for the fourth time in his career when the Indian megastar edged to Webster in the slips after lunch on 12.
The seamer should have also had Rishabh on 10 when Smith grassed a chance, but later wore down the left-hander and had him caught pulling on 40.
Reddy went next ball when the Melbourne century-maker edged Boland to slip, before the hat-trick ball just beat Washington Sundar’s edge.
Mitchell Starc bagged 3-49 in the rout, including Ravindra Jadeja lbw for 26 and KL Rahul on four when the opener picked out square leg early in the day.
Pat Cummins also had more DRS drama off his bowling when Washington was caught down leg side in the final session.
Like Jaiswal in Melbourne, Washington was given not out on the field before snicko showed a small spike as the ball appeared to brush his glove en route to keeper Alex Carey.
Needing a win to level the series, India spent most of Friday being strangled by Australia’s bowlers in a test of patience and grit.
Jadeja and Pant wore body blows from Starc, while Beau Webster sent down 13 overs of stump-to-stump bowling on debut and went for only 29 runs.
Tasmanian Webster also took fine catches to remove Jaiswal and Kohli, with the second a good snare low to his right.
A series win over India would hand Australia back the Border-Gavaskar trophy, and would mean Pat Cummins’ side hold every bilateral Test series trophy available to them.
Victory at the SCG would also be enough to ensure Australia’s qualification for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.
AAP
