Recap: Boland and Starc dismantle India’s batters in fifth test

SYDNEY: Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc combined for seven wickets on Friday to hold down India to only 185 runs in their first innings. Australia then made nine runs in the three overs they played before the end of the last session, losing one wicket in the process.

INDIA’S INNINGS

Starc got things going with an early dismissal of KL Rahul in the fifth over, as the Indian batsmen chopped the ball straight to the youngster, Sam Konstas. Boland then took the vital wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been one of India’s most effective batters during the test.

Nathan Lyon took his first and only wicket of the innings next, sending off Shubman Gill right before the lunch break after the delivery clipped the outside edge of the Gill’s bat before Steven Smith took the catch.  

Boland dismissed the next three, beginning with Virat Kohli who failed to hit his way out of his poor form. A thick edge that resulted in a catch by Beau Webster brought an end to the Indian stars innings after he made 17 runs.

Rishabh Pant fell in the 57th over, but not before he made 40 runs, the most of any batter on the day. A pull attempt by Pant ended with the delivery popping off the toe end of his bat before skipper Pat Cummins took the catch.

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Things got much worse for India on the very next ball, as Boland found himself on the verge of a hat trick after Nitish Kumar Reddy was sent off for a duck. Smith took the catch at second slip after Boland’s delivery came off the face of Reddy’s bat.

A few overs later Ravindra Jadeja would suffer an lbw dismissal at the hands of Starc after he scored 26 runs. India wasted a review on a delivery that hit Jadeja plumb.

Cummins took a wicket next, dismissing Washington Sundar on a delivery that initially seemed to have missed Sundar’s bat completely before Carey caught it. However, Australia thought otherwise and used a review. Multiple replays later, the third umpire decided that Sundar have gloved it to Carey, and India found themselves down eight.

The last two wickets fell shortly after, the first of which was Starc’s third of the innings. He dismissed Prasidh Krishna who only managed to make three runs before he hit the ball straight to deep-backward square leg where Konstas took an easy catch.

Cummins ended India’s innings in the 73rd over on a delivery that popped up off the top edge of Jasprit Bumrah’s bat. Starc took the catch at mid-wicket and India were all out for 185.

AUSTRALIA LOSE KHAWAJA

Usman Khawaja was dismissed on the last ball of the day. Bumrah got his first wicket after his delivery found the outside edge of Khawaja’s bat. Rahul took the catch at second slip, ending the day on a positive note after a poor performance from India’s batting line-up.

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