Australia claimed a thrilling 185-run victory on Day 5 of the fourth Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 30, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Led by an inspiring performance from captain Pat Cummins, Australia capitalized on India’s early batting collapse and sealed the win, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Chasing a challenging target of 340, India lost three of their key players—Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli—early in the first session, leaving them in a precarious position. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant countered with a solid 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket, making things tense for Australia as the match reached its climax.
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Despite the spirited efforts from Jaiswal and Pant, Australia’s bowlers made a spectacular comeback. The wickets fell quickly in the latter half of the day, with Jaiswal falling just short of his century. India were eventually bowled out for 155 in 79.1 overs, handing Australia the crucial win.
This victory not only bolstered Australia’s bid for a spot in the WTC final but also left India with an uphill battle. For India to stay in the WTC race, they must secure a victory in the Sydney Test, starting on January 3.
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Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah claimed his fifth wicket of the innings by dismissing Nathan Lyon on the second ball, wrapping up Australia’s second innings for 234. Bumrah’s remarkable five-wicket haul also took him to 30 wickets in the ongoing series, further cementing his role as India’s spearhead. With just one Test to go, the series remains tightly contested, with both teams having everything to play for in Sydney.
Priceless #WTC25 points as Australia take a 2-1 lead over India with a tremendous win in Melbourne 👊#AUSvIND 📝: https://t.co/V3bDj8LroF pic.twitter.com/UuRprdPw6a
— ICC (@ICC) December 30, 2024
#TeamIndia fought hard
Australia win the match
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/njfhCncRdL#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/n0W1symPkM
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 30, 2024
The Match that had it all! 🔥
Sydney Awaits. 💪🏻🇮🇳#WhistlePodu #AUSvIND
📸 @BCCI pic.twitter.com/vOQW218aFp— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 30, 2024
Rohit Sharma has been a fabulous batter over the years. But right now he doesn’t deserve a spot in the playing XI just cos he is skipper.
India needs to make a hard call for Sydney Test (if the skipper himself doesn’t). Whether it happens is another story. #AusvInd
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) December 30, 2024
They were saying MCG had a crowd of 60k today, and 80 percent Indian support. So Cummins had to do what he does best: Silence a stadium full of Indian supporters.
— cricBC (@cricBC) December 30, 2024
Now over to the board, selectors, team management to accept this result, 0-3 to NZ, and do nothing about it.
— Gaurav Sethi (@BoredCricket) December 30, 2024
Lost at MCG after 13 years.
13 saal mein toh chalta hai yaar.
— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh) December 30, 2024
What a fabulous event, the perfect model for a five-day Test. Congratulations to all concerned, both teams and those responsible for the playing surface. So pleased to witness it, and play a small part in recording it for @abcsport listeners. Sets up Sydney, India to fight back!
— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) December 30, 2024
One of the biggest issues for India today was the lack of clarity. If they were clearly playing for a draw, there’s no explanation for the kind of shots Pant and Jaiswal played in the second half.
— Omkar Mankame (@Oam_16) December 30, 2024
FEEL FOR JASPRIT BUMRAH…!!!!
– Boom has bowled 141.2 overs in BGT 2024, without much support, he deserves a happy ending in this series, hopefully a win at SCG in New Year. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/4OxRoUbxOe
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 30, 2024
Still think Virat Kohli has more to offer in Test cricket. But if you are getting out six times in the same manner and the bowlers don’t need to bowl at your stumps… the problem won’t be solved in the nets.
An honest chat is needed here. #AusvInd
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) December 30, 2024
A Test match which could have been saved had the batters showed better application even though it was not easy to bat. Now don’t get surprised if bumrah and Akash deep gets replaced by Padikkal and Gill.
— Prasanna (@prasannalara) December 30, 2024
