After winning the Melbourne Test by 137 runs, the visiting side India has taken the 2-1 lead of the four-match Test series against the hosts Australia with one to go.

The visiting side won the toss and decided to bat first at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne). As the top-orders performed greatly, India managed to score 443/7 before their declaration in the first innings.

With the help of Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s six-wicket haul, Australia was bundled out for just 151 runs. Despite India was leading by 292 runs at the end of that innings, they didn’t force the hosts to follow on and decided to bat again.

After India managed to score 106/8 in their second innings, thanks to Aussie pacer Pat Cummins 6/27, the visiting declared their innings.

Chasing the 399 runs target, Australia was bowled out for 261 runs as the visitors won by 137 runs and has taken the 2-1 lead of the series.

Brief Scores: India – 443/7 decl. (Cheteshwar Pujara 106, Virat Kohli 82; Pat Cummins 3/72) & 106/8 decl. (Mayank Agarwal 42, Rishabh Pant 33; Pat Cummins 6/27)

Australia – 151 (Marcus Harris 22, Travis Head 22; Jasprit Bumrah 6/33) & 261 (Pat Cummins 63, Shaun Marsh 44; Jasprit Bumrah 3/53)

Result – India won by 137 runs

Some important stats of Melbourne Test between Australia and India

i) In 2018, the Indian skipper Virat Kohli scored 2,098 runs in international cricket outside the home soil (including away and neutral venues).

• Most runs scored in international cricket in a calendar year outside the home soil (including away and neutral venues). The previous record was 2078 runs by Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) in 2013 (including UAE too).

Also read: The Day 1 stats of The Melbourne Test

ii) In this year (2018), the Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah claimed Test five-wicket haul once each in South Africa (Johannesburg – 5/54), England (Nottingham 5/85) and Australia (Melbourne – 6/33).

• First Asian bowler to claim the Test five-wicket haul at least once each in South Africa, England and Australia in the same calendar year.

iii) Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah finished this game with the bowling figure of 34.5-7-86-9.

• Best bowling figure in a Test match on the Australian soil in 2018. The next record is 45-13-99-9 by Pat Cummins (Australia) who also achieved in this game.
• The second best bowling figure in a Test match by an Indian bowler at Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne). The record is 34.1-5-104-12 (8 balls per over) by the former leg-spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar in 1977.

Also read: The Day 2 stats of The Melbourne Test

iv) Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah finished the year 2018 with 78 international wickets.

• Most wickets were taken in the international cricket in 2018. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada is in the next position with 77 international wickets in 2018.

v) Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah finished the year 2018 with 48 Test wickets outside the Indian soil.

• Most away Test wickets were taken by an Indian bowler in a calendar year. The second record holder is Mohammed Shami with 45 away Test wickets that also happened in this year.

Also read: The Day 3 stats of The Melbourne Test

vi) India won this Test by 137 runs.

• Since 1981, it was the first Melbourne Test victory for the Indian cricket team.
• India’s second largest Test victory (by runs) on the Australian soil. The record is winning by 222 runs at Melbourne in 1977.
• The first time India won a Boxing Day Test on the Australian soil. It was India’s eighth Boxing Day Test on the Australian soil.
• The second time India won a Boxing Day Test. Their first Boxing Day Test victory was the 2010 Durban Test.     

vii) It was India’s third Test victory at Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne).

• Joint most number of Test victories for the Indian cricket team in any particular away venue. The other two Test venues are Queen’s Park Oval (Port of Spain, Trinidad – West Indies) and Sinhalese Sports Club Ground (Colombo – Sri Lanka).

Also read: The Day 4 stats of The Melbourne Test

viii) It was India’s second Test victory in this series.

• The second time when the Indian cricket team won more than one Test match in a series on the Australian soil. The first incident happened in 1977/78 when India had won two Tests of that five-match series but had lost that series by the 3-2 margin.

ix) Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, India won their 11th Test match outside the Indian soil.

• Joint most number of away Test matches won by an Indian skipper. The former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly also achieved 11 Test victories during his captaincy term.