Australia's quest for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy faces a significant hurdle as they battle a flat pitch, a tiring bowling attack, and a resilient Indian team.
Australia's path to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has taken a difficult turn, and a heroic effort from a weary bowling attack will be needed to secure victory. Mitchell Starc is struggling with soreness, the MCG pitch is flat, and time is running out against an inspired Indian team, led by Nitish Kumar Reddy's maiden Test century, seeking consecutive triumphs Down Under. All eyes will be on Mitchell Starc's fitness for the rest of the Boxing Day Test, and potentially the entire series.
Pat Cummins' men may not have realized it at the time, but this day, and perhaps the game and series, shifted when Steve Smith dropped a very difficult catch from Washington Sundar shortly after lunch. Washington's attempted leg glance to a delivery outside the off stump deflected off the back of his bat to a surprised Smith at second slip. The ball landed in the middle of Smith's outstretched right hand but did not stick. The confusion in the stands and in living rooms across the country mirrored the feeling on the field. The partnership, worth 40 runs at the time, grew to 127, keeping No. 10 Jasprit Bumrah in the dressing room for another four hours instead of facing a second new ball that was only three deliveries old. This is not a criticism of Smith for missing a difficult catch, but more of a reflection of how challenging it has been to create conducive wickets in these conditions. The fact that Australia is still well-positioned for a triple-figure lead, and victory is attainable, speaks volumes about the persistence of their bowling attack and the recklessness of India's batsmen. Of the visitors' top six, only K.L. Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja were dismissed by good bowling. Australia cannot afford such lapses in the final innings. The strain endured went beyond the scoreboard. The Australians are three overs behind the over rate, leaving them vulnerable to a World Test Championship points deduction if they cannot make up the lost time
AUSTRALIA INDIA TESTCRICKET BORDER-GAVASKAR TROPHY MITCHELL STARC
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