India enforced the follow-on after Rana’s eight-wicket haul gave them a first-innings lead of 337

Srinidhi Ramanujam30-Jun-2024For the second consecutive day, South Africa’s batters showed great grit to stay in the game after being put on the back foot by the India bowlers in the one-off women’s Test in Chennai. If Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp fought hard on the second day after India declared at 603 for 6, Luus was at it again on Sunday, in the company of Laura Wolvaardt this time, which helped South Africa cut down the deficit to 105 runs after they were bowled out for 266 in the first innings.At stumps on the third day, South Africa were 232 for 2 in their second innings, with Luus scoring her first Test hundred and Wolvaardt remaining unbeaten on 93. South Africa will hope for more of the same on the fourth and final day to push the game to a draw.Related

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It was an eventful opening session for India on a hazy morning where Sneh Rana’s sensational bowling on a pitch offering more turn fetched her five wickets – to go with three from Saturday – to give her figures of 8 for 77. South Africa lost six wickets for 30 runs after starting the day on 236 for 4.Rana got the first breakthrough in her third over, the fifth of the day, when she dismissed a well-set Kapp for 74 with an almost unplayable delivery. Kapp was done in by the extra bounce as the ball, after pitching on off and middle, popped up to beat her outside edge and take the top of off stump. This triggered a collapse as three balls later, Rana removed Sinalo Jafta, who inside-edged one to Shubha Satheesh at short leg.Three overs later, Deepti Sharma picked up her second wicket. This time the ball stayed low when debutant Annerie Dercksen missed with her prod and was hit on her back pad. South Africa took the review but it was in vain. In the following over, Rana took her sixth when Nadine de Klerk perished whipping towards square leg where Rajeshwari Gayakwad dived in front to complete the catch. No. 7 and No. 8 came soon after as Rana finished off the innings.Rana became only the second Indian woman to pick up eight wickets in an innings in Test cricket after Neetu David, now India’s chair of selectors, who took 8 for 53 in a two-run loss against England in Jamshedpur in 1995.Sneh Rana finished with a career-best 8 for 77 in the first innings•BCCI

India enforced the follow-on with South Africa 337 runs behind. They then lost Anneke Bosch early to low bounce when she was trapped in front by Deepti in the first over. But Wolvaardt nailed her cover drives and looked assured in her approach.At lunch, South Africa were 29 for 1. India struggled from that point, going wicketless for close to 66 overs across the second and third sessions.In this period, Luus and Wolvaardt shared a mammoth 190-run partnership for the second wicket to provide South Africa hope of a draw. It was South Africa’s highest partnership for any wicket in women’s Tests.South Africa came out in the afternoon session determined to play the long game and they succeeded, scoring 95 runs in 34 overs to take tea at 124 for 1. Luus, who made 65 off 164 balls in the first innings, carried forward that form and temperament, moving to 64 off 121 balls at the end of the second session.Having been trapped lbw to one that kept low from Rana in the first innings, Wolvaardt used the depth of the crease more in the second dig. She pulled short deliveries through square leg and drove the fuller ones to long-on.Deepti Sharma dropped Marizanne Kapp off her own bowling in the last over of the day•BCCI

India toiled hard to break the stand with Harmanpreet Kaur trying as many as seven bowlers, including herself. But they weren’t disciplined with their lengths and speeds. Perhaps not being used to such a long time in the middle affected them. Deepti also dropped two catches – Kapp benefitting both times – in the last two overs of the day. The first was at slip off a Rana delivery that Kapp edged, and the second was a straightforward return catch.Wolvaardt and Luus, though, reaped the rewards of patience on a pitch that got slower after the first session.Consuming more than 200 balls meant Luus and Wolvaardt also had gotten used to the low bounce, with only the odd delivery popping up in the last two sessions of the day. Luus spent 234 minutes at the crease, hitting 18 fours. When she reached her half-century, Luus brought out the rocking-baby-cradle celebration, a gesture for the team’s strength and conditioning coach Zane Webster, who is an expectant father. She scored her maiden century in the final session, and became only the second South African to score a hundred in India in women’s Tests.The huge stand was finally broken by Harmanpreet when she cleaned up Luus in the 74th over. The low bounce came to her aid as Luus went back to pull but missed.With Kapp at the other end, Wolvaardt marched on to finish unbeaten. That has raised hopes of a South African lead on the last day, a scenario that looked near-impossible at the start of Sunday.For India, Jemimah Rodrigues was off the field for a majority of the last two sessions because of cramps.

Fourth-wicket partnership of 127 seals 20-run win over Central Sparks

ECB Reporters Network04-Sep-2024South East Stars advanced to the brink of a place in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy semi-finals by beating Central Sparks by 20 runs in a fluctuating encounter at Moseley.Put in, Stars totalled 270 all out from 49.5 overs, an imposing score built around a fourth-wicket partnership of 127 in 20 overs between Kira Chathli (80) and Alice Davidson-Richards (70). Katie George took 4 for 47 for Sparks and Charis Pavely 3 for 37.Sparks’ chase of the demanding target was then set back by the loss of early wickets and though they recovered boldly through Davina Perrin (50), Chloe Brewer (54) and Bethan Ellis (57), they fell short at 250 for 9.The victory means Stars will qualify for the semis if they win their last game, away to Northern Diamonds at Chester-le-Street on Saturday. Defeat there could still see them edged out of the top four if Sunrisers record a bonus-point win over Southern Vipers at Southampton.Asked to bat first, Stars lost a wicket to the 12th ball of the innings when George bowled Cloe Hill through an airy waft. Alexa Stonehouse and Phoebe Franklin added 70 in 14 overs but then fell in quick succession. Franklin, in pursuit of her seventh four, lifted Ellis to extra cover. Four balls later, Stonehouse was beaten in the flight and bowled by Pavely.Chathli and Davidson-Richards rebuilt first carefully then stylishly. The latter hit two straight sixes and the pair shared 14 fours to put their side in command before George slowed the Stars’ momentum with three quick wickets. The left-armer had Davidson-Richards caught at mid-wicket from a full toss then struck twice in four balls when Aylish Cranstone fell lbw and Emma Jones diverted an attempted pull on to her middle stump. Chathli’s polished innings ended when she hoisted Grace Potts to deep mid-wicket but Priyanaz Chatterji provided a useful late cameo of 17 off 18 balls.Sparks’ top order, without captain Eve Jones, who has joined Thunder on loan for the rest of the season, lost four wickets in the first 13 overs. Seventeen-year-old slow left-armer Tilly Corteen-Coleman dismissed openers Ami Campbell and Meg Austin, caught in the deep, in an opening spell of 5-0-14-2. Abi Freeborn edged a wide ball from Franklin to wicketkeeper Chathli. George chipped Chatterji to midwicket.Perrin reached a run-a-ball half-century but perished next ball when she lifted a shot ball from Danielle Gregory to deep midwicket. That was 104 for 5 but Brewer and Ellis rebuilt to send their side into the last ten overs needing 75 with five wickets still intact.Brewer reached her maiden half-century for Sparks from 75 balls and, after she top-edged Stonehouse to deep mid-wicket, Pavely lent Ellis further good support so that they needed 32 from the last three overs. But Paveley was run out by calm work from Chathli and when Ellis gave Stonehouse the charge and was bowled, Sparks’ gallant chase was over.

Varun Chakravarthy, playing for India again after almost three years, got three wickets in a big win over Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-20241:53

‘Always good to have competition within the team’ – Varun Chakravarthy

Mayank Yadav attracted the eyeballs. Arshdeep Singh took the Player-of-the-Match award for his 3 for 14. Hardik Pandya kept the Bangladesh batters quiet but was deafening with the bat. For Varun Chakravarthy, meanwhile, it was a “rebirth” as he played a big part in India’s crushing seven-wicket win in the first T20I in Gwalior on Sunday. He was back playing for India after November 2021, after all, and 3 for 31 wasn’t shabby at all.”After three long years and… it was definitely emotional for me, and it feels nice to be back in the Blues, it feels like a rebirth,” he told Murali Kartik on the official broadcast after the game.”There have been many [challenges]. Once you are not in the Indian side, people tend to write you off very easily. You need to stay in the highest level, again and again you need to keep knocking the door. Thankfully, this time it happened and hopefully I can keep continuing my good work.”Related

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It’s been a year of great success for Varun. His team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), won IPL 2024. He finished as the team’s highest wicket-taker, and second-highest overall, with 21 wickets from 14 innings. That ended in May. In August, Dindigul Dragons won the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). His team, again, though captain R Ashwin is the face of the set-up. Varun got 2 for 26 in the final. And was joint-highest for his team with Sandeep Warrier at 12 wickets for the tournament, fifth-highest overall.And now this international comeback.”After IPL, I played a few tournaments and one of those was the TNPL. It’s a very good tournament, and high standard [of cricket] also,” Varun said. “That’s a place where I worked a lot, with Ash [Ashwin]. We won the competition also, and that gave me the confidence here, because it was good preparation for me for this series.”I just want to stick to the process because that’s what I have been following in the IPL also. So I don’t want to go over and beyond what’s there right now. I just want to stay in the present. That’s why I don’t want to think too much or express too much.”On Sunday, Varun was introduced in the fifth over. Off his second delivery, Towhid Hridoy swept him in the air in the direction of debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy at deep square-leg; Reddy ran forward for the catch but lost the ball in the lights and let it go for four. Varun got Hridoy in his next over, and then Jaker Ali and Rishad Hossain, fooling the batters with his bag of tricks, but wasn’t happy about the drop.He wasn’t going to say it, though.”I thought it could have gone my way, but I can’t complain,” he said. “But, yeah, thankful to god.”

Durham bowled out for 262 after being harried by home side’s six-man seam attack

ECB Reporters Network17-Sep-2024Durham battled hard to reach 262 all out at the Kia Oval but it was still Surrey who had the better of day one as they seek a third successive Vitality County Championship title.Colin Ackermann’s unbeaten 78 was a particularly creditable effort but the 33-year-old was left stranded as Dan Worrall snatched two quick wickets with the second new ball and finish with figures of 4 for 39.In 12 overs’ batting before the close, Surrey then raced to 52 without loss in late afternoon sunshine with Rory Burns completing 1000 Championship runs for the season as he tucked into some loose new ball bowling to pull a six and also hit seven fours in a 46-ball 40 not out.Surrey, county champions in 2022 and 2023, began the penultimate round of Division One matches eight points clear of second-placed Somerset, who beat them at Taunton last week, and still in control of their own destiny.And, when they had reduced Durham to 134 for 5 by mid-afternoon, after opting to bowl first, it looked as if Surrey were on course to bowl their visitors out for a modest first-innings total.Ackermann and Bas de Leede, however, then added 70 in a punchy fifth wicket stand to blunt a six-pronged Surrey pace attack, in which only Conor McKerr – not introduced until the 49th over and whose four overs cost 33 – proved ineffective. De Leede struck six fours in his 36 from 54 balls before splicing a pull at a short ball from Tom Curran and offering a simple catch to wide mid-on.Sam Curran’s removal of Callum Parkinson for 1 just after tea, caught behind by Ben Foakes, left Durham uneasy again on 216 for 7. But Ackermann, straight driving the younger Curran brother for one glorious four, continued to flourish while 19-year-old paceman Daniel Hogg, making his fourth first-class appearance, helped him to add a further 30 for the eighth wicket.Hogg’s innings of 6 ended with a pull at Tom Lawes that went straight into Tom Curran’s hands at deep square leg and 16-year-old left-arm fast bowler James Minto managed two fours off Clark on his first-class debut before Worrall swung one back between bat and pad to bowl him for 8.Two balls later Chemar Holder was leg-before to a Worrall near-yorker, while Ackermann struck ten fours in his 125-ball knock.Alex Lees and Ben McKinney had earlier given Durham’s innings a solid start although the former, when he was on 23 and the total 44, was bowled shouldering arms to a Sam Curran no-ball.Both openers fell in Worrall’s second spell, the leader of Surrey’s attack having switched to the Pavilion End to better utilize a gentle cross breeze. On 60, McKinney fell for 23 when he pushed away from his body and edged to Foakes and fellow left-hander Lees, captaining Durham in the injury absence of Scott Borthwick, was bowled for 36 by an absolute beauty from Worrall that ducked back into him late.In between those wickets Tom Curran had Emilio Gay leg-before for a duck, ending an uncomfortable 12-ball stay on his Durham debut for a player who has joined on-loan ahead of a permanent move from Northamptonshire this winter.David Bedingham, dropped by a diving Dom Sibley on 14 when he miscued a hook at Lawes towards point – Sibley having run from second slip to try to get to the dropping ball – put on 51 with Ollie Robinson either side of lunch, but Surrey’s seamers would not let them get away despite Bedingham hitting consecutive fours off Lawes, through extra cover and wide of mid-on.Jordan Clark pinned Robinson leg-before for 17 and Lawes had his revenge on Bedingham by producing a perfect away-swinger to have him caught behind by a tumbling Foakes, before Ackermann marshalled the lower order to good effect.

With Bumrah’s appointment as vice-captain, it is likely he will step in to take temporary charge of the team

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2024Rohit Sharma’s participation in the early Tests in India’s tour of Australia is in doubt owing to personal reasons.Rohit might not play the first Test – in Perth, from November 22 – and though India played the recent Test series against Bangladesh at home without a designated vice-captain, the selectors were keen on appointing one not on a temporary basis, as has been the norm in the past, but as a long-term choice. They picked Jasprit Bumrah.Rohit has led India in 18 Tests so far, winning 12 of them. He was appointed to the role in February 2022, succeeding Virat Kohli. Although his influence on the limited-overs team is much more identifiable – with a T20 World Cup to show for it – one of Rohit’s biggest challenges came in red-ball cricket when he faced a hyper-aggressive England team at home in 2024 without several of his senior players. India overturned a 0-1 deficit after the first Test into a 4-1 victory with their next generation putting in crucial performances. Shubman Gill grew into his role as a No. 3 batter. Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel showcased their potential at the highest level and Yashasvi Jaiswal was a revelation.Much of Rohit’s success as a Test captain has been at home. In his tenure, India have only gone away twice – to South Africa, where they drew the series 1-1 and West Indies, where they won 1-0. There was the World Test Championship final at the Oval as well, which India lost to the same team that they will be facing in a month’s time. Australia also happens to be one of the places where Rohit has struggled as a Test batter. He averages 31.38 from 14 innings with a highest score of 63 not out.2:16

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With Bumrah’s appointment as India’s vice-captain for October’s three-Test series against New Zealand, it is highly likely that he will be in charge of the team in Perth. The fast bowler, who will turn 31 in December, has led India once, in the one-off Test in England in 2022, when Rohit was forced to sit out after having tested positive for Covid-19. It was Bumrah’s first match as captain at any level of representative cricket, and he became the first fast bowler to lead India since Kapil Dev in 1987.Before leading India in the Edgbaston Test, Bumrah was the vice-captain in the two-Test home series against Sri Lanka in March 2022. Later, he served in the position in the two-Test tour of South Africa in 2023-24 and then in the five-Test series earlier this year against England. Bumrah also led India in the T20I series in Ireland in 2023 after returning from an injury layoff. However, Bumrah needs his workload managed, which could mean missing out on certain Tests.Gill, one India’s few all-format players alongside Bumrah, is being viewed as a long-term candidate for Test captaincy. He is said to have impressed the team management with his leadership qualities in the dressing room during India’s home series against England. Gill, 25, has never held any leadership role in Test cricket, but the selectors believe he has the potential to grow in the role.In July, Gill led India in the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, which they won 4-1. Gill was then appointed vice-captain in the white-ball home series against Sri Lanka. Recently, Gill led India A in Duleep Trophy in a team that also had Rahul, who has also been India’s vice-captain. Gill also led Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024.

Hazlewood’s four-for helped Australia bowl India out for 150 but the visitors ended the day on top

Tristan Lavalette22-Nov-2024Befitting the rivalry between Australia and India, the latest tussle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy started in eventful fashion with wild momentum swings and a DRS controversy as pace bowlers from both attacks thoroughly dominated in favourable conditions at Optus Stadium.By the end of a madcap first day’s play, India had remarkably finished on top after stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah tore through Australia’s top-order with spectacular seam bowling. He finished with 4 for 17 from 10 overs.He claimed debutant Nathan McSweeney for 10 in the third over before dismissing Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith with consecutive balls in the seventh over to turn a fast-moving first Test on its head.Related

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In just his second red-ball match opening the batting, McSweeney faced a baptism of fire and initially judged the length well before Bumrah adjusted to a fuller length and trapped him on the pads. Smith’s shift back to his favoured No.4 did not start well after he shuffled across his stumps and was plumb lbw by a wicked Bumrah delivery that decked back a mile.Australia nosedived further when Travis Head was bowled by a cracker of a delivery from debutant quick Harshit Rana, while Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne fell to Mohammed Siraj.Mohammed Siraj struck twice, including trapping Marnus Labuschagne lbw•Getty Images

Having started the season slowly, Labuschagne had an excruciating time. He was dropped by Virat Kohli at second slip after edging Bumrah and didn’t score off his first 23 deliveries faced. He received mock applause from the terraces when he finally broke his drought, but Labuschagne could never get going and made a painstaking 2 off 52 balls.Bumrah wasn’t quite done as he returned in the shadows to dismiss Pat Cummins as Australia limped to stumps at 67 for 7.It was a remarkable turnaround after India were bowled out for 150 in just 49.4 overs. Nine of Indian batters were caught behind the wicket – keeper or in the well-stocked cordon – in a mode of dismissal that has been common in Perth over the years at Optus Stadium and at the nearby WACA ground.After India sensationally left out veteran spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Bumrah elected to bat after winning the toss. With overcast skies above a green-tinged surface, it was undoubtedly an agonising decision but batting first appeared the logical move given the pitch is expected to deteriorate amid warmer weather later in the match.With unseasonal wet weather ahead of the match, there had been particular intrigue over how the pitch would behave. There was movement and bounce, but perhaps not the minefield the scoreboard indicates.India’s top order were all at sea against superb new ball bowling from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who claimed all four wickets in the first session. Starc, especially, was outstanding to set the tone for an Australian pace attack that strangled India.Having pushed through injury issues last summer, Starc entered the season fit and firing. He continued his strong form with fast and probing bowling, especially troubling the left-handers with an immaculate line and away swing.Marnus Labuschagne took a good relay catch to dismiss Harshit Rana•Associated Press

Seemingly attempting to start the series in the same fashion as the Ashes series in 2021-22, Starc’s first delivery was an anti-climax and missed the leg stump of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and flew to the boundary.He was on target after that and his accuracy overwhelmed Jaiswal, who on his eighth delivery, as he tried to score his first runs in Australia, drove on the up and edged to McSweeney in the gully.With his bat well in front of his body, it was an errant stroke that had echoes of an ungainly dismissal for Pakistan captain Shan Masood in last year’s Perth Test.With captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill unavailable, Devdutt Padikkal received an unexpected opportunity at No.3 after impressing in the India A matches recently. But he was totally shackled by the quicks and did not score off his first 22 deliveries faced. The pressure proved too much with Padikkal on the next ball edging Hazlewood behind with an angled bat trying to defend to covers.All eyes were on Kohli, who received healthy applause from the 31,302 crowd although Indian fans in the terraces were vastly outnumbered in a rare sight.India desperately needed their long-time talisman to shrug off a form slump on a ground he scored a brilliant century in the 2018-19 series. Kohli batted well outside the crease in a well-worn strategy he had successfully implemented previously in Australia.But Hazlewood, who has had great success against Kohli over the years, adjusted and bowled a back of length. Kohli on 5 could only fend a lifting Hazlewood delivery that landed straight to first slip.Opener KL Rahul, who just a week ago had been struck on the elbow in an intra-squad match simulation, bravely batted through the carnage. He struck India’s first boundary off the bat in the 12th over in ungainly fashion when he tried to evade a Cummins short ball only for it to hit his bat and fly over the slips.Rishabh Pant doing Rishabh Pant things, playing a remarkable falling scoop off Pat Cummins•Getty Images

Rahul made it to 26 before being given not out by on-field umpire Richard Kettleborough after Starc appealed for caught behind. After Australia reviewed, Snicko showed a spike as the ball passed the bat and the decision was overturned. Having indicated that the bat hit his pad, Rahul trudged off the ground shaking his head as India slumped to 47 for 4.After lunch, allrounder Marsh made a successful return to bowling with the wickets of Dhruv Jurel, who had been selected on the back of his performances for India A, and Washington Sundar.Marsh had only bowled four overs since tearing his hamstring at the IPL. But he ran in powerfully and finished with 2-12 from five overs in a boost for an attack without allrounder Cameron Green, who will miss the entire series due to a back injury.India’s hopes rested with a counterattacking Rishabh Pant and debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy, who combined for 48 runs – the biggest partnership of the innings.Pant was typically adventurous, marked by an audacious scoop for six off a full delivery from Cummins, while Reddy mixed orthodox drives with paddle sweeps to thwart offspinner Nathan Lyon.But both were unable to kick on as India were dismissed by tea. In his first red-ball match since the New Zealand Tests in March, Cummins looked a little underdone and was unable to find a consistent length as he finished with 2 for 67 from 15.4 overs.He did dismiss Pant and Reddy and left the field mightily pleased with Australia’s performance. But Cummins’ mood soured quickly and just over two hours later he trudged off the field after being dismissed by his opposite number.

Reddy shared a 127-run stand with Washington Sundar as India fought back after being 221 for 7

Andrew McGlashan28-Dec-2024A defiant maiden Test century by Nitish Kumar Reddy, brought up with No. 11 Mohammed Siraj for company, led an outstanding rearguard from India at the MCG to give them hope of at least avoiding defeat in the fourth Test although Australia were still set to take a significant first innings lead.Reddy, who had shown his batting prowess at various stages through his first Test series, arrived at the crease early on the third morning after a Rishabh Pant dismissal that prompted some strong reactions and was still there when bad light and rain brought an early close. He forged a stand of 127 in just under 48 overs with Washington Sundar to halt Australia in their tracks when they appeared likely to take a stranglehold on the game.However, Reddy’s crowning moment came amid huge tension after Washington was dismissed. In what appeared to be a lack of communication, he and Jasprit Bumrah came back for a second run off the final ball of an over which exposed the No. 10 to Pat Cummins and he edged to slip as Reddy watched from the non-striker’s end on 99. But Siraj was able to negotiate three deliveries from Cummins to huge cheers from the Indian supporters.Related

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Now, facing Scott Boland, Reddy defended two deliveries before unleashing a lofted straight drive down the ground to bring up a magnificent century, just the second of his first-class career. His father was in the crowd, among those on the edge of the seat as the landmark approached, and couldn’t contain his emotion.When the players left the field for a second time – rain having earlier brought an early tea – Australia’s advantage had been whittled down to 116, far fewer than looked on the cards when they had India 221 for 7 before lunch. They will still hope for a lead in three figures but could now face a race against time to earn victory on a true pitch that hasn’t shown significant signs of deterioration.The second evening had finished with Australia claiming 3 for 6 around the run out of Yashasvi Jaiswal, the ramifications of which were still being hotly debated when play resumed, with India 310 behind. Pant led the scoring early on the third morning, but fell in a manner that created many headlines when he attempted to scoop Boland over fine leg and got a leading edge to deep third. In a Test that had been dominated by Sam Konstas’ scoops, this was an example of when things go badly.Rishabh Pant’s dismissal drew strong reactions•Getty Images

Ravindra Jadeja played a largely defensive innings before being defeated by a superb piece of bowling from Lyon who skidded one through to trap him lbw. It was just Lyon’s fourth wicket of the series but, having later made one bounce to remove Washington, he could yet have a key role to play. When Jadeja fell, India were still 253 runs adrift with the follow-on the first target as Washington joined Reddy, although there’s almost no chance Cummins would have enforced it.Reddy had been positive when he arrived, quickly overtaking Jadeja’s score despite his partner having a 35-ball headstart. Shortly after Lyon had removed Jadeja, Reddy skipped down to the offspinner and sent him straight for six. His half century came up with a rasping back-foot drive against Mitchell Starc and, as it had previously in the series, his technique shone of someone who will be higher up the order as his career develops.Washington, who played a vital role with the bat in the famous 2021 victory at the Gabba, was watchful throughout, collecting his first and only boundary from his 103rd ball when he sent Starc through point with an elegant drive. The selection of the extra allrounders over Shubman Gill had been the topic of much debate but they could have done little more with the bat justify it.Washington did have one moment of fortune, in rather unusual circumstances, when he went to turn Starc through the leg side in the first over of the second new ball with it flying off the back of his bat towards second slip where Steven Smith, taken by surprise that it came in his direction, couldn’t holding on diving to his right.There was later a moment of concern for Australia when Starc grabbed his back midway through an over. However, he appeared to come through unscathed and continued to bowl at good pace although ended the day wicketless from 25 overs as the workload of the quicks mounted ahead of the final Test in Sydney.Mitchell Marsh was used for a spell either side of an extended tea break, but his 120kph medium pace was unconvincing although he did play a role in drying up the scoring early in the final session.The eighth-wicket pair showed few signs of being separated until Lyon got one to bounce against Washington which took the shoulder of the bat to Smith at slip. At that point, Reddy was on 97 and the day’s most compelling few minutes was about to unfold.

Jasprit Bumrah struck with the last ball of the day after India were bowled out for 185

Deivarayan Muthu03-Jan-2025Australia 9 for 1 (Bumrah 1-7) trail India185 (Pant 40, Boland 4-31, Starc 3-49, Cummins 2-37) by 176 runs
Off-field chaos swirled around India in the lead-up to the Sydney Test. Their on-field batting performance on the opening day in Sydney was just as chaotic after Rohit Sharma dropped himself in a nearly unprecedented move in Indian cricket and Jasprit Bumrah took over as captain. After Bumrah chose to bat, India struggled in the face of relentless bowling from Australia and were eventually dismissed for 185, just before close of play.Bumrah produced the final twist when he got rid of Usman Khawaja off the last ball of the day, and Australia went to stumps on 9 for 1.Related