A gritty 10th-wicket stand between Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland has helped frustrate India and push Australia’s lead to 333 after day four of a classic Boxing Day Test. The unlikely pair put on 55 together and batted for more than hour to survive until stumps on Sunday at the MCG, with Australia 9-228. Indian pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah (4-56) appeared to have Lyon (41no) caught in the slips in the day’s final over, but the Australian spinner was called back due to a no-ball.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Lyon and Boland (10no) have faced 107 balls in their partnership to frustrate India’s push for a win that would ensure they retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. The match is set up for a day-five thriller, with India needing pull off the highest successful run chase at the MCG. A victory would also make it India’s third-highest successful Test run chase, eclipsing even the 328 they famously scored at the Gabba to stun Australia in 2021.
Bumrah (eight wickets for the Test) produced another classic spell to decimate Australia’s top-order and give India a fighting chance of a special comeback. The Indian pace sensation instigated a collapse of 4-11 in 21 balls after lunch, as Australia slumped from 2-80 to 6-91. Marnus Labuschagne (70), who had a life on 46 thanks to the second of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s three dropped catches, added to his 72 in the first innings to finish a calendar year without a Test century for the first time since 2018.
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