India had a better day on the field on the fourth day at Melbourne than they had at any point on the tour since Perth, but they still came out second-best at the end of it all.
India had no business in pushing for a win after they slipped from 153-2 to 159-5 on the second evening. Or to 221-7 on the second day amidst bursts of rain, 54 runs away from the follow-on mark. On air, pundits discussed whether Australia should bat again.
But Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar thwarted them for more than three hours. The follow-on was averted. The lead dropped to under 150. India were still batting when stumps were drawn. They finished only 105 behind.
Teams do not go on the aggressive from that kind of position. If a team bats third after taking a sizeable lead, they – and not the opposition – are supposed to attack. That is how it works.
India did have Jasprit Bumrah’s first spell up their sleeve, but there was little sense in continuing with the attack if Australia survived that. The series would remain live irrespective of the outcome here. Since only four days separate the fourth and the fifth Tests, resting Bumrah was also of paramount importance.
Despite having already suffered a major injury that kept him out for a year, Bumrah has already bowled more on this tour than he ever had since his debut year – essentially doing everything with little help from the other end. It would, thus, have been justified for India to switch to a defensive ploy soon after the innings began.
The first inkling of India attempting things differently came when they opened bowling with Akash Deep and not Mohammed Siraj. India had done that in the first innings as well, with the second new ball. The impact had been instantaneous: Akash had broken through with his first ball, ending the pesky stand between Steve Smith and Alex Carey.
While probably unexpected, it was not exactly out of the blue either. Bumrah and Akash gave a torrid time to Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja. Yashasvi Jaiswal prowled at leg gully. The plan worked... almost, for Jaiswal, standing too close to the bat, could not hold on.
The fast bowlers steamed in. Virat Kohli was pumped, animated, evoking memories of a byone era when he was at the helm. The lead increased, bit by bit, but Rohit Sharma kept the field in.
Time and again Bumrah and Akash beat the outside edge. Time and again they found the edge, but the ball fell short. Bumrah broke through Konstas’ defence. Marnus Labuschagne arrived. Siraj came on. The Indians bowled well, attacking the stumps, targeting the outside edge.
