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.

None of this was unprecedented. Time and again have the Indians – Bumrah, mostly – troubled Australia’s top three without luck. Then they had to take Bumrah off. But now, they did not.

Speedsters show up for India; luck does not

Siraj had given Bumrah a breather after a five-over burst. It has been the norm to replace the other opening bowler with Reddy or a spinner, but India chose differently this time. This time, Bumrah replaced Akash at the other end.

It was a risk. Earlier this year, India had rested Bumrah in a live Test match against England. Here, despite trailing by 142 and with nine wickets to take, despite having over-bowled him on the tour, despite the small window ahead of the decider at Sydney, India gave him another spell – and did not take him off even after Siraj took out Khawaja.

The spell lasted three overs, but Bumrah opened the bowling again, after lunch. India rotated their three fast bowlers. On came Reddy, not the spinners – a curious move on a fourth day when Nathan Lyon had found bounce – but when Siraj took out Steve Smith, India recalled Bumrah.

The first three spells had fetched Bumrah numerous edges and oohs and aahs and a retained review but only one wicket. This time, finally, he struck not once or twice but thrice, breaking through Australia’s middle order in 11 balls to leave the hosts reeling at 91-6.

The lead was only 196. India’s move had paid off. All they needed was a wicket, preferably Labuschagne’s. He had been struck all over – “the luckiest player I have seen in my life,” quipped Bumrah – but there had been no edge. And when the edge came, Jaiswal grassed his second chance of the day.

The spell was broken. At Perth, India had Australia at 79-9 in the first innings and 17-4 in the second, but that was Perth, and Perth was an aberration. India had been Travisheaded at Adelaide and Brisbane (the 89-7 in the second innings was, really, declaration batting) and Stevesmithed here, but Smith and Head were both gone now.

What could have been Perth turned out to be Adelaide or Brisbane or the first innings at Melbourne. Labuschagne played in the air again. Yet again Jaiswal dropped him, this time at silly mid-off. He made 70. Pat Cummins followed his 49 with a 41. India hit back again. Australia became 173-9. Still a lead of 278. Difficult, but gettable.

And then it all fell apart. Lyon, probably keen on foregoing his world record of most Test runs without a fifty, finished the day on 41. Scott Boland, yet to reach a thousand runs in first-class cricket, was unbeaten on 10. The pair added 55. They managed to drag India to the second new ball. When Bumrah had Lyon caught at slip, it turned out to be a no-ball.

Of course, that was despite Bumrah, not because of him. He had already bowled the second- and third-most overs of his career in the first innings at Melbourne and Brisbane. Here, he bowled 24. India would have wanted him to bowl less but they could not afford to. They took him off whenever they could – he bowled nine spells today – but the 52.4 overs he has bowled here are his second-most in a Test match, that too by only two balls. The 356.2 overs he has bowled in 2024 are his most in a calendar year since 2018.

India would have loved to manage the workload of the greatest fast bowler they, or perhaps anyone, have produced. They simply could not afford to. They could have gone on the defensive, allowing Australia to stretch their lead to 300 (including the lead) by stumps. By attacking, they let them get away to 333-9 – but it could well have been 220.

Bumrah bowled magnificently today without luck. Siraj finally looked like the bowler that had impressed so much in Australia in 2020-21. Akash was unlucky, as he was at Brisbane. Unfortunately, a failing top order had forced India to stack their XI with as many all-rounders as they could, even if that meant compromising on their pace front.

On another day, India would have batted for an hour and a half before stumps. Perhaps it would have backfired. Perhaps it would not have. They gambled and it backfired on a day when luck deserted their bowlers. As the toll of bowling more than fifty overs in the Test caught up with Bumrah, the lack of a fourth fast bowler became evident, especially after the dropped catches.

You need a skilled bowling attack to take twenty wickets, but you also need luck. And on days like this when luck does not go your way, you need that extra bowling support. India bowled as well today as they have at any point since Perth. They ended up a fast bowler short.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.