Que Siraj Siraj — What will test result be for India?
Mohammed Siraj snared five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 294 late on day four yesterday, setting India a target of 328 to win the seriesdeciding cricket test at the Gabba.
The highest successful run chase at the Brisbane venue was in 1951, when Australia finished 236-7 against the West Indies. The Australians haven’t lost at the Gabba since 1988 but nobody is counting out India.
The openers faced 1.5 overs before rain stopped play for a second time and India were four without loss — one scoring stroke from Rohit Sharma. Stumps was called shortly after 5pm local time, leaving India one day to try to score 324 more runs.
Siraj put down two catches before picking up the key wicket of Steve Smith for 55 in the middle session as India’s injury-depleted bowling attack kept taking the game to Australia.
Australia were 243-7 at tea on day four — a rain shower forcing an early break — with an overall lead of 276 and a declaration seeming imminent. But the hosts continued batting when play resumed in gloomy conditions in the evening session, adding a further 51 runs for three wickets.
Pat Cummins finished unbeaten on 28. Nathan Lyon, in his 100th test, took Australia’s lead past 300 when he hooked a six off Siraj but was out soon after for 13, giving Thakur his fourth wicket of the innings and seventh of the match.
Thakur took the catch off Siraj’s bowling to dismiss last man Josh Hazlewood (9). Siraj, leading the India attack in just his third test in the injury-enforced absence of Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, returned 5-73.
Smith said the match was well-poised and typical of a series that has “ebbed and flowed” throughout.
Australia won the first test by eight wickets in Adelaide, India responded with an eight-wicket win in Melbourne and then drew the third test in Sydney, batting through the last four sessions to avoid defeat.
“The game is in a nice place for us,” Smith said. “The wicket started to play a few tricks [yesterday], a couple of balls shot up, so [today] is going to be about letting the natural variation of a day-five wicket do its work, and hopefully we can hold our chances.”
Smith said there was a lot more happening with the wicket at the Gabba and it was different to the Sydney Cricket Ground, where India batted 130 overs to save the match.
“For us, [the key] is being patient, not searching too much. Letting it happen,” Smith said. “The guys are excited [about the final day].”
He tipped Lyon, three shy of 400 test wickets, to play a big role with some cracks on a day-five pitch to aim at. He also expected all-rounder Cameron Green to use his height and the unpredictable bounce to get his first wicket in test cricket.
Australia started play 21-0 yesterday and cruised to 89-0 on the fourth morning before losing four wickets in six overs to slip to 123-4. Smith then combined with Green to lift the total to 196 before a sharply-rising ball from Siraj hit him on the glove and deflected to Ajinkya Rahane in the gully.
Smith, who got a reprieve on 42 when he advanced to off-spinner Washington Sundar and Siraj put down a chance in the deep, reviewed the decision, thinking his hand wasn’t on the bat at the time. But replays clearly confirmed the dismissal.
Green (37) had a reprieve when Siraj put down a sharp return catch, but his 90-ball innings ended when he edged Thakur to Rohit Sharma at second slip to make Australia 227-6.
Australia captain Tim Paine scored a quick 27 before he was caught behind attempting a hook off Thakur just before the tea interval.
Thakur picked up the first wicket of the innings when Marcus Harris (38) gloved a catch to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant in the 25th over.
David Warner compiled 48 from 75 deliveries before he was out in the following over, trapped lbw by Sundar to make it 91-2. Siraj chimed in with two wickets in an over to remove Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 25 from 22 balls, and Matthew Wade for a duck in the same over.
While the series is level at 1-1, India need only a draw to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.