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New Delhi. After taking control of the Boxing Day Test match, the Indian cricket team let it slip from their hands. The fourth day of the Melbourne Test match was full of ups and downs and the match sometimes seemed to be in India's favour and sometimes in Australia's favour. Team India lost its grip on the match which was in its grasp due to poor fielding and dropping catches...no balls. The partnership of more than 50 runs for the last wicket was a headache.
The fourth match of the 5-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia is being played in Melbourne. The fourth day of the Boxing Day Test (29 December) was full of excitement. The Indian bowlers tightened the noose around Australia, who had scored 474 runs in the first innings, and made a strong comeback in the match. After losing 9 wickets for 172 runs, the Indian bowlers missed the opportunity to get Australia out cheaply and by the end of the day's play, the situation turned around again.
The last wicket became a headache
Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland together gave a tough time to the Indian bowlers. They put the match back in Australia's favour by making a strong partnership for the last wicket. By the end of the fourth day's play, Australia had scored 228 runs at the loss of 9 wickets. They have a total lead of 333 runs. The team had got a lead of 105 runs on the basis of the first innings.
Catch drop ruined the game
On the fourth day of the match, the Indian team could have restricted Australia to a low score but poor fielding spoiled the whole matter. When Yashasvi Jaiswal took the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, Australia's score was 6 wickets for 99 runs. When Labuschagne was out after scoring 70 runs, the score had become 146 runs. Australia's 9th wicket fell at 172 runs and after just 2 runs, there was a chance to bowl Australia out. In the 66th over of the innings, Nathan Lyon got the ball on Mohammad Siraj's ball and he missed catching it.
Jasprit Bumrah's no ball proved costly
Lyon, who was playing on 5 runs, took full advantage of this lifeline and scored 41 runs. He played 110 runs for the 10th wicket with Scott Bowland and returned on the fourth day with an unbroken partnership of 55 runs. Jaspreet Bumrah, who was bowling the last over of the game on the fourth day, got Nathan Lyon caught by KL Rahul in the slip on the fourth ball of the 82nd over. When Team India was celebrating the all-out of Australia, the umpire signaled a no ball. India's hopes were dashed once again. Now it remains to be seen in the last day's play how far Australia's last pair takes the score.
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