AUS vs IND : Fourth Test @ Sydney — Daily Updated

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DAY ONE : Pujara 130*, Agarwal 77* as India take the day

India 4 for 303 (Pujara 130*, Vihari 39*, Agarwal 77) v Australia

He just bats and bats and bats. Cheteshwar Pujara came to the crease in the first over and refused to budge until the end of the day. He has faced 1135 balls in this series. As a consequence of that, he's made 458 runs. One hundred and thirty of them came in Sydney where India have established a position of strength to perhaps take more than a share of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australia would believe they haven't quite lost that much ground. They'll be thrilled to have kept Virat Kohli to a mere 23 and Ajinkya Rahane for 18. And considering they went in with only four specialist bowlers a score of 4 for 303 at stumps is a reflection of some decent work. The only problem is that India keep finding ways to be better.
Or more accurately, Pujara keeps finding a way to be better. At lunch he was 16 off 59. He was sussing out the conditions, deciding what shots to play and which bowlers he needed to worry about. The conclusion - it seemed - was that he didn't want to be driving on the up. Over the first 50 deliveries that the Australians bowled outside his off stump, he left 15, defended 17 and drove at only three. Only three. No letting those hands stray from the body. No giving the easy edge to slip.
At tea, he was 61 off 138, showing mastery over Nathan Lyon and disdain for part-timer Marnus Labuschagne, who was hit for three fours in an over. Pujara averages 178 against spin bowling since January 2018. And he ruddy well showed it. Australia knew the value of his wicket, which was no more apparent than when they burned a review after Pat Cummins beat his inside edge in the 15th over. Several overs - and barely any further chances later - Pujara whipped Mitchell Starc to the fine leg boundary to celebrate his third century of the series. He went to stumps on unbeaten. #NuffSaid.
Mayank Agarwal was the other major contributor for India. He made 77 for 112 deliveries but those bare facts do little to capture how he overcame a sustained effort by the Australian quicks to bounce him out. Soon after drinks, when it became clear that sideways movement was in short order, Starc came back for his second spell of the day and hit the opener on the glove and the helmet. An unplayable delivery at 146 kph clanging into the head is liable to scramble the brain a bit - and he took further blows on his body too - but he didn't give up.
Agarwal's wicket - trying to hit Lyon over the top and being caught at long-on - looked terribly off. But had he succeeded, and planted doubt in Australia's mind about their holding bowler, at a time when they'd dropped the allrounder from the XI, their big three quicks might have had an even tougher outing.
Starc, who is one wicket shy of 200, Cummins and Hazlewood did their best to stay threatening through the day, bowling at 140 kph and above. But India were resolute. Pujara was resolute. And after a good day's work - that started with winning the toss - they are in a position to reap the advantage of some bold selections. The SCG has not been as conducive to spinners over last 10 years as it has been in the past but the experts still suggest it will break down and turn big later in the game. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav - included for this Test with R Ashwin injured - will hope that's true.
India's top order then got to work procuring the scoreboard pressure that will further enhance the bowling attack. Well, all except KL Rahul. His struggles as opener continued, a good length ball from Hazlewood grabbing his edge and going to first slip.
Mike Hussey, who was on commentary at the time, recalled a chat he had with Rahul in Melbourne where the India batsman said he felt like he was in an awkward phase of his career. Hussey said that Rahul, at the start of his career, was focused on batting time but now, having had T20 success, he wants to take the bowlers on whenever he ends up under pressure. His game is lacking balance, both at the crease and in the mind. He's in need of help. And maybe also a break.
There were 33,678 people at the ground for the first day of the New Year's Test. Steve Waugh's son Austin was on the bench as one of Australia's substitutes, soaking in the occasion. The locals cheered their team on. The fast bowlers kept charging in. There was expectation in the air. For wickets, for tension, for mayhem.
Pujara disagreed. Big time.

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DAY TWO: Pujara 193, Pant 159* grind Australia to dust

Australia 0 for 24 (Harris 19*, Khawaja 5*) trail India 7 for 622 dec (Pujara 193, Pant 159*, Jadeja 81, Agarwal 77, Lyon 4-178) by 598 runs

Sydney offered runs to India and misery to Australia as Cheteshwar Pujara amassed 193, Rishabh Pantcruised to 159*, Nathan Lyon complained about his team's tactics and the three 140 kph quicks were bowled into the ground.

So complete was India's hold over the final Test match - and by extension the Border-Gavaskar Trophy - that they had Usman Khawaja - a man who'd only ever bowled one over in his life as an Australian cricketer - lobbing his harmless offspin soon after the tea break.

Mitchell Starc was stuck on 199 Test wickets. Pat Cummins was down on pace. Josh Hazlewood was left waiting for the third new ball. And Australia suffered an 11th instanceof being out on the field for 100 overs or more since January 2018. That is not a nice stat. The key stats on the day, anyway, seemed reserved for India, from Pujara facing 1258 deliveries - the fourth-highest by any batsman in a series not longer than four Tests - to Pant becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a century down under.

Rishabh Pant congratulates Cheteshwar Pujara after the latter's 193 Getty Images

Even the man who didn't trouble the number crunchers did well. Hanuma Vihari looks a safe bet at No. 6 for India, scoring 42 off 96 balls, and was only dislodged from the crease after a slightly contentious catch at short leg. He was judged out on the field. His review was immediate. He indicated the ball had gone off the forearm. The bowler Lyon too appeared to agree as he joined his team-mates to wait on DRS but snicko suggested a spike as the ball passed the top edge of the sweeping bat.

Those kinds of shots were more the norm on the second day of the New Year's Test. Even the phlegmatic Pujara began with an expansive cover drive and later went past 150 with a down-the-track lash through the same region. India's No. 3 made 51 runs in 82 deliveries this morning and looked set to make his third double-century against Australia but Lyon managed to hoodwink him as he came out of his crease to secure a return catch.

That left the stage open to the antics of a 21-year old in his first year of Test cricket. Pant has found stardom with his stump mic cameos. He may also be the most famous babysitterin the world - without actually doing any babysitting. And the day job's going pretty well too. India already had 329 runs on the board when he came to the crease. He could easily have started throwing his bat around for some quick runs. No one would have blamed him; they might even have celebrated it as the perfect kind of innings from a No. 7.

But that only applies to wicketkeepers for whom batting is their second string. Pant doesn't belong in that box. He has all the shots. Too many shots. There have been times in the past when he indulges once too often and gets out. Remember the two 92s against West Indies last year? So - as if his resolution for 2019 was to show more responsibility - he played like Pujara with Pujara at the other end. Sure, the runs came at rapid pace, but there weren't too many risks. In fact, through the first 100 deliveries that he faced, there were only five shots hit in the air.

That restraint has served Pant well. He now has 350 runs in this series - which is more than Virat Kohli's tally. It is more than MS Dhoni's tally combining all three of his tours to Australia.

There was plenty of merry-making in the last session of the day with Ravindra Jadeja participating in a seventh-wicket stand that produced 204 runs in only 224 balls, the peak of which was an over when the left-hander crashed Cummins - bowling at 130 kph - to the boundary four times in a single over. His dismissal for 81 off 114 deliveries triggered India's declaration. With 622 on the board, their bowlers had 10 overs to further torture Australia before the safety of stumps. They would have struck in the third over, with Mohammed Shami drawing Khawaja's outside edge, but Pant dropped a straightforward catch.

Australia managed to keep all their wickets but very little is well with them. Simon Katich said the system was setting players up to fail, pointing to the case of Aaron Finch having to open the batting at Test level when he doesn't do so for his state. Shane Warne rubbished the team they had picked to play the one-day series against India. Discontent appears to be brewing even within the team with Lyon questioning why the team had to bowl bouncers soon after drinks on the first day when the pitch - at least back then - had enough moisture to keep pitching it up.

There are still three days left in the Sydney Test. Conditions are glorious for batting. Australia's batsmen have to stand up and show their character and earn a draw. Only a draw won't be enough for them. It would still mean they'd lose their first Test series at home to India.

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DAY THREE : Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja ensure India's dominance

Australia 6 for 236 (Harris 79, Kuldeep 3-71, Jadeja 2-62) trail India 7 for 622 dec (Pujara 193, Pant 159*, Jadeja 81, Agarwal 77, Lyon 4-178) by 386 runs

A Test-series win for India in Australia has never looked so close, nor been better deserved. Indeed, through large parts of this tour, they have dictated terms in much the way Steve Waugh or Ricky Ponting's men had done, amassing big totals and suffocating opposition batsmen out. Cheteshwar Pujara took care of the first part of that equation. The bowlers as a group were taking care of the second part when the storm that threatened Sydney finally arrived to put an early end to proceedings.

At stumps, the hosts were 6 for 236. Marcus Harris made an eye-catching 79 and, if none of his team-mates pass that, he will hold the record for the lowest highest score in a Test series for Australia in 100 years.

Rishabh Pant looks on as Marcus Harris plays onto his stumps 

Things were smooth in the morning, largely because their newest opening batsman was showing how he belonged at this level. The fast bowlers would tease his outside edge. He would leave them. Then they'd attack the stumps, he'd flick them through midwicket. The spinners didn't get their lengths right early on and he was remarkably quick putting them away through point. On the back of three fours in an over off Kuldeep Yadav, he moved to 63 off only 80 deliveries.

Then India regrouped. They had an old ball in hand and it appears they very much relish it. In any case, the new one wasn't offering any help. Nothing in terms of bounce. Less than nothing in terms of swing.

By sticking to their discipline - which includes maintaining the shine on one side of the ball so as to can generate reverse swing - Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja became a mighty threat between overs 30 and 80. They picked up five wickets, giving away a mere 126 runs.


The wear and tear that was now on the pitch after three days' play certainly played a part - so did brain fades from Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine - but India deserve credit for creating an environment that was hostile for batting. Even the most fluent of Australians fell to the pressure. Harris plodded along for 16 runs off 40 deliveries before he inside-edged Jadeja onto his stumps.

Then came the moment of the day. Marnus Labuschagne was proving equal to the task of batting at No. 3 even though he was doing it for the first time in Test cricket. He was able to survive a vicious yorker from Jasprit Bumrah as soon as he came to the crease and then showed fine technique against the old ball tailing into him.

India had two midwickets in place to catch the errant flick shot, but the 24-year old split them with a ridiculously cool boundary in the 48th over and topped it with a straight drive, in position to play such strokes because of his balance at the crease.

The next ball, Virat Kohli moved himself to silly mid-on. He also had Ajinkya Rahane move to the right, closer to square leg than midwicket. The drive was off limits now.

Shami ran in again. He was getting the ball to reverse just a touch, but by pitching it up and keeping a tight line on the stumps, he knew it could still prove troublesome. Labuschagne came onto the front foot. He knew hitting down the ground wouldn't fetch him runs so he turned the bat's face to find some on the leg side. And though he hit the ball superbly again, Rahane was there. India's best close-catcher was there to complete a beautifully planned wicket.

After that, Travis Head popped a full toss back to Kuldeep. If that wasn't bad enough, the wicket had fallen four minutes before tea.

First over after the break, Tim Paine was bowled without moving his feet.

A little earlier, Shaun Marsh, who averages 18 since his century against England in January 2018, played for non-existent turn and poked a catch to slip. And Usman Khawaja, after getting himself set, had slogged it straight to short midwicket.

These are simple mistakes - avoidable mistakes - especially on a flat deck. But Australia's line-up is struggling for solidity so much that even when there is a good partnership - like the 72 the openers put on in Sydney - there is no escaping a collapse.

In the end, it was left to the herculean Pat Cummins to restore calm in the dressing room and he too looked uncertain as Kuldeep hit rhythm. The left-arm wristspinner has spoken about his struggle to adapt to red-ball cricket many times over the last six months or so. In Australia, having taken the place of India's premier spinner, and on a pitch that offered him very little, he is beginning to prove he belongs at Test level. An early start beckons at the SCG on Sunday. It won't be long before he's front and centre again.

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DAY FOUR : Rain, bad light delay India's quest for 3-1 after Kuldeep five-for

Stumps : Australia 300 (Harris 79, Kuldeep 5-99) and 0 for 6 trail India 7 for 622 dec. (Pujara 193, Pant 159*, Lyon 4-178) by 316 runs

After rain took away three hours, India nipped out three lower order wickets when play resumed on the fourth day in Sydney. Then, the last-wicket pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood held on for an hour before wristspinner - Kuldeep Yadav- playing his first Test of the tour, and only his sixth overall, picked his second five-for by removing a stodgy Hazlewood, who could have been out much earlier had Hanuma Vihari held a top-edged slog sweep at midwicket. India quickly enforced the follow-on, Australia's first at home in 31 years after securing a 322-run lead.

Suddenly, the time lost to rain seemed irrelevant. Then, with four minutes before the scheduled tea interval, Jasprit Bumrah bowled a lifter that rapped Marcus Harris on the glove, with all eight light towers at the SCG burning. The blow was partly because Harris misjudged the length and looked to duck away by taking his eyes off the ball.
A strong Sunday crowd that had paid good money expected a proper contest were left annoyed, much like Virat Kohli, when they saw the umpires converge to pull out the light meter and the players walked off. Sadly - or much to the relief of the Australian team - they did not return, leaving everyone debating the whys and wherefores of the cricket's playing conditions.
The big picture, however, was the situation left Australia only slightly better than the position they had been in at the start of the day.
India's first-ever series win in Australia is all but sealed. Kohli can lay his hands on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he will be aching for a 3-1 scoreline. For that, India would need 10 wickets on the final day, but with a forecast similar to Saturday's and the rule book that calls for play to stop at the slightest hint of rain or play to hinge on a light reading - despite having quality, state-of-the-art floodlights - it seems possible the Sydney Test could end in a draw.

Peter Handscomb is bowled

The delay at the start of play may have made Kohli's decision to enforce the follow-on straightforward. With time running out and 14 wickets still to take, he threw the ball to Mohammed Shami and he struck off the third delivery. Pat Cummins, who had shown admirable fight both against pace and spin, got a grubber that beat the bottom to crash into the stumps.
Peter Handscomb saw this as an opportunity to score runs and showed authority against Kuldeep, first by sweeping him off a length and then playing a finely-timed short arm jab to the midwicket boundary. At the other end, Shami was properly banging the ball into the pitch and getting it to respond. Handscomb was jumping back into his crease, expecting balls to rear up, only for it to sneak low. This is how he would fall eventually, but to Jasprit Bumrah, who used the age-old tactic of short-short and slightly-full to get his man. Handscomb, playing back to a length ball, only managed to chop on, the ball keeping a touch low again. The lower order was exposed to India's pace pack under cloudy skies.
Kohli quickly brought on his spinners, a move to keep his fast bowlers fresh for when he would eventually enforce the follow on. Kuldeep had a fourth when Lyon was out sweeping to a full toss that drifted away and struck him on the boot, possibly outside the line. Australia had two full reviews, but Lyon saw Starc non-committal in asking him to refer. Lyon obediently walked off. In the commentary box, Ricky Ponting was furious, terming Australia's move 'slack and not desperate enough.'
The last-wicket pair then had some fun, making India chase deliveries to the boundary through slogs - some well-timed, others miscued - on a slow outfield, where the ball often pulled up short of the boundaries. They batted out 14 overs for 42 before Kuldeep came on to get Hazlewood with a wrong'un.
Australia's openers then had to bat out a mere four overs in the second innings before they went off and spent a better part of a farcical day in the change room even as a frustrated Sunday crowd disapproved of ICC's rigidity with the rules by switching on the backlights of their mobile phones, as if to say 'you want more light? Here, take this. Unfortunately, they know it would've only fallen on deaf ears.
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Kohli's India script historic series win in Australia

India 7 for 622 dec (Pujara 193, Pant 159*, Lyon 4-178) drew withAustralia 300 (Harris 79, Kuldeep 5-99) and 0 for 6


Seventy-one years after they first toured Australia, India finally have a series win to show. While it wasn't quite the grandstand 3-1 finish they would have envisaged, it was a series win well deserved as they became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia.

History was celebrated with handshakes at little after 2.30pm on a bleak day where play didn't look possible at any stage.

This meant they weren't able to add to the four overs out of the potential 155 they had at Australia to try to get the ten remaining wickets to secure a third win, after enforcing the follow-on with a 322-run lead that was achieved early on the fourth day. Incidentally, Sunday too dawned dark and grey with only 25.2 overs possible.

The situation at times on the final day bordered on the farcical. As the floodlights took effect, Sydney's Central Business Districts were visible through the thin spray of pitter-patter but the umpires were bound by the rigid ICC guidelines.

The rain may have not been intense enough for the players to go off in the first place. However, with the rules stipulating players can only return once the drizzle stops and light improves to a reading better than the one that forced them off, any hope of play diminished drastically.

Where they should have been out looking to take wickets, the Indian team spent their morning doing photoshoots and some tour filming; not quite the expected end to an intense series where each Test was pushed into the fifth day. The series win meant India became the fifth side after England, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa to record a Test series win in Australia.

"Hats off to India. When we play in India, we know how difficult it is, so to win in foreign conditions is a huge effort, congratulations to Virat, Ravi and those guys," said Australia captain Tim Paine. "In the last two Tests, we were a little poor. We thought we had chances to win in Adelaide, but India outplayed us in big moments. In Perth, we played a good brand of cricket, but were completely outplayed in Melbourne and Sydney. India deserved to win."

Out of the 13 captains to have led India on these shores, Virat Kohli's two wins on this tour is the joint-most along with Bishan Bedi. This completes a circle of sorts for India, who began their long stretch of overseas tours in January last year with a 2-1 series loss in South Africa.

With a slew of home Tests - outside of the one tour to the Caribbean in July - in the next 12 months, India have a great chance of extending their reign as the No. 1-ranked Test side. For Kohli and India, this Test series will be extra special, for they found the batting support that their bowlers missed in South Africa and during their 4-1 loss in England.

"I've never been more proud to be part of a team than this one right here," said Kohli. "I think the culture we have been able to build over the last 12 months [has been fantastic]. I'm proud to be part of this team. To lead these players is an honour and privilege. They make a captain look good."

Kohli, remarkably, was only the third among all batsmen in the series - Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant finished ahead of him with 521 and 350 runs respectively. In comparison to the 2014-15 tour, where he scored 692 runs, Kohli's tally of 282 seemed pale, but his century in Perth on a fiery track - albeit in a losing cause - was an act for the most top batsmen to emulate.

In the end, the series scoreline was 2-1, with Australia's Perth win sandwiched between India's triumphs in Adelaide and Melbourne. Both sides will now square off in three ODIs to round-off a tour that began with the T20I series locked 1-1, with the second T20I in Melbourne ending in no result because of rain.