India beat Australia by 137 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match Test series. This is the first time ever that India have won the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the first time since 1981 that India have beaten Australia at the MCG. The first session of Day 5 was washed out but it didn’t take long for India to take the final two Australian wickets.

Jasprit Bumrah broke a defiant ninth-wicket stand between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon that had pushed the game into the final day. He accounted for the wicket of Cummins who walked off to a standing ovation from the MCG crowd having made 63 off 114 balls. Ishant Sharma dismissed Nathan Lyon in the next over and sparked wild celebrations from the Indians.

There was rainfall early on Saturday and clouds hovered throughout the day over the MCG. India started on 54/5 with a lead of 346 and quick runs were the priority for them. Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant played shots every time they saw an opportunity.

Cummins took advantage of the situation and continued from where he left off on Day 4. He dismissed Agarwal for 42 and then accounted for Ravindra Jadeja who was going big guns himself. Cummins ended the innings with career-best figures of 6/27. Josh Hazlewood dismissed Pant for 33 and that prompted Virat Kohli to declare the innings.

Jasprit Bumrah got the struggling Aaron Finch in his very first over of the day. Jadeja got Marcus Harris soon after that leaving Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja to survive until Lunch. They did and paced the innings well in the early part of the second session. They could do so only in that part of the day because that is all the time that stand got. Khawaja had seemingly settled in when Virat Kohli moved to leg gully and gave Mohammed Shami the option of attacking both edges. Khawaja was soon trapped before the stumps.

Marsh continued on his positive approach and pulled Australia into three-figures. He was also part of the only partnership that went beyond the 50-run mark but couldn’t get to a 50 himself. Jasprit Bumrah was once again the man who got India the breakthrough. Mitchell Marsh followed his brother back to the pavilion soon and Travis Head, who was on the other side of the aforementioned half-century stand became Ishant Sharma’s first wicket of the day.

As has often been the case throughout this series, captain Tim Paine and Pat Cummins put up an act of resistance. The pair survived past Tea and blocked away 66 balls before Paine fell to Jadeja.

Courtesy: The Indian Express