Australia head coach Andrew McDonald praised Sydney Cricket Ground ground staff for preparing an extraordinary pitch for the final test.
The traditional SCG wicket is usually a batting paradise and also helps the spinners towards the end but the ongoing Test has unfolded on a green top with variable bounce on offer. During Day 2, the Sydney Cricket Ground saw a total of 15 wickets from the fast bowlers.
“The ground staff have done an incredible job in terms of, creating a wicket with something in it. Traditionally here it’s quite benign and we’ve had a lot of draws, so a lot of people have been talking about the draws, so you’re damned if you do it and damned if you don’t.
So this game’s sped up. I think he’s trying to produce an even contest between bat and ball. There’s no doubt about that. It’s made for interesting cricket,” Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said.
Speaking of the fifth test at Sydney, India opted to bat first after winning the toss. But India’s opening duo failed to lay a strong foundation as Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were dismissed for 10 and 4 respectively.
Following a couple of early dismissals, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill were expected to build a healthy partnership which could bring India back into the game. After Virat Kohli survived a close call in his very first delivery of the inning, the duo started to add runs without any hurry.
While things were seen settled for the visitors, Nathan Lyon dismissed Shubman Gill for 20 runs. Lyon broke the 40-run stand between Virat Kohli and Gill while India slipped to 57 for three before lunch.
Post the lunch, Scott Boland made a crucial wicket by dismissing Virat Kohli for 17 runs. Rishabh Pant scored a struggling 40 and helped India to reach the triple-digit mark. Nitish Reddy who scored a century in the previous test dismissed for a golden duck and shattered the Indian fans. With Bumrah’s handy 22, India scored 185 runs in their first inning.
Australia on the other hand, struggled to face the Indian bowlers and lost their wickets in regular intervals. Leading wicket-taker of the season, Jasprit Bumrah left the field following an injury concern. Bumrah for his counterpart bagged a couple of wickets for India before making his way back to the dressing room.
Later Bumrah was seen leaving the SCG premises, potentially to undergo scans. Following the unavailability of their pace head, Indian bowlers took the responsibility on their shoulders and attacked the Aussies under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
Siraj and Prasidh Krishna each bagged three wickets and contained Aussies for 181 runs. India in their second innings failed to lay a strong foundation as KL Rahul and Jaiswal fell for Boland’s trap after scoring just 13 and 22 runs respectively.
Virat Kohli who struggled to regain his form back once again failed with bat and returned to the pavilion after scoring just 6 runs. Part-time bowler Webster dismissed Gill for 13 and secured his maiden international wicket.
Rishabh Pant who is well known for his aggressive style of play poses a great threat for the Aussies by scoring his maiden half-century of the edition in just 29 balls. Following Pant’s dismissal, India slips to 141 for 6 at the end of day 2.
