With their backs to the wall, the support cast rose to the occasion. Prasidh Krishna bowled an absolute beauty that shattered Carey’s middle stump. He later accounted for Webster, too. Nitish Kumar Reddy took care of the Australian captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Mohammed Siraj polished off Scott Boland to end Australia’s innings at 181 and secure a lead of four runs. In the second innings, India were 141 for 6 at stumps with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar at the crease.
In the morning, too, Siraj had bowled his heart out and took the crucial wickets of Sam Konstas and Travis Head. While Konstas, who was flirting with danger almost every other ball, perished driving an outswinger away from the body, Head tried to play across the line. The fiery spell reduced Australia to 39/4.
The game, however, seemed to be slipping away when Steve Smith stitched a significant partnership with debutant Webster. Bumrah and Siraj had already bowled a lot of overs in the morning. They needed someone else to come and do the job.
Perhaps the charged-up environment provided Krishna the motivation to bounce back from his first spell where he conceded 21 runs in five overs without any success. Maybe that’s what made Smith’s wicket all the more significant. The seasoned batter had settled in and the partnership had crossed 50. At the stroke of lunch, Krishna produced the perfect delivery on off-stump, drawing the edge from Smith to provide a crucial breakthrough.It’s this effort that gives hope. Down with back spasms, Bumrah may not be available to bowl on the final day of the tour. Even if he does take the field, he will be constrained by the injury. The onus will once again fall on Siraj, Krishna and Reddy to deliver.The current situation has a distinct echo of the 2020-21 tour. It was in Bumrah’s absence that Siraj had stepped up at the Gabba then, delivering a game-changing performance that helped India win the series back. Now, history seems poised to repeat itself.
Another fiery spell from Siraj, combined with support from Prasidh and the assistance of a responsive pitch, could well see them retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Had Bumrah been fit, a target of 170 might have been enough. Without him, India will need at least 200 to make the Australians feel the nerves. This makes the contribution of Jadeja and Sundar in adding 40-50 valuable runs all the more crucial. It is also true that India’s hopes are alive largely because of Rishabh Pant. After copping criticism for his shot selection in the fourth Test, Pant was sublime in Sydney.
His improved game awareness stood out as he picked his moments to attack with precision. In an outstanding knock where he scored the second fastest Test fifty for India in just 29 balls, Pant took on the Australian bowling attack when others struggled. Back-to-back sixes of Mitchell Starc, multiple boundaries of Webster and a superb six of Scott Boland, it was an innings that showed the abundance of talent that Pant possesses. His counterattack rattled the Australians, forcing them to send seven fielders to the boundary.
When Cummins finally dismissed him, the relief among Australians was palpable. Another 30 minutes of Pant’s onslaught could have swung the game decisively in India’s favour. Now, it is upto Jadeja and Sundar. If India manage to play for an hour or more on Sunday morning, the game would be beautifully poised for a thrilling conclusion.
BRIEF SCORES: India 185 and 141/6 (Pant 61; Boland 4/42) lead Australia 181 (Webster 57, Smith 33; Prasidh 3/42, Siraj 3/51, Bumrah 2/33, Reddy 2/32) by 145 runs at stumps on Day 2
