India thrashed Australia by 137 runs to win the Boxing day test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and secure an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series on Sunday. If the visitors avoid defeat in the fourth test at the SCG, they will become the first touring Indian team to win a test series Down Under.
Rain washed out the morning session and Australia resumed post lunch at 258 for eight, with Pat Cummins batting on 61. However he managed to add only two more runs to his overnight score before being caught at slip by Cheteshwar Pujara off Jasprit Bumrah.
Nathan Lyon, who had shared a defiant 46 run stand for the ninth wicket with Cummins, fell to Ishant Sharma for seven in the next over, thereby securing an emphatic win for the visiting side. Australia were dismissed for 261, a major improvement over their first innings score of 151, but nowhere enough to come near to the 399 target set by India. This was the Men in Blue’s first ever Test win at the MCG in nearly four decades- their last triumph at this venue came back in 1981- no one in this current Indian XI was even born then!
Spinner Ravindra Jadeja and pacer Bumrah claimed three wickets each for India. The Mumbai Indians star was also declared the MOTM for his match haul of 9/86.
Indian captain Virat Kohli now has four wins in SENA ( South Africa, New Zealand, England, Australia) countries, which is the most by any Indian captain, going past former skippers MS Dhoni and MAK Pataudi.
in another record, dashing 21 year old wicket keeper batsman Rishabh Pant also surpassed the great Syed Kirmani and Naren Tamhane’s record of most catches by an Indian keeper in a Test series.
The fourth test at the SCG will begin on Thursday. India’s victory here also means that they have retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy.