Australian tail wags after Bumrah magic, MCG Test poised for exciting finish

Jasprit Bumrah left the hosts in a daze with a dream spell but the courageous Australian lower order steered the side to a commanding 333run lead on Sunday setting up the Boxing Day Test for an intriguing lastday finishAustralia finished the fourth day at 228 for nine leaving India skipper Rohit Sharma a bit irritated as the home team was in a spot at 156 for 8 at one stageAustralias number 8 10 and 11 batters saw off nearly 35 overs and it could prove decisive if India doesnt bat exceedingly well on a track which has remained true in all four daysBumrah 453 in 17 overs was an artist at work in the first two sessions and found his ally in Mohammed Siraj 366 in 22 overs as momentum suddenly swung in Indias favourBumrah was unplayable for the better part of the second innings and completed 200 Test wickets on the day at an incredible average of 1956But as luck would have it he couldnt complete his fivefor as he overstepped when he had Nathan Lyon caught in the slips by KL Rahul Insult to the injury was the lastball boundary hit by LyonWith immaculate length awkward bounce and late movement Bumrah had the Australian lineup in complete tangle but India let slip the advantageous position in the final sessionPat Cummins 41 off 90 balls Lyon 41 batting 54 balls and Scott Boland 10 batting 65 balls beefed up the second innings total leaving a jittery Indian toporder with a mountain to climb on the final dayA victory isnt impossible but for it to happen India would need something freakish from Rishabh Pant and at least a couple of senior batters need to shrug off the rustThe pitch has no demons but Indian batters need to clear the cobwebs in their mindsMarnus Labuschagne played his grittiest knock of the series with a 70 but Yashasvi Jaiswals three dropped catches could cost India dear despite another day of heavylifting by the peerless BumrahLabuschagne fought doggedly but could have been dismissed for 47 if Jaiswal held onto a regulation catch in third slip off Akash DeepFor the first time since the Perth Test Bumrah had meaningful support from the other end as Australia lost three wickets in a space of 10 deliveriesThe pacers effort helped India regain a good bit of control despite conceding a 105run first innings lead even after Nitish Reddys brilliant 114Steve Smith 13 edged while trying to drive Siraj while Bumrah had Travis Head 1 who flicked uppishly to manofthemoment Nitish Reddy at square legBumrah had ended Shaun Marshs Test career during the 201819 series and this time his younger brother Mitchell Marsh 0 had no answers to the star Indian pacers probing questionsA short ball between chest and chin with a hint of away movement got the Aussie powerhitterGoing around the wicket Bumrah used the width of the crease to find the angle to breach the defence of Alex CareyIt all started in the first session when Bumrahs perfect nipbacker sent debutant Sam Konstas 8 packing before Siraj jettisoned Usman Khawaja with a peach of deliveryThe Indian bowlers came out with renewed vigour in the second innings and the decision to give the new ball to Akash was a prudent oneHe didnt bowl too many release deliveries even as Bumrah kept beating the bat of both the openers with monotonic regularityKonstas who did live up to the hype during the first innings played an edgy pull but then Bumrah bowled a delivery that pitched a shade back of length and jagged back enough to cut him into halfHardly animated after taking wickets Bumrah was seen egging the crowd to get behind the team as Konstas was booed off the ground by a sizeable Indian crowd that chanted Virat Kohlis nameLabuschagne and Khawaja 21 off 65 balls did not look comfortable despite both having scored fifties in the previous innings The way Siraj was able to set up Khawaja is what Test cricket is all aboutThe pacer bowled four deliveries which were angling out with speeds varying between 139 to 142 clicks all pitched on the six to eight metre lengthHaving set the lefthander up with a series of away going deliveries Siraj pitched the next one on an identical length but instead of going away with the angle it straightened enough to go through Khawajas defenceThe joy was palpable for Siraj who has been booed since his Adelaide bustup while giving Head a rude sendoff The Indian fans cheered him with shouts of iquestDSP DSPiquestHe was well within his rights to ask the partisan Australian fans to keep quiet and he did that in style with a memorable delivery