India vs Australia Highlights, 5th Test Day 2: IND 141/6 vs AUS at Stumps in Sydney

He had a backspasm. Medical team is monitoring him. He had a scan. Medical team will update

Well, 15 wickets have fallen in the day and the game is on the knife edge. Anything can transpire tomorrow morning it is hard to pick a team who are ahead. If India can manage to give Australia a target over 200 runs it would be an uphill task for the Aussie batting line up unless Bumrah won't turn up to bowl. A lot is at stake here folks. Pat Cummins would want to add BGT to his legacy but losing will level the series and India will retain the trophy. Whatever maybe the case tomorrow just might be the final Day of this Test match and fabulous series. For now we say good by do join us at 4:00 AM in the morning tomorrow to catch all the live action.

India’s swashbuckling wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant delivered a match-defining half-century, breaking the record for the fastest Test fifty by a visiting batter in Australia during Day 2 of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney on Saturday.

Walking in at No. 5 after India were reduced to 59 for three following the four-run lead from the first-innings, Pant shed the inhibitions from the previous knock and pressed on the accelerator from ball one, smashing Scott Boland for a six over wide long-on. Pant then blitzed his way to a fifty in only 29 deliveries and broke numerous records along the way. (Read more)

"I was nervous, but he was playing to his strength. Most of his runs came in front of the stumps," he says on ABC Sport.

"He's given India some momentum and taken the game away from Australia.

"Because he was playing in front of the stumps … that's why he succeeded. That was smart batting, good tactical batting."

(Via ABC Sport)

On a wicket where majority of the batters have batted at a SR of 50 or less, @RishabhPant17's knock with a SR of 184 is truly remarkable. He has rattled Australia from ball one. It is always entertaining to watch him bat. What an impactful innings!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/rU3L7OL1UX

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 4, 2025

The concerning thing about India is how Jadeja is opting to go about his innings. It is not unusual that Jadeja plays extremely defensively but on these kinds of wickets, it would be wise for him to rotate strike and have a steady flow of runs. But similar to the first innings he has gone completely into survive mode and when he does it he doesn't even look to take singles which is not ideal. Even Nitish Kumar Reddy seems to have no interest on taking the attack on at this time. As we update Nitish Kumar Reddy who is gone and Boland has picked up his fourth wicket.

Nitish Reddy has left the ball well. it might be too early to say but with 30 minutes left in the day's play seems like India has closed the shop for today and they won't be attacking any more they just might be looking to see out the day. It is not a bad tactic but which comes with a risk because it is hard to predict when that wicket-tacking ball will come. The ball is still only 26 overs old hence there is another 10 overs or so where we can say the ball is old now and it won't do much but at this point, it is still nibbling a bit and Boland is bowling fabulously well.

Pant departs. It was a short and wide delivery that made Pant reach out and the batter edged it to keeper Alex Carey. India lost the fifth wicket now however, Pant did his job. Nitish Kumar Reddy has walked into the middle he might take a bit of time just to see how the pitch is behaving however he would not take too long to get going as well. On the flip side now that Australia has the breakthrough they need to pick up a few wickets quickly to stay in the game. This is turning into a humdinger of a game like MCG but just because India has runs on the board they are in front.

Australia have turned to Starc here as Webster has gone for plenty. That is where tactics worked out well for Australia in the first innings and not working now. The momentum is completely swung towards India now. As we update Pant gets to 50 in his 29 balls. This is running away from Australia. This is exceptional batting from Pant. This is what he does and this is what he is best at. It was not right in the first innings to tie down the hands but today he played with a free mind and the impact is the hosts are completely taken a back. If Pant adds another 30-40 Australia will be done in the game.

For Boland to Pant: Long-on, long-off, deep square-leg, deep point, fine-leg and third man. This has been an absolute scorcher of a knock thus far from Pant.

This is getting brutal from Rishabh Pant. He is pummeling everything. In the first innings, he looked to block things but he is playing more of his natural game in this one This is what India had to do. The pressure is completely on Australia and if they don't stop this bleed this game will be well beyond them. India leads by 112 runs at the moment another 100 runs will make it next to impossible for Australia to get the runs. This has been a bit of schooling by Pant to the Aussie team on how to play attacking cricket. If someone has a look at a pie chart it will be all-around the ground. He is in full T20 mode.

He had left the field at 1:20 pm after bowling an over after lunch and left the stadium an hour later.

First things first Jasprit Bumrah is back. We are still unaware of where his health is we will update you as soon as we have an update. At this point in the time it is fast food Test cricket it is going at a million miles per hour. Usually, we are more accustomed to see games like these back home on rank turners where every ball explodes. After providing good wickets in the first four games this has been a disappointing one. India missed the trick in the first innings but this innings they have got the approach right. Rishabh Pant is absolutely pummeling down the bowlers here.

Jasprit Bumrah is back in the Indian dressing room.

Shubman Gill goes down the track and attempts a wild hoik against Webster and he inside edges to keeper Carey. He could have missed it by a mile but unfortunately, it took a feather. India has lost four wickets now. This is how India will bat for the rest of the innings however, there is no harm in one batter looking to survive till the end. Since Pant, Nitish and Sundar are free-stroking players it might not be a bad ploy for Ravindra Jadeja just to try and stay till the end and anchor the innings. Also, a reminder that Bumrah is out for scans and it is unknown that if he will return or not.

Well, it is the same again Kohli poked at one that he should have left. It was the same delivery he got away in the first innings when Joel Wilson said the ball was touching the ground. Nevertheless, this time it is done and Smith has taken the catch. India has lost three wickets now and Kohli has had a series to forget. Rishabh Pant has walked into the middle it has hit the first ball for a six and that is how he is going to bat here for the rest innings. Scott Boland has picked three of the first three wickets and the way he is bowling he might end up 6-7 wickets.

"He's brilliant, I love him," Langer said.

"He's so mean on the field, but he's one of the most humble people you will ever meet.

"Just imagine if he had been born in any era before? He would have been playing every single Test. It's been really hard because of Hazlewood, [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins - but every time he gets the opportunity, he stands up.

"His bowling was elite, as it always is and I wouldn't want to face him that's for sure."

(Via -  2GB's Wide World Of Sports Radio)

That is another cracking delivery from Scott Boland. The ball pitched on middle and off and moved slightly away to hit the top of the off-stump. Like Travis Head's delivery from Mohammed Siraj today morning it is impossible to not get out to that delivery. This is high-class stuff from Scott Boland. Yes, the conditions have been helpful to him however, to bowl with that discipline, he deserves all the wickets he has picked up so far. Virat Kohli has walked into the middle and big innings for him. India at this point leads by 52 runs they have another 150-200 runs to put some serious pressure on Australia.

KL Rahul has shown the downside of going all guns blazing approach. He drove Scott Boland however, he missed it completely and the ball jagged back in sharply to hit the stumps. India has now lost the first wicket however, they have put on 46 runs and that is the only thing that matters in this inning. Shubman Gill has walked in and he left one and square cut one through the point region. It is fast food Test cricket now. The Sydney curator seems to have got the preparation of the surface horribly wrong. The Test match just might get over by tomorrow evening.

This is super batting from India. They have got the tempo right and Australia seems to be a little shell-shocked. Jaiswal has been brutal on anything loose and the same has been true of KL Rahul. Though the latter has been a bit more cautious with his approach the former is not holding back. This attacking approach can cut both ways but when it comes off it looks fabulous like it did. It will be interesting to see how Rishabh Pant goes about his innings. Given how Jaiswal has batted so far in this innings no prizes for guessing how he will go about his buisness.

And after 3.4 overs of massaging, it’s over! Kohli stands up, smiles and has a chat with Jadeja. Now Abhishek Nayar moves into the masseur’s chair, and both have a laugh

For those who are interested in the Massuge update, it has now reached the neck shoulder area. Sitting not from Kohli is Rohit Sharma, on the other side of the dressing room door, sipping a drink

A padded up Virat Kohli is sitting outside the dressing room. Alongside him is the massuer, who is massaging his right arm

That is some start from Yashasvi Jaiswal. This is what India lacked in the first innings a bit of pro-activeness. He went at Starc in that opening over 16 runs. It seems like that is how he is going to play and it will be interesting to see how KL Rahul from the other end will approach this innings. The game is on here. The Indians after a while seem like have got the right mindset to deal with the Aussies. India has now shown their cards it is up to Australia to react. Pat Cummins is coming from the other end and will be interesting to see how he goes about his innings.

NRMA Insurance 5th Test
Australia v India
Sydney Cricket Ground

Attendance at Lunch on Day 2 is 41,842

That's it Mohammed Siraj delivers an incoming one to Boland and the middle stump gets rattled. That's the end of the innings. India takes a four-run lead it might be a slender one but given how the surface has played we never know. There is a school of thought that this pitch might get better for batting but nothing in the Australian effort this morning suggested that it has gotten better. All India would be hoping to do is get around that 230-240 mark and once the cracks underneath open up it will be an uphill task for Australia to get anything. To do that they need a cameo of 70-80 from someone. Do join us for the post-session shortly.

Vinayakk: After their catching came under the scanner in Melbourne, India have been pretty impeccable in this match at SCG so far. Virat Kohli, Yashashvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul have all taken some fine catches behind the wicket. Especially Rahul, who has looked completely in control. The latest one to dismiss Starc was probably the best of the lot, diving forward to take a low one cleanly.

Well, this game has now turned on its head with two quick wickets first it was Mitchell Starc who fell to the medium pace of Nitish Kumar Reddy and then Webster got undone by Prasidh's bumper and edged and Jaiswal took a diving catch at gully. India is now all over Australia and how quickly things turn around in Test matches. When Bumrah walked off it seemed like India are going to go behind but since he went of it seems like Prasidh, Siraj and Nitish have found new gear. This is exceptional stuff from India. We have seen it time again when India has been pushed to a corner they find a way to deliver. 

There is the wicket India were looking for and it is Pat Cummins. It was seam up delivery pitched on hard length and the ball moved away at the last moment Cummins poked at one that he could have left alone and Virat Kohli took an exceptional catch to his left. Every time it seems like Australia is getting a little ahead in this game India is fighting back with a wicket. In the absence of Bumrah, it is another cracking wicket to get especially after what Cummins has done at MCG. However, India will be hoping to get Webster because if he stays till the end he can do serious damage.

Beau Webster has got to his fifty. What an innings it has been by the debutant. Coming under pressure at no point in the innings he looked unphased. This is the benefit of him playing and grinding it out in first-class cricket for so long. He looked ready as soon as he walked into the middle. Even with the ball he stuck to his lines and length and bowled at a decent clip as a back-up bowler. Given his height it seems like if push does come to shove he might use long leavers and score some runs quickly. However, as of now, he is just chipping in nice partnerships with every batter who is walking and anchoring this innings nicely.

The Indian Express' Sriram Veera speaking to ABC sports

Who should be the next captain of India? ?

Sriram Veera, The @IExpressSports journalist that broke the news that Rohit Sharma had been dropped for the SCG Test, says the team need to be careful they don't overload Jasprit Bumrah.

Listen live: https://t.co/VP2GGbfgge #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/w9oZeOtv1s

— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) January 3, 2025

TV visuals showed Bumrah leaving the dressing room and possibly the stadium. Is it for scans? He hasn’t been on the field after bowling just one over post lunch. Accompanied by the team doctor and security liaison officer

That is a cracking delivery from Prasidh. It has been an issue for Carey when the bowlers have operated around the wicket and brought that ball back into him. He seemed to leave a gap between bat and ball, and Prasidh got it right. Though he missed it a few times and the tactic was telegraphed, Prasidh still could execute it to perfection, and Carey was beaten. There are still no signs of Bumrah. Kohli seems like the captain at this point. He has turned to Ravindra Jadeja now. Whenever it seemed like Australia looked like where running away from the game India managed to pick a wicket and pull it back.

Carey has been playing some lovely cover drives here since coming in. He is timing them to perfection and is looking in exceptional touch. This can turn into a crucial knock by Carey. The pitch still has something in it. It is not seaming around but it has gotten quicker. This is good from the Aussies after a partnership between Smith and Webster this has been a nice follow-up. India needs to create inroads quickly here as the longer these two bat it seems like they are not going to hold themselves back which is where India missed the trick in nooon session when Jadeja and Pant were batting together and neither where going after the bowling yesterday.

Bumrah had gone out to the dressing room after bowling one over after lunch. He is yet to come back... India will hope its nothing serious…

None of the the three things (smiles). I stood down. This is what I say. Stand down. I will say a few words, fifty words will be made out of  it. So basically, runs are not coming from my bat, I am not in form, it is an important match, we need players in form, the boys in our batting are not in form, so you cannot carry too many out-of-form players in the team. So it was difficult for me to take this decision, but if everything is put in front of us, then this decision was sensible, and I will not think too much ahead, what the team needed at this time, this was the only thought, and there was no other thought apart from that.

So basically, the chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple. I am not scoring runs. I don't have the form, it's an important match, we need players with form. Our batting doesn't have the form of the boys.
So you can't carry out of form players in the team. This simple thing was running in my mind. So that's why I wanted to tell the coach and the selector that this is what's going on inside me.

They backed my decision. They said, you've been playing for so many years, you know what you're doing and what you're not doing. It was difficult for me to take this decision.

But if everything was put in front of me, then this decision was sensible. And I won't think too much about the future. What the team needed at this time was just this thought. There was no other thought. 

Bumrah and Prasidh have taken either end after the break. One concerning thing though is the pace of Bumrah. He is not bowling at his usual pace of high 130s. He is slipping an oddball at that pace but he has not been consistent with it. It will be interesting to see if it is him carrying a niggle or is just fatigued. He never played a five-match series before and ideally if India had other good options India might have rested him for one of the Tests but given the side situation and captaincy responsibility it has not been a possibility. However, whatever the pace he bowls at he needs to pick wickets and contain runs as well.

We are back for the noon session meanwhile the talking point came during the break when Rohit Sharma was speaking to Hotstar about his future. Alongside all the live action that is going to unfold do stay with us to get updates on what Rohit said.

Well the term was not correct (laughs). I will say one word and the media will create a different story. The actual answer is, I stepped down from the team for this Test.

Well see, honestly, I spoke to the Head Coach and Selector that, I am not getting runs. It is a very important match for us. Must win game and we cannot afford out of form players. We know that most of our players are not getting runs but still we have to try and take in-form players as much as possible.

Despite the absence of struggling captain Rohit Sharma, India's batting order again crumbled as it was bowled out for 185 on the first day of the fifth and final test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

Sharma was replaced as skipper by Jasprit Bumrah, whose decision to bat first on a green-tinged SCG pitch backfired as Australia's bowlers took advantage of the lively wicket to tear through India's batting lineup.

Scott Boland took 4 for 31 off 20 overs, while Mitchell Starc had 3 for 49, as India was bowled out for less than 200 for the fifth time in the series.

At stumps, Australia was 9-1 in reply, with Bumrah (1 for 7) having Usman Khawaja (2) caught at slip.

Four wickets fell in that morning session and it was a morning that belonged to India. There was a brief partnership between Webster and Smith which threatened it would take the game away from India, but Krishna came back and changed ends to pick Smith. The game is right at the balance at this point and it increasingly feels like unlike Perth which got better for batting as the Test went on this will get difficult for batting as the match goes on. The cracks underneath are starting to show up and any lead either of teams can get is of premium. Do stay with us we will be right back after the lunch break.

That is a cracking delivery from Prasidh to get rid of Smith. It was a fuller one the ball was pitched up and Smith went for a drive and the ball took the edge straight to KL Rahul who took a lovely catch diving forward.

Steve Smith played a couple of lovely shots against Nitish Reddy for a boundary. He is looking in exceptional form is Smith. We have seen before when he scores runs he gets on a hot streak and makes sure he scores two to three hundreds in a single series. This is not a wicket that is conducive to making a 100 but if he manages to get to 80-90 runs it will be equivalent to 150-160 on the MCG surface. Compared to how started in Perth in the first Test and how he is looking today it has been a great transformation. That is what great players do they find a method to churn out runs when odds are stacked up against them in big moments. 

Things have gone a bit quiet here. Once Siraj and Bumrah have been taken out of the attack the life seems to have been taken out of the pitch. The seam moment also has gone down. Nitish Reddy has come in and it is important that he doesn't give any runs away and sticks to the right lines and lengths. Prasidh at the other end has been a bit leaky at this point. The first few overs so far have shown Prasidh though can pick wickets but has issues with consistency he errred on his lines and lengths today. He might get away with a poor delivery an over in levels below but at this level, a poor ball in an over will be punished and pressure will be eased off.

Contrasting to India on Day 1, Australia has come all guns blazing here. This is what India could have done better once they realized the pitch was as bad as it was they could have counter-attacked. Australia on the other hand decided that they will take their chances and be positive which has worked out for Smith and Webster so far. Also once again it has been a problem through the series. Australia have three seamers who are top notch but in India, once Bumrah is done there is a drop-off and to Siraj and from Siraj to the next seamer it has been an even bigger drop-off which has been a cause of concern.

Beau Webster has looked good so far with the bat. He seems to be pretty organised and sorted with his technique and according to the commentary team, his strength is to let the bowlers come to him and whip the ball through mid-wicket which we have seen with a couple of shots he played so far. His contribution here may be 20-30 runs even and building a partnership with here Steven Smith might be a game-changing one. This is where Mitchell Marsh could not contribute much he was a walking wicket who just came in played a poor shot and departed. Interesting times this in the game one which might decide who will win.

Prasidh Krishna has to be careful here coming in as the first change. He has been a bit all over the place in his first two hours. He played a Test in the South Africa series last year the first Test where he struggled with lines and kept pitching on the pads. The wicket had everything on offer all he had to do was hit the right lines and he struggled to do. Today yet again he is not getting his lines right. Either he has been too full or too short he needs to find that right length which both Bumrah and Siraj have found. Also, the Australia batters will come after him as he is the least experienced bowler of the lot.

Kohli now walks towards the stumps and says something to Bumrah - gesturning to Siraj…. Bumrah acknowledges with a raised right hand…

Kohli has been buzzing today on the field - here, there, everywhere

And Bumrah does come on to bowl - whatKohli had seemingly indicated to him earlier

At the end of Siraj’s over, Virat Kohli puts his hands over Siraj’s shoulder and chats with him as he accompanies him almost to the fine-leg position, before he runs back to slip

Virat Kohli gestures for Washington Sundar to stand closer at square leg. Previous ball, he was a touchback and couldn’t get to the shovelled-coffering from Smith.

Mohammed Siraj pitches one up and Sam Konstas goes at a ball on the fourth stump line and drives wildly and the edge is carried to gully fielder Yashasvi Jaiswal. Good sharp catch that by Jaiswal who dropped three catches in the last game. Konstas who was playing a few shots against Bumrah eventually perished playing orthodox drive is the irony of it. As we update Siraj picks up Travis Head. The ball pitches on the middle stump and moves away to slip as it took the edge. There is no batter in this world that could have done anything about it. Siraj is getting into his groove here and running through batting orders when he starts to get it right.

Kohli, who is arranging the fields, had just moved the third man into the slips, when next ball Konstas lapped it up and over to the thirdman region. Now, the fielder has been stationed there

It has been hard work for the batters throughout the series. The five pitches, we have seen in this series has been all bowling friendly. 

Virat Kohli went and stood at the second slip, almost by instinct perhaps. KL Rahul then tells him to go to first slip! Usually when Rohit Sharma is there, it’s Rohit who stands at first slip

Jasprit Bumrah gets the breakthrough the ball is pitched and moved slightly away and takes the outside edge of Marnus Labuschange. That was a fabulous delivery. The umpire on-field said it was not out however, Bumrah sent it upstairs and there was a spike on the snicko meter and Marnus had to walk back. The first 20 minutes are so have shown that this wicket has plenty on offer still and if anything the wicket has gotten quicker and there are also a few cracks underneath which might get opened up by today evening to tomorrow evening this looks like a spicy pitch and batting seems to get only difficult.

Not sure what exactly transpired, but the umpire at square-leg and Virat Kohli, moving from first slip, had a chat.Unlike yesterday where a generous cloud cover hung around and added to the bowling conditons,  today has been a pretty sunny day so far.

Mohammed Siraj has resumed the day for India. The wicket will suit him we have seen him run through the South African batting lineup on a similar surface. However, his form then was right up there, and in this series, his form has been a little up and down. If India has to restrict Australia to a limited total, more than Prasidh Krishna is Siraj who has to strike. Also, it will be interesting to see how Bumrah uses his bowlers. We have seen Rohit Sharma give longer spells to them but we just might see Bumrah use his seamers in shorter sharper bursts at least that is what he did in the opening Test in Perth when India won.

The sun is shining bright here, and it is going to be a cracking morning session. The fascinating part of today at least for now is the battle between Sam Konstas and Jasprit Bumrah. We have seen tempers rising last evening it is going to be another cracking day of cricket do stay with us.

Khawaja walked off, disappointed perhaps at his last ball dismissal. Not many noticed. Because the Indians had directed their ferocious joyous celebration at Konstas. A send-off to an undismissed non-striker who had needlessly needled Bumrah, as it turned out. "They’re charging in from everywhere … All sorts of drama here,” Gilchrist said on Fox. "It was Bumrah who turned to Konstas. He learns a tough lesson in his second Test match. The celebration was somewhat unique. Normally it’s hands in the air but they all turned and fixed their eyes on one man.”

Australia was left scratching their heads over what to make of it. Konstas calmly walked back. Kohli had dashed from the slips steaming straight at Konstas, before shifting course to run to his teammates. "Typical final twist of the day which will keep the headlines ticking over and ensure we all return again on Thursday morning," ABC wrote.

While India struck a late blow,  reactions on social media were expectedly partisan. Many Aussies thought Konstas had successfully gotten under India's skin, and Bumrah's aggro was uncharacteristic.  

Some called him 'Kyrgios Konstas' for the fellow tempestuous Aussie, while others wondered if this was next episode of 'shouldergate'. 

Former international Tom Moody though wasn't impressed. "Sam Konstas has much to learn. I hope the dressing room is offering that guidance without suppressing his confidence and youthful enthusiasm. 
Usman had it all under control, what he didn’t need was the distraction of having to settle his partner down at the non strikers end," Moody tweeted. 

"This is terrific stuff. This will get the crowds in tomorrow,” former Indian coach Ravi Shastri would conclude. 

It was the Bumrah-Konstas rift that keeps giving.