Australia vs India 2018-19, Fourth Test: 5 Talking Points from Day 4

Kuldeep Yadav claimed a five-wicket haul
Kuldeep Yadav claimed a five-wicket haul

It was the Indian Cricket Team which dominated yet another day of the India-Australia Test series as they bossed their way throughout the Day 4 of the fourth Test of the series.

After displaying scintillating performance in the past three days, the team didn't stop today as well and have almost ensured their first Test series victory in Aussie conditions.

At stumps on Day 4, the game is in the visitor's pocket and there are almost no chances of the hosts winning the game unless of course, a miracle happens.

The fourth day started on some note as that of the Day 3.

Just like how we had to leave the latter before the actual timings due to rain-interruption, the start of Day 4 was no different.

Both the teams had to call for an early lunch without a single delivery bowled due to the showers throughout the first three hours of the day.

After long dramatic scenes, the teams finally took the field.

The Australian side were six wickets down already and with four wickets left, India took the new ball as soon as the day started.

This turned out to be a masterstroke as Mohammed Shami took the wicket of Pat Cummins in the second over of the day.

After this wicket, Peter Handscomb and Mitchell Starc tried to build a partnership but the dangerous-looking Handscomb was eventually dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah.

Kuldeep Yadav, continuing his form, then struck in the next over. The last wicket then added 42 valuable runs for the Australian team as Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Josh Hazlewood and wrapped up the Australian side on the score of 300.

India was leading by 322 runs and with high chances of winning the game, the visitors decided to enforce the follow-on.

The Australian openers came out to bat once again but only four overs could be bowled due to bad lights and it was eventually declared Stumps after some time.

India is still on the driving seat in the match and if rain and bad light do not interrupt the last day of this match then there are high chances of India winning the game and registering their first series win in Australian conditions.

Here are the talking points from the day.


#5 Kuldeep Yadav takes a fifer - A five-wicket haul in only his second match in SENA countries

Kuldeep Yadav is having a memorable outing in the fourth Test
Kuldeep Yadav is having a memorable outing in the fourth Test

Kuldeep Yadav has been a great prospect for the Indian cricket team. The wrist spinner is in great form right now and he is the leading spinner in Indian squad at the moment. The potential that the lad possesses isn't hidden from anyone of us.

Kuldeep was given a chance in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. His selection in the lineup was, albeit, expected to be a risky move but the guy silenced all the critics as he performed brilliantly in the match.

The UP-born took a five-wicket haul in the first innings. It was only his second Test match in SENA countries and his inhuman capabilities simply made people wonderstruck as the guy took a five-wicket haul.

While many spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin haven't been able to achieve this feat after so many matches, the Chinaman did it in only his second match which is commendable stuff.

#4 India struggles to wrap up the tail again

Australian tail-enders scored some valuable runs for their side
Australian tail-enders scored some valuable runs for their side

The Indian bowlers’ struggle to get the tail-enders off isn't hidden from anyone. Despite getting rid of the top order, middle order and lower order which consists of some star batsmen, the team miserably fails to send the tail-enders back to the pavilion. From India's point of view, this is the only negative from the current overseas season.

The same happened today as well as the prominent and reliable Australian tail once again did an amazing job.

The visitors were in a good position as they kept on dismissing the Aussie batters on regular intervals.

But then came an inspiring partnership between Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc for the 10th wicket. Both the players added 42 valuable runs for the last wicket and took the host's total to 300 runs.

The performance of tail-enders in the Australian side has been better than the top order. This is a big positive from the host's point of view as they have a tail on which they can rely and have faith.

#3 India enforce the follow-on - The fifth time under Kohli's captaincy

Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on for only the fifth time in his tenure as captain
Virat Kohli enforced the follow-on for only the fifth time in his tenure as captain

The trend of enforcing follow-on in Test cricket has almost disappeared in the past few years. Teams, despite scoring mammoth totals, like to play safe and eliminate the chances of batting in the fourth innings.

The Indian captain Virat Kohli also likes to follow the same as he has enforced the follow-on on just five occasions during his captaincy, out of which, the Indian team has won four matches and one match was drawn due to rain interruption.

Howbeit, the team did a different thing this time as after dismissing the Aussies in the second innings, they enforced the follow-on.

There were four more sessions left and the team decided to let the host team bat once again and increase their own chances of winning the game by an innings.

Although, only four overs were bowled after the follow-on and the game was stopped due to bad light.

This was the first instance after 30 years that the Australian team had to play a follow-on at their home and the team also played its first follow-on, anywhere in the world, after a huge gap of 13 years.

#2 Bad light stops the match

The fourth day had only one session due to bad light
The fourth day had only one session due to bad light

Natural phenomena such as rain or bad lights have always been a problem in the game of cricket. The on-going Border-Gavaskar Test series has also had to face consequences due to the above-mentioned things.

The Day 3 of the fourth Test had an early finish due to drizzle and bad lights, the Day 4 also started late due to rain-interruption and the end of the fourth day was also called early without bowling the sufficient number of balls because of the above-mentioned points only.

As India enforced the follow-on, only four overs could be bowled in Australia's second innings and the play had to be stopped due to bad lights.

The fans displayed disappointment with this decision on their social media handles and some of them even said that they all live in the 21st century and despite so much of technology, the game of cricket has to, unfortunately, be stopped due to bad lights.

The fans disappointment and anger increased, even more, when play stopped due to bad lights and the umpires were waiting till 6 PM local time to call off the match (which was about one hour away) but according to the cricket rules, if rain started again the play can be cancelled at that time itself(one hour before 6 PM).

This, honestly, didn't make any sense and that's why anger arose inside the viewers and fans mind.

#1 Australia losing three quick wickets at the start of the day

Kuldeep Yadav picked two out of the four wickets that had fallen today
Kuldeep Yadav picked two out of the four wickets that had fallen today

The Indian team did no delay in taking the new ball as soon as the play started on Day 4. The team was very quick in taking this decision as they claimed the new ball in the second over of the day itself.

This proved out to be a masterstroke as Mohammed Shami, who was given to bowl the first over with the new ball, dismissed Pat Cummins with a beautiful delivery which scooted under Cummins's bat and went into the stumps.

Just after four overs, it was now Jasprit Bumrah who struck his first wicket of the match as his back of length delivery was found too tough to be played by Peter Handscomb.

India's mission to rip Australia off didn’t stop even then as just in the next over, an eye-pleasing fuller delivery by the leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav made way for Nathan Lyon towards the pavilion.

These quick wickets just broke the spine of the plan of the hosts to make a comeback on the fourth day and put the match in India's pocket.

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Edited by Alan John