The Australia India Boxing Day Test was a holiday treat, and, much to the satisfaction of fans, ended with a bang on Day 4. There was a lot of heated exchanges on the field and needless to say, the players did not hold back. From aggressive batting to competitive talking and to Australian batsman Steve Smith’s dramatic dismissal, the day was a joyous one if one were a fan. Here is an Overview of what transpired on the 4th day of the Box India Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where while India tried to extend their lead, Australia went on the offensive.
Morning Session: Australia’s Resurgence
Australia continued their innings from where they left off at 155/2 and were chasing a target of 300 runs that India had set. With both Travis Head and Steve Smith on the field, hopes were high that Australia would be able to close the gap. Looking to get an early wicket, India on the other hand was making [rippa on this target.
Travis Head, noticeably showed his aggression from his first ball as he struck powerful shots. However, as aggressive as he was, it was not enough, with India’s bowlers providing a stern test and Exceeding over 200 runs.
Bumrah, Siraj and Ashwin were all able to put up a fight against the Australian batsmen but the Head-Smith’s duo stand firm to their partnership. But still, it was pretty clear that pressure was beginning to tell. It was far from a disaster when Smith who had pretty much looked comfortable at the crease all the while tried to say something to liven up the situation a bit.
The Australian star who is often regarded as the master with a frozen face got into an exchange of words with the Indian pace bowler Mohammad Siraj. Grilling each other further with words, Siraj appeared to take aim at Smith and it all added to the atmosphere. The episode also worked well for the spectators and added to the suspense of the match.
That’s How Steve Smith Was Sledged and Dismissed
Having resumed what he started back towards the match and carried on siding with the trump card of the game Siraj. The trump card of the match was in a verbal battle with Siraj in attempts to taunt him that willed him.complacent Commenting: I mean the war of raids between them was ridiculous, at least they did their bit in the offending across no man’s land. But again, mental warfare is not quite effective for an Australian bat as they say.
After what appeared to be the last hurrah of Smith’s exchanges, he used what he thought was a textbook defensive shot against Siraj. As a result, the ball deflected off the outside of his bat and he ended up getting caught by Rishabh Pant, the Indian wicketkeeper.
After his dismissal, Smith, who appeared to be quite annoyed, strolled off the ground and thus left Australia’s score at 220 runs for three wickets. That was really an important occurrence in the ongoing competition because Australia lost one of their reliable batsmen at the most decisive period as the end of the match neared.
The rivalry and sarcasm exchanged between Smith and Siraj added spice to the game but it was Siraj however who was the winner as he was able to have Smith ejected and this did a lot of damage to Australia’s chase. This highlighted how mental battles can impact the outcome of highly competitive matches and no doubt it boosted the confidence of the Indian side.
Post-Smith: Aside the Smith factor, Australia continues to struggle
With Smith’s ejection, the already tense Australian middle order had tougher campaigns ahead. Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green were able to withstand the attack of a charged Up Indian bowling lineup.
Indian bowlers were always at the forefront putting pressure on their Australian rivals, most notably Siraj and Bumrah were consistently accurate and merciless during the matches, so it was difficult for the Australians to score at their will. There was also pace shown by the Indian fielders who put on a display of tremendous saves and created pressure which added to the hostilities on the field.
Just like Smith who was evidently agitated, Labuschagne seemed fairly relaxed only to be caught off a shoulder high delivery by Ashwin minutes after Smith was dismissed.
This tipped the balance even more in favor of India, with Australia at 250 / 4 whereas the objective was still nearly about 50 runs to be chased down Australia needed it.
Panic began to set in as one delivery after another got past the panicked hands of Australian batsmen as ones’ Rishabh Pant who excelled behind the stumps was also yelling with excitement over the wicket how close India was getting to thumping the Australians down under.
Predictions and overview of future plans and operations.
Thunderstorms lamped on the Indian squad as the Australians fell short one after another, India continued to build on the momentum they gained throughout the match. With decent fielding from the outfield and disciplined bowlers Indian quality shone through, it’s for this reason India has built a strong empire across test cricket. Sledging became the focal point for Siraj as he stuck the Australians with what looked impossible to Hit making him feel pressured the entire time.
India plunged deeper into the Australians looking to overpower with dominating aggressive strokes the Australians which is why perform well the Australians needed collaboration. This is why both teams needed to win in order to perform there best so they exchanged mental jabs, fought on the normal John Mcenroe going through rare wonderful bowling action.
On the conclusion of Day 4 Australia still hasn’t crossed the target as wickets further decreased the chance of crossing that target.
The rumbers of the subcontinent were far and away the best in the boxing day Test and the finish of the match was guaranteed to be action packed. By the end of that day 4 Everyone will be able to see the highlights of the test match as the mental game,” B-S Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India will be remembered for the amount of charge that was exchanged which played a huge head game for the teams. The crucial point of the game was clearly Steve Smith trying to outsmart Siraj but the latter received the better end of that battle and Smith was dismissed.
These factors added to the aggression for competition but it was acceptable because the Indian bowling unit remained focused on getting the better of the Australian stalemate. Day 5 promises to be just as action packed if not more considering the weight of the moment as one side is out in front and the other finds it hard to keep up with them.
If you are interested for more: Steve Smith tries sledging Mohammad Siraj and falls shortly after: Test day 4 Highlights of the 1st T20I: New Zealand triumphs over Sri Lanka by 8 runs.