All about vibes on Day 5 as erratic entertaining extravaganza ends in dead draw

Indian tailenders Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah added eight runs to their overnight stand of 39 runs before the former was stumped off Travis Head to end the innings at 260, 185 short of Australia’s total. However, any slim hopes of a result for the hosts began to slip when rain delayed the start of their second innings, and the desperation to try and eke a win reflected in the way they approached their batting. Usman Khawaja cracked two elegant drives in Mohammed Siraj’s first over to declare their intentions but the plan quickly came back to haunt them as the Indian new ball-duo picked up rhythm.

The collapse began with a Bumrah in-seamer that landed full and took Khawaja’s inside edge to thump the pad before striking the stumps, thus causing a temporary abandonment of all aggression. Nevertheless, Bumrah continued to probe and ultimately had Labuschagne playing a loose cut away from his body that took a thick outside edge en route to Pant before Nathan McSweeney committed the same mistake, only this time against Deep with the kookaburra kissing the under edge. The hosts decided to promote Travis Head and Mitch Marsh to try and keep adding impetus to their innings but the latter lasted only 13 deliveries before gingerly edging a half-hearted shot off Akash straight to Pant. Smith, finally at the crease at number six, played a statement thumping drive over Siraj’s head on just his fourth delivery but the very next ball tickled one down leg to a flying Rishabh Pant and Australia found themselves reeling at 33/5. Head’s counterattacking 17 was thereafter cut short by a Siraj bumper and with rain fast approaching, Pat Cummins went on a rampage to hit two maximums and as many fours in a 10-ball 22 alongside Alex Carey’s run-a-ball 20 before declaring the innings at 89/7, thus setting India a target of 275.

#BGT
Not the time for retirements and all. This series has just come alive!

— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) December 18, 2024