A new year and a different venue didn’t bring about a change of fortune for Virat Kohli. The Sydney Cricket Ground had brought luck for the No.4 batter in the past but not so on Friday.
He survived a first-ball dismissal when the TV umpire ruled that Steve Smith had floored the ball at second slip off Scott Boland. Smith had dived low to his right and appeared to have grabbed the ball close to the ground before somehow scooping it up to gully, where Marnus Labuschagne completed the catch.
Batting watchfully, Kohli survived 69 balls for his 17 which did not include a single boundary. Boland though had the last laugh when he sucked Kohli to nick another delivery outside the off stump to third slip.
His dismissal followed a similar pattern in the series and it was also the fourth time in six innings that Boland had accounted for Kohli. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were involved in a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Boland hastened India’s collapse.
It was an uncharacteristic Pant innings during which he batted 98 balls for his 40. He showed grit and copped at least seven blows on his body during the innings.
“I think this is the first time I’ve gotten hit so much but you know in cricket you can’t plan anything. So everything happens for the first time at some point of time in your career. But that was me today (Friday), so, not thinking about that too much,” Pant said.
India were ultimately bundled out for 185 before Jasprit Bumrah sent back Usman Khawaja off the last ball of the day to leave Australia at 9/1 at stumps on Day I.
The visitors’ hopes of drawing the series level at 2-2 will once again revolve around Bumrah on a pitch which has a fair sprinkling of grass. It has afforded lateral movement with appreciable bounce and Bumrah could prove to be a handful in the circumstances.
With 31 wickets, Bumrah is already the highest wicket-taker in the series. He has already sent some tough signals in the rival camp and if he can get some support from the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, India will be in with a chance.
The pace spearhead has already breathed life into the contest after opener Sam Konstas tried to get under his skin.
The incident occurred when Khawaja delayed Bumrah’s delivery, signalling that he wasn’t ready to take strike just as Bumrah began his run-up. Adding to the tension, Konstas intervened, gesturing at Bumrah to stop.
“What’s the problem?” Bumrah was heard asking Konstas as the two players approached each other in a confrontational manner. The on-field umpire quickly stepped in to defuse the situation and separated the two.
The image of Bumrah charging towards the non-striker, Konstas, after having dismissed Khawaja signalled that the Indians wouldn’t be going down without a fight.
“I feel they had a little chit-chat,” Pant said of the exchange. “They wanted to waste some time. I feel that’s the reason he had a conversation with Jassi. He (Konstas) said something, I didn’t hear it, but I feel that’s the only thing which he wanted to do, to just waste some time so we don’t bowl one more over.”
How the Australians handle a charged-up Bumrah on a tricky surface could decide Australia’s fortunes in the remaining four days.
