Scott Boland has barely put a foot wrong in the series with 15 wickets in the five innings he has bowled so far.
On Friday at the SCG, his 4/31 triggered another collapse as India were bundled out for 185 on the opening day.
With Josh Hazlewood undone by injuries, Boland has added to an extraordinary home record which, by the close of the first day, read 43 wickets at 13.34.
Even Rishabh Pant admitted his mastery over the conditions.
“He’s been an amazing bowler the way he bowls line and length, especially in Test cricket. It’s quite difficult because he’s so used to playing in these conditions and you don’t feel like he’s playing his first initial matches, it feels like he’s been there for a long time,” Pant said of Boland, who’s playing his 13th Test.
Boland showed that he had definite plans for Virat Kohli, who faced 25 balls and scored just five off him. “We’ve got pretty set plans on how we want to bowl to him,” Boland said on Fox Cricket of Australia’s success against Kohli this season. “He sort of feels like he leaves a lot and then he wants to play the ball once he gets in. So once he gets in, we just want to switch our lines a little bit to fifth stump and it’s working at the moment.”
It was the fourth time Boland removed Kohli in Tests, putting him on top of his strike list alongside Joe Root.
Debutant Beau Webster summed it up well. “If there’s anything in the wicket he finds it, and if there’s nothing in the wicket he still manages to find a way through,” Webster said.
“He’s relentless. His line and length and natural angle make it really hard for right-handers, but when we see him go around the wicket to left-handers, it’s impressive stuff.”
Brett Lee made the point about Boland’s state of origin when praising just how special a bowler the Victorian is.
“This is Sydney too, mind you. He is loved down in Melbourne, as he should be. But he is loved all round the world now. He has got a cult following,” Lee said on Fox Sports.
“He does not get overawed by the situation and he does not get bored. (And) the reason it is a good pitch for Boland is you have to create the opportunity and he has done that. He has absolutely nailed his length.”
The wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was superb in Melbourne when returning to form after producing a match-winning knock in Perth, and Kohli highlighted an exceptional trait of Boland’s.
Not only is he a man who excels on the biggest stage, he also secures the big-name scalps.
