Jasprit Bumrah stars again; Australia 135/6 at tea on Day 4

Melbourne, Dec 29 (PTI) Jasprit Bumrah left Australia in a daze with a dream spell as the visitors were tottering at 135 for 6 at tea, giving India their first sniff of victory on the fourth day of the fourth Test here on Sunday.

Australia are currently leading by 240 runs and the Indian bowling unit led by Bumrah hasn’t let them run away despite a 105-run first innings lead after India finished their first essay on 369.

Bumrah (4/30 in 14 overs), who completed 200 Test wickets at an incredible average of 19.56, was unplayable in the second innings.

With immaculate length, awkward bounce and late movement, he had the Australian line-up in complete tangle.

Marnus Labuschagne (65 batting, 118 balls) fought doggedly but could have been dismissed if Yashasvi Jaiswal held onto a regulation catch in third slip off Akash Deep.

For the first time since the Perth Test, Bumrah had meaningful support from the other end as Australia lost three wickets in a space of 10 deliveries.

The pacer’s effort helped India regain a good bit of control despite conceding a 105-run first innings lead even after Nitish Reddy’s brilliant 114.

Steve Smith (13) edged trying to drive Mohammed Siraj (2/40 in 14 overs) while Bumrah had Travis Head (1) uppishly flick one to man-of-the-moment Nitish Reddy stationed at square leg for that very offering.

Just like Bumrah had ended Shaun Marsh’ Test career during the 2018-19 series, this time his younger brother Mitchell Marsh (0) has been left with no answers to the star Indian pacer’s probing questions.

A short ball between chest and chin with a hint of away movement got the Aussie power-hitter.

Going around the wicket, Bumrah used the width of the crease to find that angle to breach the defence of Alex Carey.

It all started in the first session when Bumrah’s perfect nip-backer sent debutant Sam Konstas (8) packing before the much-maligned Siraj jettisoned Usman Khawaja with a peach.

The Indian bowlers came out with renewed vigour in the second innings and the decision to give the new ball to Akash was a prudent one.

He didn’t bowl too many release deliveries even as Bumrah kept beating the bat of both the openers with monotonic regularity.

Konstas, who did live up to the hype during the first innings, played an edgy pull but then Bumrah bowled a delivery that pitched a shade back of length and jagged back enough to cut him into half.

Hardly animated after taking wickets, Bumrah was seen egging the crowd to get behind the team as Konstas was booed off the ground by a sizeable Indian crowd that chanted Virat Kohli’s name.

Labuschagne Usman Khawaja (21 off 65 balls) did not look comfortable despite both having scored fifties in the previous innings.

Siraj (1/10 in 7 overs), who had a very poor outing so far, was brought in as first change after Bumrah had bowled his opening spell.

The way Siraj was able to set up Khawaja is what Test cricket is all about.

The pacer bowled four deliveries which were angling out with speeds varying between 139 to 142 clicks, all pitched on the six to eight metre length.

Having set the left-hander up with a series of away going deliveries, Siraj pitched the next one on an identical length but instead of going away with the angle, it straightened enough to go through Khawaja's defence.

The joy was palpable for Siraj, who has been booed since his Adelaide bust-up while giving Travis Head a rude send-off. The Indian fans cheered him with shouts of “DSP, DSP”.

Whether he marked his run-up, chased the balls to the boundary or came out to support Reddy to get his hundred, the amount of hostility faced by the newly appointed DSP of Telangana Police has been unprecedented.

He was well within his rights to ask the partisan Australian fans to keep quiet and he did that in style with a memorable delivery. PTI