IND vs AUS: 4th Test – Day 4 Talking Points
India finished Day 3 of the fourth Test against Australia at 289/3, as the century by Shubman Gill handed India a comfortable position. India had been trailing by 191 runs when Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja resumed the innings on Day 4. Jadeja walked back early to the pavilion after mistiming an uppish shot.
Kohli took charge of the game and formed a crucial partnership with wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat as the duo added 84 runs. Bharat fell just six runs short of his half-century and had to find his way back to the dugout scoring an 88-ball 44. Soon after his dismissal, Kohli ended his Test century drought and reached the three-figure mark.
Axar Patel joined Kohli on the field after Bharat’s dismissal and got to the business from the word go. Kohli and Azar formed a magnificent partnership of 162(215), and interestingly, both contributed equally to it scoring 79 runs each. In the meantime, Kohli crossed the 150-run mark while Axar got to a quick half-century.
Since Shreyas Iyer wasn’t available to bat due to his back pain, India’s innings ended when Kohli was dismissed off the penultimate delivery of the 179th over. The Rohit Sharma-led side finished with 571 runs on the scoreboard with a 91-run lead over Australia. Just before stumps, the visitors started their second innings and sent nightwatchman Matthew Kuhnemann to open alongside Travis Head. Australia closed Day 4 at 3/0 trailing by 88 runs.
1. Virat Kohli’s wait for the 28th Test ton ends
Virat Kohli, after a gap of 1205 days, notched up his 28th Test ton to finally break the jinx. After Shubman Gill’s dismissal, Virat Kohli’s brilliant batting efforts helped India cover the gap and get a lead of 91 runs over the visitors. Kohli finished with a score of 186(364), falling just 14 runs short of a double ton.
2. Axar Patel’s blitzkrieg
Axar Patel, yet again, was at his best with the bat as he powered India’s innings with his strokeplay. The all-rounder, who had previously put up noteworthy performances in the series, continued his form with the bat and notched up a 113-ball 79 before being dismissed. His 162-run partnership with Virat Kohli for the sixth wicket was the highlight of the day.
3. Australian bowlers strike back late
India could have ended the day on a high note as they had been in a dominating position for a major part of the innings. The hosts crossed the 500-run mark with five wickets in hand, but a comeback from the Australian bowlers witnessed India collapsing from 555/5 at the start of the 173rd over to 571/9 by the end of the 179th over.
