As it happened: Advantage Australia after topsy-turvy day four at MCG

A reminder for any of our Melbourne-based readers, if you love your Test cricket, you’ve got to get to the MCG tomorrow. $10 for adults, kids get in free. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy could be on the line, and you could be seeing one of the all-time finishes to a Test match.

You do not get any better value than this in Australian sport.

… and you can tell, Jasprit Bumrah is spent.

This is his ninth spell, the commentators on Seven have counted, and with the first ball of this last over of the day, Lyon has just cracked him to the boundary. Australia’s lead grows by four more ... and Bumrah’s third ball is a no ball, so add one more to the total. Lyon then adds two more, good running by both of them there.

... and there’s the wicket! WAIT NO! It’s another no ball! Bumrah overstepped the mark so that won’t count! Lyon nicked it to third slip, and Rahul fumbled it but caught it between his shins as he fell ... so it was a catch. Brutal. Absolutely brutal. The many twists and turns of today can be neatly summarised by that little piece of action.

Lyon follows it with another two runs. That makes it 10 off the over, include two no balls, one of which has cost India a wicket … and Lyon edges it again through the slips cordon for four!

So make that 14 off the over, 55 runs for the partnership, and a score of 9-228 for Australia – which means a terrific lead of 333.

What a day of cricket! That’s stumps!

… but with Akash Deep bowling now, will there be enough time for Jasprit Bumrah to get one in at the other end before stumps, which is supposed to be 6pm? Not with their current levels of tardiness around the field. Clock is ticking, lads.

Boom. Nathan Lyon sends Akash down the ground for four, and he moves to 28 not out. This has been a very handy 10th-wicket stand here, one that may be carrying Australia to safety.

Yep, it looks like we’ll get one last over in. From Bumrah. Let’s go. Australia is 9-214, with a lead of 319.

OK, we’re going upstairs after this Akash Deep lbw shout on Scott Boland was dismissed by the umpire. After a long deliberation, Rohit Sharma was convinced by his teammates and made the signal ... and he should have stood his ground. The ball-tracking shows that it was going well wide. So India will have no reviews for their second innings as they look to chase at least 311, which is Australia’s current lead.

Wonder what Pat Cummins is thinking. He’s got the 300-strong lead by now.

Surely, he’s instructed Lyon and Boland to let rip? If they get more quick runs, fantastic, but if they get out, they’ll have about 20 minutes to bowl at India, and a wicket or two before stumps would help the Australians sleep very comfortably tonight ... but this current approach, blocking and hanging in there with little aggression, seems to be wasting time? I don’t know.

Australia 9-197, lead by 302 runs – Lyon 15*, Boland 7*

Lyon and Boland are hanging in there, but the scoring has slowed right down. Australia has taken just four runs from the last four overs, so it’s been an agonising wait for them to reach 300 – which, at this point, more than anything, would be a fantastic psychological milestone.

It’s been a long day for the bowlers, too, and they appear to be tiring out just a little bit. Which is understandable.

And there, finally, it is! Boland smacks one off the back foot to the boundary, and the Australian lead is now 301. That feels good. That feels eminently defendable. What an important contribution this is from the tail.

Another Indian lbw appeal is turned down and becomes a review. This one, like the last one, looks like it’s going down leg. And yep … it is. So no extra wicket for Jasprit Bumrah, who is back into the attack. Now India has only one review left.

Australia 9-187, lead by 292 runs – Lyon 11*, Boland 2*