Australia and India will hit the Boxing Day Test locked at 1-1 after the home side ended nine-months of agony with a resounding win that has set the series up for a massive finish. Recap a dominant final day.
AUSSIE ROCK: Khawaja finds form by 'batting ugly'
CAPTAIN'S KNOCK: Paine walks tightrope with jabs not haymakers
Australia has ended nine-months of agony with a resounding win that has set the series up for a Boxing Day bonanza.
Following five straight losses since the sandpapergate scandal in Cape Town, Tim Paine’s Australians finally have reason to celebrate – although the job against India is far from done.
Nathan Lyon (3-39) and Mitchell Starc blitzed through the last five remaining Indian wickets today to bowl them out for 140 and secure an emphatic 146-run second Test victory.
Pat Cummins secured the triumph by taking a skied high ball off his own bowling to get rid of Jasprit Bumrah to spark an emotion-charged celebration from the Australians.
Scores are now level at 1-1 and relations set to explode ahead of the third Test at what shapes as a sold-out MCG.
India was in their best position to win their first ever Test series in Australia, but now Paine’s resurgent side will take all the momentum.
Peter Handscomb took a spectacular catch to get rid of Rishabh Pant off Lyon, but the Victorian is under enormous pressure to hold his place for his home Test on Boxing Day.
Mitchell Marsh is in a strong position to be recalled after the all-rounder and vice-captain was controversially dropped from the first two Tests.
India are under enormous pressure after revelations Ishant Sharma and Ravi Jadeja had a massive on-field blow-up on day four.
Virat Kohli also spat the dummy during the Test and India will also be unable to bring gun opener Prithvi Shaw back for the third Test after he was ruled out of the rest of the series following an ankle injury he suffered during the pre-series tour match.
Australia’s quicks were ruthless on day five setting bodyline fields and bowling repeated bouncers at the Indian tail – which featured four bowlers who are normally No.11s.
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Phillip Hughes is gone but certainly not forgotten. The Aussie players remember their former teammate everywhere they go!
Phillip Hughes is gone but certainly not forgotten. The Aussie players remember their former teammate everywhere they go! pic.twitter.com/NllJPpHZgi
— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) December 18, 2018
USMAN KHAWAJA – 7
Massive effort in the second innings batting when the pitch was at its most volatile. The number three dug in and absorbed a heap of balls, and while he played and missed a bit, sometimes there wasn’t much he could do about it. After a lean effort in Adelaide his second innings 72 was a massive step in the right direction.
FULL LIST: https://bit.ly/2GoWxtc
Virat Kohli has spoken after his side’s loss
On playing a spinner:
When we looked at the pitch, we didn’t think about that option. We thought four quicks were going to be enough. I thought Nathan (Lyon) bowled really well on this wicket. He didn’t have much assistance compared to Adelaide…he was able to get the maximum out of this pitch as well. We never thought as a team we would need a spinning option.
His own performance:
When you don’t win, you don’t really rank your performances. It is irrelevant because we didn’t get the result that we wanted. I want to be able to contribute in a winner cause. That is something that all cricketers play for.
His controversial dismissal:
That is nothing really. It was a decision made on the field. That’s it. It stays there.
Virat Kohli has spoken after his side’s loss
On playing a spinner:
When we looked at the pitch, we didn’t think about that option. We thought four quicks were going to be enough. I thought Nathan (Lyon) bowled really well on this wicket. He didn’t have much assistance compared to Adelaide…he was able to get the maximum out of this pitch as well. We never thought as a team we would need a spinning option.
His own performance:
When you don’t win, you don’t really rank your performances. It is irrelevant because we didn’t get the result that we wanted. I want to be able to contribute in a winner cause. That is something that all cricketers play for.
His controversial dismissal:
That is nothing really. It was a decision made on the field. That’s it. It stays there.
Pat Cummins takes the final two wickets, with Jasprit Bumrah out for a duck after skying a caught-and-bowled offering which Cummins takes well.
The series is well and truly alive.
What an excellent Test match win for Australia, with some brilliant performances by Australia's bowlers – and excellent batting by Usman Khawaja in the second innings and several contributions to set the game up.
There were some spicy moments and flashpoints between the two teams, notable between captains Tim Paine and Virat Kohli, but for the most part this was played in the right spirit.
At the end of the game, Mohammed Shami stays out in the middle to shake hands with every Australian player before he leaves the field.
Pat Cummins takes the final two wickets, with Jasprit Bumrah out for a duck after skying a caught-and-bowled offering which Cummins takes well.
The series is well and truly alive.
What an excellent Test match win for Australia, with some brilliant performances by Australia's bowlers – and excellent batting by Usman Khawaja in the second innings and several contributions to set the game up.
There were some spicy moments and flashpoints between the two teams, notable between captains Tim Paine and Virat Kohli, but for the most part this was played in the right spirit.
At the end of the game, Mohammed Shami stays out in the middle to shake hands with every Australian player before he leaves the field.
Ishant Sharma goes for a duck – and he wasn't going to be reviewing that one.
He did not want to be out there as Pat Cummins was sending some serious short-ball thunderbolts.
He backed away from the first two deliveries this over and on the third he gets a fine tickle through to Tim Paine.
This is intimidatory bowling.
Australian coach Justin Langer has given the “banter” between Tim Paine and Virat Kohli his tick of approval.
The two exchanged a range of sledges yesterday in what was, at times, a fiery day four.
However, Langer is happy to see more of it.
“It’s been brilliant,” he said on SEN radio.
"I’ve talked from day one that banter is really important in test cricket and at no point has there been any abuse, which is a positive thing.
“The other thing about Tim Paine, as tough as he is, he hasn’t got a bad bone in his body. There’s been some good old-fashioned Aussie humour, and I like that.
“That stuff’s good and entertaining for the game.”
And after all that, Starc gets his man with one more short ball.
Yadav has battled and fought for his wicket for 23 balls but after being roughed up for five balls, the last one does the job.
It's up into the ribs and Yadav gets his bat in the way by it balloons off the shoulder and Starc takes a simple return catch.
Two wickets to go for Australia. Starc has 3 wickes. Lyon has 3 wickets.
Both want to clean up the tail and grab that five wicket haul.
That is vicious.
Australia's tail copped plenty of short stuff from India's quicks yesterday and Mitchell Starc is giving them a taste of their own medicine.
And that is a really nasty bouncer. Yadav has no idea what to do and he braces for impact. It hits him flush on the left shoulder.
"Starc's just following him. He's really trying to intimidate Yadav," says Michael Vaughan.
This has been a nasty, nasty over. Lots of short stuff and Yadav is clearly uncomfortable against it. He's backing away every delivery. But he's hanging in there.
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