The extravagant promise of youth, runs by middle-aged men and a spearhead’s late surge, were all on display at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne on Thursday (December 26, 2024). Sam Konstas belied his 19 summers and made a stunning debut while his seniors Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith found their collective voice.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah (three for 75) offered a counter-punch with a two-wicket burst. The fourth Test’s opening day had more drama and less dormancy, and at close Australia scored 311 for six in its first innings.
In the last session, Rohit Sharma’s men found a second wind. Even as Smith (68 batting) drilled fours off the spinners, Labuschagne (72) fell to Washington Sundar. Lofting the off-spinner, the batter found a leaping Virat Kohli at mid-off.
Travis Head walked in and soon retreated as Bumrah held sway. The ball nipped back, Head shouldered arms, and one bail respected Newton’s law of gravity. The Indian fans exhorted Bumrah to do one better, and he lured an edge from Mitchell Marsh. Australia 246 for five and wobbling but Smith and Alex Carey allied well. The new ball ended Carey’s tenure but the host remained marginally ahead.
Prior to this, in the afternoon, India kept it tight before Khawaja pulled Akash Deep for a four. Later he steered the seamer to get to his fifty while at the other end, Mohammed Siraj often left Labuschagne in a tangle. The latter finally exhaled with a pulled four and just as Australia was cruising, Khawaja (57) hit Bumrah straight down short mid-wicket’s throat.
Smith got in and hustled and at tea, Australia moved to 176 for two. The second session that yielded 64 for one from 28 overs, reflected sedate progress unlike the furious gallop in the morning, orchestrated by Konstas while an entire city seemed to be marching towards the MCG.
Once Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat, Konstas ran in with a sideways hop, skip and jump. Taking first strike against Bumrah, Konstas defended, played and missed. Soon the lad of Greek origin scripted his unique odyssey. And the missed ramp shots off Bumrah, did not deter the youngster.
Between overs, Kohli shoulder-barged Konstas, words were exchanged, and Khawaja tried to be the peacemaker. The incident happened while Kohli and Konstas were crossing over, and whether it was accidental remains a matter of conjecture. But it showed the former India captain in poor light.
The philosophy of scoop, scoop until you succeed, worked in favour of Konstas. This shot’s conventional and reverse variants, were executed to the hilt. A four, six and four were hammered against Bumrah and the venue, recognising a new star, erupted in applause.
Khawaja too flicked and pulled, and Konstas got to his fifty. However, against the run of play, he (60) fell to Ravindra Jadeja. Labuschagne and Khawaja then guided the host to 112 for one at lunch. It was a position that gained ballast as the day wore on.
The scores:
Australia – 1st innings: Sam Konstas lbw b Jadeja 60 (65b, 6×4, 2×6), Usman Khawaja c Rahul b Bumrah 57 (121b, 6×4), Marnus Labuschagne c Kohli b Washington 72 (145b, 7×4), Steve Smith (batting) 68 (111b, 5×4, 1×6),Travis Head b Bumrah 0 (7b), Mitchell Marsh c Pant b Bumrah 4 (13b, 1×4), Alex Carey c Pant b Akash 31 (41b, 1×4), Pat Cummins (batting) 8 (17b, 1×4). Extras (lb-7, nb-3): 11; Total (for six wkts., in 86 overs): 311.
Fall of wickets: 1-89 (Konstas, 19.2 overs), 2-154 (Khawaja, 44.1), 3-237 (Labuschagne, 65.1), 4-240 (Head, 66.3), 5-246 (Marsh, 68.6), 6-299 (Carey, 82.1).
India bowling: Bumrah 21-7-75-3, Siraj 15-2-69-0, Akash 19-5-59-1, Jadeja 14-2-54-1, Nitish 5-0-10-0, Washington 12-2-37-1.
Teams:
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
India:: Yashasvi Jaiswal, K.L. Rahul, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Published – December 26, 2024 06:02 am IST