Test cricket excitement soared to its peak as India and Australia faced off on the final day of the 4th Test, epitomizing the intensity of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Adding to the drama are the intriguing individual battles between players from both sides. One standout rivalry has been between India’s promising opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Australia’s masterful pacer Mitchell Starc, a contest that came to the forefront during the final day of the Boxing Day Test match.
Mitchell Starc’s superstition and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s befitting reply
A new chapter in the rivalry between the two players started as Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant came to the crease following Virat Kohli’s dismissal. The new batter, Pant, after his failed optics in the first innings, decided to go for a resilient defence amidst an onslaught from Australian bowlers. To get rid of Pant early on, Australian skipper Pat Cummins called Starc to bowl. After some failed attempts at getting Pant’s wicket, the pace maestro switched to superstition and changed the bails while returning towards the Shane Warne end to bowl his next delivery. But he wasn’t getting away from his mind games easily as Jaiswal, on non-striker’s end, immediately turned the bails to where they were. This led to a verbal exchange between the two and it became evident that he can’t get under the skin of the Indian duo easily.
Starc had also overturned the bails on Day 4 of the Melbourne Test and it proved out to be lucky for the team as Nathan Lyon got rid of Ravindra Jadeja right after the superstitious act. Earlier, Mohammed Siraj had also turned towards bail switching banter on multiple occasions. This also led to a heated exchange of words between him and Australian top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne.
Also WATCH: Rishabh Pant runs out Mitchell Starc with a perfect throw on Day 4 of the AUS vs IND 4th Test
Here’s the video:
“I believe in myself!” Quite a statement from #YashasviJaiswal 💪#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 4th Test, Day 5 LIVE NOW! | #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/F9hVT21wQd
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 30, 2024
India struggle to keep the match afloat amidst a determined Australian bowling effort
The final day of the Boxing Day Test match started with the last Australian pair on the crease and Jasprit Bumrah getting Lyon’s wicket to complete another 5-wicket haul. India needed 340 runs to win on Day 5. In response, Rohit Sharma failed to leave a mark with the bat once again and was caught in the slips by Mitchell Marsh. Wickets kept falling for India in quick succession as the entire Indian top and middle order crashed in front of Australian bowlers. Jaiswal was the only one who tried to offer some resistance with the bat as his 84-run knock off 208 balls kept the Indian hopes of a draw alive. His dismissal after a controversial decision had further consolidated Australia’s position in the match. Eventually, Australia won the contest by 184 runs and took a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series.
Also WATCH: Mitchell Starc’s bail-switching ritual lead to the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja on Day 3 of the AUS vs IND 4th Test
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