KATHMANDU, Dec 30: Australia have won impressively in the fourth test match against India.
On the fifth and final day in Melbourne on Monday, Australia secured a 184-run victory, keeping their chances alive for a spot in the ICC World Test Championship.
South Africa has already made it to the finals, while Australia, India and Sri Lanka are in intense competition for the second team to reach the finals.
3rd test: Pujara hits 130 as India trails Australia by 91
Australia set a target of 340 runs for India, in which India remained at 155 runs. Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal top scored with 84 runs off 208 balls, hitting 8 fours. However, after losing 3 wickets for 112 runs, India lost the remaining seven wickets for 43 more runs.
The Indian team was defeated by 184 runs in the fourth test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy by Australia. A major reason for this defeat was the controversial third umpire’s decision, in which Jaiswal was dismissed for 84 runs. The field umpire ruled him not out, but the third umpire gave him out despite insufficient evidence on review.
After Jaiswal’s wicket, India were left with 22 overs of play, when only 3 wickets remained. Apart from Jaiswal, the first three batsmen Rohit Sharma (9), KL Rahul (0), and Virat Kohli (5) failed to reach double figures.
Although Jaiswal saved the team from the initial crisis with an 88-run partnership with Rishabh Pant, Pant lost his wicket with a poor shot. Then the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy also fell. Australian captain Pat Cummins took two wickets in an over. In total, he took 3 wickets. Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, and Travis Head took one wicket each.
In the morning match, Australia scored 234 runs in the second innings and gave India a target of 340 runs. In the first innings, India scored 369 runs while Australia scored 474 runs.
Australia has maintained its second position in the World Test Championship standings, and if it manages to win any of the three Tests, it could play a decisive Test against South Africa in 2025.
