India lose seven in the final session, Australia snatch 2-1 series lead
India went to tea with strong hopes of drawing the Boxing Day Test, but Cummins and Co kept pegging away to seal a fantastic win at the MCG
25/12Result
4th Test, India tour of Australia at Melbourne, Dec 26-30 2024
-
![Australia]( "Australia")
474 & 234 -
![India]( "India")
369 & 155 (79.1 ov)
Player of the Match
25/12Result
4th Test, India tour of Australia at Melbourne, Dec 26-30 2024
-
![Australia]( "Australia")
474 & 234 -
![India]( "India")
369 & 155 (79.1 ov)
Player of the Match
Day 5
Day 4
Lyon, Boland frustrate India after Bumrah rips through middle-order
Australia's lower order extended the lead to 333 after they had slipped to 91 for 6 at one stage
Day 3
Nitish Kumar Reddy's dramatic 105* leads India's rearguard
Reddy shared a 127-run stand with Washington Sundar as India fought back after being 221 for 7
Day 2
Smith's 140, late flurry of wickets push India on the back foot
After Australia finished on 474, India fought back with a century stand between Jaiswal and Kohli before they lost three wickets late on the second day
Day 1
Konstas' debut, Bumrah's riposte highlight Boxing Day
Bumrah had a significant say with three wickets although it was Australia who edged the honours with their top four all passing fifty
Others
WTC final scenarios: India need a win in Sydney to stay in contention
Australia will finish in the top two with a win in the New Year's Test, but a loss will keep India interested while Sri Lanka will be hoping for a draw
Stats - A sorry end to 2024 for India and Rohit
India's defeat at the MCG made 2024-25 one of their worst seasons in Test cricket
Will Konstas put an end to Australia's musical chairs at the top?
Australia have not found a replacement for Warner yet in Tests, and it's not necessary the gap will be filled soon
All-time attendance record for a Test in Australia broken at the MCG
The total attendance over five days surpassed the previous record of 350,534 set at the MCG in 1937
No Gabba 2021 at MCG 2024 as India lose a Test they needn't have
More than anything else, it was a chance for India's two most celebrated batters - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - to do something big. They failed, as did India
India, and Bumrah, fall short in compelling push for perfection
Bumrah did Bumrah things. Australia wobbled. Catches went down. Australia rallied. And, to close things out, Bumrah overstepped. It was a day of promise and pain for India and their relentless spearhead
Golden-arm Head was helping with Australia's over rate
The part-time offspinner claimed the wicket of Pant early in the final session and the home side then surged
Labuschagne digs deep to handle Bumrah's heat
Australia were on the brink on the fourth morning before Marnus Labuschagne absorbed pressure and paved the way for the lower order
Advantage Australia as batting gets harder at the MCG?
India will need to pull off the highest successful chase at the MCG to win the Boxing Day Test
Allrounder Reddy wants more: 'Not happy with the way I'm bowling'
Nitish Kumar Reddy happy to have already proven his doubters wrong with the bat, but he wants to fill the allrounder's role better for India
Bumrah gets to 200 wickets with the best average in Test cricket
No bowler before Jasprit Bumrah has got to 200 wickets with an average of less than 20
Boxing Day Test 2024-25 - a match to remember for the lower order
Stats highlights from the fourth day's play in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG
Inglis leaves Test squad after suffering calf strain with BBL return unknown
He suffered the injury while sub-fielding at the MCG but is expected to be fit for the Sri Lanka tour in late January
Will Sam Konstas be the David Warner Australia are missing?
The young opener put India on the back foot with his outrageous shots, reminding people of a recent attacking batter whose absence is felt
'Bahubali' NKR is a box-office hit at the MCG
He did it all with the bat on Saturday, leaving observers salivating over what he had already done and what he can still do
'Stupid, stupid, stupid' - Gavaskar criticises Pant's shot selection
He says Pant should be batting lower than No. 5 if he only plays "these shots"
Australia go from sunshine to gloom, like they have before against India
Australia are still in control of the game, but the clouds of doubt have reappeared on the horizon for them
Jaiswal dismissed as third umpire sees 'conclusive evidence' to overturn not-out decision
There was no murmur on Snicko, but third umpire Sharfuddoula saw a big deflection on normal replays and made up his mind
Nitish Kumar Reddy's MCG century - in numbers
Not many, Indians or otherwise, have achieved what Nitish Kumar Reddy did at the MCG on Saturday
Konstas taking on Bumrah 'no surprise' to his coach Tahmid Islam
Tahmid said switching between formats quickly is something the pair worked on
Rohit on Bumrah's bowling workloads: 'We've been very careful'
The leading wicket-taker of the Test series has also bowled the most overs among seamers across both teams
Steven Smith hits a new high, Rohit Sharma falls to a new low
Stats highlights from the second day's play of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne
Smith finds his old self and Cummins finds a new batting spot
"You've got to have a bit of trust in what you're trying to do," Smith says after scoring his 34th Test century on a heady day for Australia
Australia conjure up 'one of those great wins' to exorcise ghosts of the Gabba
And in conditions that didn't offer the bowlers much, this exorcism was distinctly Australian: disciplined, clinical, perfect
Konstas arrives at the Test arena like a supernova
Neither a new-ball spell from Jasprit Bumrah nor a confrontation with Virat Kohli could faze the young debutant
Konstas on taking on Bumrah: 'That's the beauty of being young and a bit naive'
Konstas thought Kohli bumping into him was an accident but he said he enjoyed India coming at him: "It got heated at times, just feel like that brings the best out of me"
Kohli fined 20% of match fees after heated altercation with Konstas at MCG
Konstas later brushed the incident aside, but Ricky Ponting said on commentary that Kohli "instigated that confrontation"
Teenager Konstas takes Bumrah for record 18 runs in an over
Stats highlights from the first day's play at the MCG
India grateful for Bumrah again after lopsided selection
Opting for increased batting insurance is placing a greater workload on India's MVP - and Jasprit Bumrah is still delivering
Gill not dropped, 'just unfortunate' says India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar
The India batter had made scores of 31, 28 and 1 in his three innings in Adelaide and Brisbane
Rohit: Pant needs to figure out the risk-reward game himself
India's wicketkeeper-batter was out playing high-risk shots at crucial moments in both innings at the MCG
Instinctive, imaginative, fleeting: Pant's Australian summer of 2024
The wicketkeeper-batter is capable of unbelievable things when he's at the crease but hasn't stayed there for long enough on this tour
Cummins wants Konstas to play like 'you're a kid in the backyard' on Boxing Day debut
The 19-year old will be making his debut in front of what could be more than 90,000 spectators on a sweltering Melbourne day
Konstas' MCG debut confirmed, Head faces a fitness test
Konstas will become the fourth-youngest Australian to play Test cricket while Head is battling a minor quad strain but the coach is confident he will play
MCG pitch to have 'pace, bounce and excitement', but what about runs?
The Australians know what they are in for at the MCG, but India may be a little shocked by what they see compared to what they remember
Should India opt for bowling depth over batting insurance at the MCG?
Not so long ago they used to go in with five frontline bowling options and trust the batters to put the runs on the board. That's not been the case in Australia
Rohit doesn't want to 'complicate too many things' for Gill and Jaiswal
The India captain emphasised that the team management doesn't want to tamper with the batters' mindsets
Gill needs to show his substance outside Asia to prove his worth
India's No. 3 has a highest score of 36 outside Asia over the last three years and has shown a habit of throwing his wicket away after great starts
Shami ruled out of remaining two Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests
His left knee has minor swelling due to increased joint loading from his bowling workload
Konstas looks 19, behaves 30, and is unfazed about a Test debut at the MCG
His temperament is his greatest gift, and both Sam Konstas and his friends expect him to profit from it if he makes his Test debut come Boxing Day
Tanush Kotian to join India's Test squad as Ashwin's replacement
Mumbai allrounder was part of the India A tour to Australia before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy began
Rohit, Akash Deep hit in MCG nets, but 'no major concerns'
Rohit was struck on the knee while attempting to play a pull shot and had to be attended by the physio
Bumrah at one end, Ilford Seconds at the other?
Not since the days of Richard Hadlee has one fast bowler carried an attack like Bumrah has in this Border-Gavaskar series. At 1-1, it's time for India's other bowlers to step up
Kohli's spell of hell at the MCG
At the same MCG where, two years ago, 90,293 people had cheered for Kohli, this Boxing Day Test has panned out very differently
India, Australia look to iron out flaws to edge ahead in high-octane series
Australia will have all eyes on their new opener Konstas, and India would want more support for their star bowler Bumrah
