Border-Gavaskar Trophy: New day, same story

India dropped skipper Rohit Sharma but their batting woes continued as they were dismissed for 185 on the opening day of the fifth and final Test against Australia.

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Scott Boland led the way with 4/31 as Australia’s bowlers revelled in seam-friendly conditions to restrict India’s scoring and knock over wickets with a regularity that delighted a sellout crowd of 48,000.

Only the suspicion of what Jasprit Bumrah, the outstanding bowler of the series and Rohit’s replacement as captain, might do on the surface constrained the joy of home fans packed into the famous old ground. They got a hint from the last ball of the three overs India managed to bowl at Australia before the close of play when Bumrah dismissed Usman Khawaja for two.

Teenager Sam Konstas, who had a brief altercation with Bumrah just before Khawaja’s departure, will resume on Day 2 on seven not out with Australia 9/1.

Australia lead the series 2-1 and will win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and a place in the World Test Championship final against South Africa with a victory in the finale. “I thought all the bowlers were really good today. To bowl them out for under 200 was an excellent day for the bowlers,” said Australia’s debutant all-rounder Beau Webster. “(But) I’m not really sure what a good score is just yet, until both teams bat on it.”

Boland precipitated the end of India’s laboured innings early in the final session when he had Rishabh Pant caught at mid-on for 40 and dismissed Melbourne centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy off consecutive balls.

Washington Sundar was beaten by Boland’s hat-trick ball without making contact with it but Ravindra Jadeja was soon trapped plumb in front by Mitchell Starc (3/49) for 26 to leave India reeling on 134/7. Sundar was unfortunate to depart for 14 when a TV review detected a brush of his glove on a Pat Cummins delivery and Bumrah wagged the tail with 22 runs from 17 balls before the Australia skipper had him caught at mid-wicket to end the innings.

Pant said he would have been happier with 40 or 50 more runs but felt that India’s score was not that far from par on a tricky wicket.

“It’s still a very competitive score, because of the way ball is moving now,” he said. “I think there’s lot of help for the bowler, and hopefully we can capitalise on that.”

India could still retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a victory but looked on the back foot from the moment Bumrah won the toss and sent his team in to bat. Cummins said he would have done the same but the paceman was still licking his lips at the greenish tinge on the wicket and the leaden skies above Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.

185

India’s total is the second lowest by any team in the first innings of a Test match in Sydney since 2001. The lowest was 127 all out by Australia against Pakistan in 2010

8

All out totals of 185 or less by India in Tests in 2024-25, the joint-most such totals for any team in a Test season

12.6

Virat Kohli’s batting average in 2024-25 during the team’s first innings, the lowest for any top-seven batter in a Test season

11

Wickets of the opening batters by Jasprit Bumrah in this series are the joint most, alongside Shane Warne (2005) and Stuart Broad (2019), for a bowler since 2002