Scott Boland’s Four-Wicket Haul Leaves the 5th Test on a Knife’s Edge After Pant’s Fiery 61

Sydney: Seamer Scott Boland led Australia’s fightback with a brilliant four-wicket haul in the final session of day two’s play, leaving the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground poised for an exciting finish.

After India took a narrow four-run first-innings lead, they began their second innings aggressively, with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting four boundaries off Mitchell Starc in the opening over. However, Boland quickly turned the tide, picking up three wickets in rapid succession and another at the end of the day to finish with impressive figures of 4-42.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant played a blistering knock, scoring 61 off just 33 balls. His innings included the fastest fifty by an overseas batter in Tests on Australian soil and the second-fastest by an Indian in the format. Despite Pant’s fiery assault, India closed day two at 141/6, with a lead of 145 runs but only four wickets in hand, setting up a thrilling finish.

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Key Moments of Day Two

India’s second innings started with fireworks as Jaiswal capitalized on loose deliveries from Starc, hitting three delightful cuts and an extra cover drive. KL Rahul also looked in good touch, scoring two boundaries, before being dismissed by Boland for 13, as he inside-edged a drive to his stumps.

Boland continued to make inroads, dismissing Jaiswal (22) with a delivery that seamed in and hit the top of off-stump. He then removed Virat Kohli for just six with a ball that found the edge and was caught at second slip. Shubman Gill was the next to fall, as he danced down the pitch and edged a delivery from Beau Webster to wicketkeeper Alex Carey for 13.

With India in trouble at 78/4, Pant took charge. He hit Boland for a six over long-on and followed it up with a four off Pat Cummins. Pant then produced his trademark shots, including a falling sweep and a lofted slog-sweep, taking four boundaries and a six off Webster. Pant reached his fifty in just 29 balls, including two sixes off Starc. However, his explosive innings came to an end when Cummins forced him to edge behind to Carey.

Boland’s fourth wicket came when Nitish Kumar Reddy toe-ended a lofted off-drive to Cummins at mid-off. Australia had a chance for another wicket, but Usman Khawaja dropped Ravindra Jadeja on six off Webster.

Looking Ahead

India’s lead stands at 145 runs with four wickets remaining, but the fate of the match will depend on how Jadeja (8*) and Washington Sundar (6*) proceed on day three. India will also be hoping for the return of captain Jasprit Bumrah, who underwent scans after experiencing back spasms, as the pitch continues to pose difficulties for the batters.

Brief Scores:
India 185 and 141/6 in 32 overs (Rishabh Pant 61; Scott Boland 4-42) lead Australia 181 (Beau Webster 57, Steve Smith 33; Prasidh Krishna 3-42, Mohammed Siraj 3-51) by 145 runs.