Out vs India, 4th BGT Test at MCG – Australia goes from sunshine to darkness, like they did before against India

From the brightness of the horizon to the looming darkness has been an apt metaphor for Australia versus India in recent years.

They’re still in control of the game, even with two full days of festive weather still ahead. But the clouds of doubt have appeared. They shouldn’t be there, but they’re there because they’ve seen this movie before. In Brisbane in 2021 and Delhi in 2023, they were in control of the game until lower-order century stands dragged India back into the contest and eventual victory.

Can you call a second dog MCG? He could do whatever he wants if India wins from here, having scored 50 in a 127-run eighth-wicket stand with Reddy.

This shouldn’t be the case either. But how and why this continues should worry the Australian side.

To be fair to Australia, they did exactly the same thing with the bat on day one. Two lower order century stands, both against the second new ball, could indicate an overly flat pitch. But a man who knows MCG pitches would disagree.

“I think it started with quite a bit of tension, it’s still a bit of tension right now,” Boland said. “Not as consistent as I would like as a bowler but I think it will be a pretty good Test match wicket.”

Boland knows a really flat MCG pitch when he sees one, having played Sheffield Shield cricket in the pre-Matt Page era. The ongoing problems he has been dealing with with his left knee may well be due to him repeatedly banging it into the concrete slab that was under the throw-in trays here prior to 2018.

The Australian bowlers have done the heavy lifting for the team of late, but the repetition of these encounters against this opponent points to some problems.

India’s ability to nullify Lyon is one of the main reasons Australia remains frustrated. Against any other opponent, Lyon can finish if the hardness of the new ball wears off. His frugality and ability to threaten batters with spin and bounce in Australian conditions allows Cummins to set and forget his three quicks at the other end in short bursts and rotate to ensure they maintain their pace and quality .

But Lyon has been almost completely excluded from this series so far. He has five wickets at 53.60 and is batting at 114. Two of these ended the stand between Reddy and Washington. Meanwhile, against Lyon, Reddy scored 44 out of 60, including three fours and a six.

This meant Cummins had to manage his bowlers differently and made some strange decisions. Boland, who had been Australia’s best by far after dismissing Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, barely featured at the start of Reddy’s innings. He improved from 1/2 to 56/90 before Boland returned to the attack.

Immediately after an hour-long rain delay, like the one that had allowed Cummins and Starc to continue bowling in Brisbane, Marsh bowled three along with Starc rather than Cummins or Boland as the pitch had become more difficult to hit on, according to Washington.

“After that break, we tried to get them a little bit further with the ball,” Boland said. “We’re obviously fielding a seven-two and trying to see if they want to show their hands outside the off-stump.”

Marsh conceded just four runs. But it only served to massage his figures from 0 for 24 from four overs to 0 for 28 from seven. Since taking 2 for 12 in the first innings of the series in Perth, Marsh has a record of 25-1-1-125.

So it was no surprise that Starc grimaced with a bit of back pain as he shouldered the load at the other end. He never left the field and continued to bowl at a high pace, although the physiotherapist had his back checked between overs to make sure his leg was fine.

Starc was part of a three-man attack that claimed 20 wickets in Adelaide and a three-man attack that did all the bowling in Brisbane after Josh Hazlewood collapsed.

“He’s fine,” Boland said. “I think he just had a little pain somewhere in his back or rib, I don’t know. But he came out after the break and bowled at 140km/h so I think he will be fine. I think he’s underestimated for that.” He’s tough.

Four years ago, Australia’s quickies reached the finish line in the fourth Test after taking on a heavy load in Melbourne and Sydney, only to run out of gas in Brisbane.

“We’re leading by 115 runs, so we’re in a pretty strong position,” Boland said. “Of course it could have been better, but I think this is Test match cricket.”

There should be no cause for concern in Australia’s dressing room. But no one could blame them if there wasn’t a feeling of déjà vu.