A disappointing end to a three-act play

Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the ball just in the middle and started running. Till this point, Jaiswal and Virat Kohli were in charge and looked relaxed at their respective ends. Then they just ended up at the same end and looked at each other. It was so random. It was so disappointing. It all happened so quickly.

But to understand the shock and awe of how quickly the Test match turned in that moment, it’s important to understand what led to it. And how unlikely it seemed that the wicket would fall at that point before Jaiswal drove a ball straight to middle and went for a run. Except Kohli, understandably, didn’t respond in kind.

It was the 41st over of the Indian innings. The ball no longer skirted around. Not that it had done much of that in the 15 or so overs leading up to that moment. The opener and No. 4 had worked up a score of 102 runs. And Pat Cummins had turned to Scott Boland for a late appearance under gloomy skies at the MCG. It was the Australian captain’s last roll of the dice on the second day.

Jaiswal, now in full swing and in the mood to get the game going, had cut the ball again before being sent off four points down. He had done so with a bit of disdain as the ball raced across the vast expanse of the MCG. As the two batters clashed fists, India appeared to be heading for a strong end to a day that had not started particularly well for the visitors. A few overs earlier, Jaiswal had fired Mitchell Marsh over the long fence for the sixth time in even bolder fashion. It seemed like he was heading towards his second note of the series.

Kohli, on the other hand, had shown utmost discipline for large parts of his innings. On nearly 40 percent of the throws he faced early in his innings, he left his arms alone or with his hands shouldered. Even though both Starc and Cummins kept trying to get him to move away from his body. Not only was he very careful with the balls he left alone, but Kohli also kept his hands very close to his body to ensure they didn’t betray him, as they had done on several occasions this tour. And for once, the former Indian captain had won the mini-battle by getting the Australians to come much straighter, allowing him to play shots to both sides of the pitch and rotate the shot the way he likes to . Kohli looked good, if not for a really big result, but certainly for something significant. He also made the most of batting with Jaiswal and harnessing the young player’s energy at the crease.

India’s only two centurions so far from this series also made the MCG pitch look much more docile than expected. Although the Australians were still well ahead in runs and the Indian score had risen to 2/153, the springs in their run began to loosen. The Indian flags flew around an almost packed MCG and most of the noise came from the Indian fans while the Australian fielders were largely silent. Except of course Sam Konstas, who continued to play with the crowd or pose for selfies near the edge of the pitch like a kid who still can’t believe he’s a Test cricketer.

Ahead of Jaiswal’s fatal call and Kohli’s rebuttal, there had been a few other minor misunderstandings between the two. But they ended with Kohli smiling and Jaiswal trying to explain his stance. There was no room for explanations here. There wasn’t time for that either. Jaiswal was fully committed to making it to the bowler’s end. Kohli was committed not to budge at the bowler’s end. It all seemed like a waste of the solid platform the two had built for themselves and their team. It all seemed like a bonus for the Australians, who didn’t really look like getting a wicket at that point.

And as it happens, the unexpected spill triggered a meltdown. After showing his steely determination to avoid any delivery he had to make outside his off-stump, Kohli attempted a classic Boland delivery on a virtual fourth stump. Only to be deducted for 36. The distress on his face was all too understandable. Boland wasn’t done yet, of course, as he added another MCG wicket to his tally, removing night watchman Akash Deep to reduce India to 5/159, three wickets for 6 runs, all within three Boland overs. The Australians were back in full force, not just on the pitch but throughout the MCG. The game had turned. The home team was once again at the top.

As they had done for much of the second day of the fourth Test. It was a day divided into three parts. There was the first session where India was bullied by Steve Smith and the Australian underclass. Even Cummins scored a very impressive 49. And a phase of the game where Rohit Sharma’s captaincy seemed rather lacking. As it stands, since he replaced Jasprit Bumrah after landing in the country ahead of the second Test in Adelaide. As someone known for his acumen when it comes to strategizing and putting opposing batters in cohorts with his bowlers, Rohit has spent a lot of time, particularly at the Gabba and here in Melbourne, chasing the ball and the Australians to be left to completely dictate the terms. At one point you could literally guess what his next move was. Place a fielder or move one to the exact spot from which the previous throw was made. It was all quite disappointing and seemingly clueless as the Australians continued to surge and score almost 100 runs in the first hour of play. The only real move that worked for Rohit on Boxing Day was throwing the ball to Bumrah. But that didn’t go as expected on the second morning either.

And if Rohit the captain was found wanting, Rohit the batsman was exposed. He was too slow, too late and ultimately too out of position to even complete the awkward shot he was trying to make when Cummins got him to make a throw that wasn’t there for the shot he originally attempted. It ended with an unpleasant and rather embarrassing sending off as the ball flew only to Boland in the middle. Unfortunately for Rohit, it was the latest in a series of strange opportunities, coming out at a time when he desperately needed a score, even more so after he fought his way back to open the innings in place of the in-form KL Rahul.

That led to Rahul going out to bat in the second over and he looked just as good as he had in the entire series. Only to be knocked out by what was probably the best throw Cummins has ever played in his career. Long ball that hit outside the off-stump, veering slightly to the right before literally spinning on its axis and hitting the top of the off-stump.

Then the second act of the day began as Jaiswal and Kohli rebuilt the Indian innings and gave the visitors something to hold on to. There was confrontation and hope for a solution for India. But the third and most decisive act of the day ruined everything. When Jaiswal hit the ball straight into the middle and started running.