As it happened: Australia reclaim BGT, qualify for WTC final

Al Muthu's post-series musings from the SCG: The final stages of the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy had India digging deep. Actually no, that’s not quite true. It was just the bowlers. Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj bowled 24 of the first 25 overs in the chase. Their only respite – besides a lunch break – came when Australia were three hits away from victory.

So many people will have woken up in the middle of the night to catch this day's play. Almost all of them would've been scouring the internet for any inkling of Jasprit Bumrah's fitness. India have gone from a batter obsessed nation to a bowler obsessed one and that is a change few would have expected. It is a shame that a series where perhaps their greatest fast bowler has performed to levels almost impossible to think about has ended in defeat.

The batters will come under fire, but it may be useful to remember that four of the five Tests were played in conditions that Steven Smith said require luck, and it is a win if you can face 50 balls. He doesn't have the 10,000 yet but he's a decent enough authority to speak about these things. India's batters are at fault, they can't be absolved of the blame, but they've had it tough.

The selections though... Will they be thinking back on that?

Webster hits the winning runs on debut to hand Australia the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Stuff of dreams. He charges at Washington and pumps him straight of mid-off. After 45 days of riveting cricket, Australia win the series 3-1. The domestic toilers Boland and Webster deliver for Australia on what turns out to be the final day of this BGT.

A sell-out crowd at the SCG hangs around for the post-series celebrations. "It didn't look like it a few days ago," Webster says. "Couldn't ask for more; great atmosphere. I made good connection and it went for the boundary [on the winning four]. Surreal to be honest and it hasn't sunk in. To get a chance was unexpected but I was ready. Hopefully I can play a few more knocks like this. One hell of a crowd. It's infectious and couldn't have been better."

Australia have confirmed their place in the WTC final but before that they will head to Sri Lanka. What next for India? A big transition, perhaps. Questions hang over the futures of Rohit, who stood himself down in the Sydney Test, and Kohli.

Despite the dismissal of Khawaja, the runs come thick and fast for Australia after lunch. India's attack lacks control and penetration in Bumrah's absence.

When Nitish Kumar Reddy offers up a wide half-volley in his first over, Head stays leg-side of the ball and unleashes a rasping blow through the covers. At the other end, Webster is less adventurous, but his long reach has enabled him to turn some good-length deliveries into fuller, driveable ones. He's also strong on the back foot. What a debut for him! Australia are 147 for 4 in 25 overs, 15 away from reclaiming the BGT.

The BGT throws up another twist. Just when Khawaja seems set for his fifty, Siraj has him pulling at a delivery that isn't short enough for the shot. Khawaja can only bottom-edge it behind to the keeper for 41 off 45 balls. Head is unbeaten on 16 off 19 balls, with Australia still 58 runs away from victory. Despite the absence of Bumrah, Siraj and Prasidh keep India in the contest. A photo finish is on the cards at the SCG.

Smith seems set to get to 10,000 Test runs but Prasidh generates steep bounce, discomfits Smith, and has him fending a catch to gully one shy of the mark. Prasidh had also snared Konstas and Labuschagne, giving India some hope. What might have been had Bumrah been fit to bowl in the final innings? Australia are 58 for 3 in ten overs, with Head joining Khawaja in the middle.

Australia are 71 for 3 at lunch, needing a further 91 runs to win this Test and the BGT.

Here's Gnasher on the drama from the SCG: "Prasidh Krishna has blown this game wide open, in the process leaving Steven Smith stranded on 9999 Test runs with a delivery that climbed from short of a length and was fended to gully. Mahela Jayawardene was also dismissed one short of 10,000 runs before finally getting there. Twice in two days, the crowd has been poised to celebrate Smith’s landmark but has had to take a sharp intake of breath. Now Smith will have to wait for Galle at the January. For now, though, there are more important matters at stake. When he fell, Australia still needed more than 100 runs which is a lot on this surface."

The final act in the BGT won't feature Konstas vs Bumrah. The supremely talented teenager gives Siraj the charge in the first over and smears him over mid-off for four. He then gives up his stumps to Prasidh's first ball but does not connect with a huge swing. Four balls later, he connects but not well enough, holing out to mid-off for 22 off 17 balls. Australia are 39 for 1 in the fourth over chasing 162

Bumrah, who was the last India batter to be dismissed, for a duck, isn't on the field for the start of the fourth innings. After having experienced back spasms yesterday and left the SCG for scans, Bumrah fronted up to bat on day three, but will he be able to bowl? The signs are that he might not. He didn't participate in the warm-ups in the lead-up to the start of play and only did a bit of shadow-bowling. The target looks a whole lot smaller with Bumrah absent.

Andrew McGlashan from the SCG: Scott Boland. What more can you say? He has collected the second five-wicket haul of his Test career (6 for 7 was the other one if you a reminder) and has finished with ten in the match for the first time in his professional career to run through India’s lower order. He has had a huge impact on this series with 21 wickets at 13.19.

Where does he sit among Australia’s fast-bowling hierarchy? He would not have been playing in this series without the injury to Josh Hazlewood. There’s a good chance he won’t feature in Australia’s next Test in Sri Lanka. Then there’s the WTC final in June if Australia qualify followed by a series in West Indies.

Speaking yesterday after his induction into the New South Wales Hall of Fame, Brett Lee compared Boland’s position to that of Stuart MacGill during the Shane Warne era as he competes with Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.

"It's a bit like MacGill and Warne, that's probably the best analogy I could say," Lee said. "Stuart MacGill took 200 Test wickets as a back-up bowler to Shane Warne. But he wasn't a back-up bowler, he was a number one spinner anywhere in the world. I think Boland's got that same unlucky thing, being born at the wrong time when Australian fast-bowling is so good, so strong."

"My gut says you have to pick those three guys every day of the week…if Hazlewood gets his fitness back and is ready to play, unfortunately you have to go with Josh Hazlewood, and when I say unfortunately, unfortunately for Scott Boland. A fit Josh Hazlewood gets into any Test line-up, in my opinion. What do you do when three doesn't go into four? It's a tough one."

Having hooped the ball past the edges, Boland hits Siraj's outside edge, with Khawaja pouching a smart catch in the slips. That's his five-wicket haul. He's produced a seam-bowling masterclass on the SCG and has hardly bowled a bad ball across both innings. This is Boland's first five-for since his iconic 6 for 7 on debut against at the MCG in 2021.

Boland proceeds to knock Bumrah over and dismiss India for 157 inside the first hour on day three. Australia need 162 to regain the BGT. Boland comes away with a match haul of ten wickets. He might not have played had Hazlewood been fit. He now holds the ball aloft and leads Australia off the field, with the Sydney crowd cheering him on.

After having dismissed Jadeja with one that decked away, Cummins nips a full one into a crease-bound Washington and bursts through his defences. Washington gone for 12 off 43 balls. He didn't bowl in the first innings and was primarily picked for the batting depth he offers. Washington finishes with only 26 runs across both innings as India's slide continues. There's still substantial movement on offer for the seamers. Bumrah walks out to bat at No.10.

Scott Boland finds the outside edge of Washington with his first ball of the day, but it didn't carry to third slip. Three balls later, he decks one into the thigh of Washington, but it would have bounced over the stumps.

In the next over, when Cummins digs it short and wide, Jadeja latches onto it and scythes it away for four, pushing India's lead past 150. Two balls later, Cummins goes much fuller and gleans just enough seam movement to have Jadeja nicking behind to Carey for a painstaking 13 off 45 balls. India are 147 for 7 on the third morning, with a lead of 151.

It's Jane McGrath day at the SCG and the entire ground is covered in pink. Which team will be in the pink though at the end of the day (sorry I can't resist bad puns, although its just half a second of pain, suck it up!)

India have had a strange tour. They've found a 10-year opening batter in Jaiswal. They've rediscovered the best of KL Rahul. They were proved right in investing in Reddy. But that's balanced out by what's happened to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and now Jasprit Bumrah, over whom a question still hangs. Is he fit enough to bowl?

Bumrah was sat in the member's pavilion this morning. He came out at 9.30am, got through his action, without ball in hand and off two steps, a couple of times. The India team doctor was with him almost all the way through. He spent half an hour on the outfield, talking to various people, and then he left.

Advantage Australia? They want this trophy. It's eluded them for a decade and you'd think this is the last time for their big three fast bowlers (though Hazlewood's injured) and their one all-time great batter - Steven Smith - to get their hands on it.

Nitish Reddy holes out just before stumps and India close out the day with a lead of 145. It's still anybody's game. I'll leave you with a teaser from the report. See you tomorrow.

During the lunch break on the second day, Rohit Sharma cleared the air, saying that he had sat out of the Sydney Test and that he wasn’t retiring from Test cricket yet. Soon after the break, Jasprit Bumrah, who had taken over from Rohit as captain, left the SCG for scans. Australia had lost half their side around that time, with the game - and the series - dangling on a razor’s edge. Despite the absence of Bumrah, India snatched a four-run first-innings lead, turning the Sydney Test into a second-innings shootout.

Rishabh Pant pulled India further ahead with a jaw-dropping 29-ball half-century. It was the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in Test cricket, behind his own 28-ball effort against Sri Lanka in 2022. After Scott Boland had carved up India’s top order with pinpoint accuracy, Pant countered them and thrilled a Sydney crowd of 47,257. The late dismissals of both Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy kept the game in the balance, with India leading by 145 at stumps.

The second-innings shootout, though, could get skewed in favour of Australia if Bumrah’s isn’t fit to bowl anymore in this Test.

Pant's no-holds-barred assault has forced Cummins and Australia into bowling T20 lines and lengths. Cummins digs it short and wide, hiding it away from the swinging arc of Pant. The batter reaches out for the ball, but it seams further away him and bounces. Pant can only snick it behind to the keeper for 61 off 33 balls.

Bumrah, btw, has returned to India's dressing room at the SCG. But we don't have results of the scan yet.

Pant was in the running to shatter his own record for the fastest fifty by an Indian in Test cricket. He narrowly misses the record, getting there off 29 balls, which is the second fastest now by an Indian, with Kapil Dev (30), Shardul Thakur (31) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (31) right behind him. Pant reaches the landmark with a helicoptered six over midwicket off Starc. He celebrates it with another six over the same region next ball. Cummins has posted three men on the leg-side boundary, but it doesn't matter for Pant. This could prove to be a game-changing, series-changing innings. India's lead has passed 125.

After having spent almost 150 minutes being someone else on the opening day in Sydney, crawling to 40 off 98 balls, the real Pant stands up on the second day. He charges at his first ball from Boland, who has bagged three wickets, and dumps him over mid-on for a first-ball six. After playing and missing the next ball, Pant unveils the reverse-ramp but does not connect with the ball once again. Cummins has posted a deep third, but Pant doesn't mind taking the fielders on in this innings.

Webster dismisses Gill for his maiden Test scap but then Pant brings out his trademark falling sweep-pull and puts Webster away. Pant has taken India's lead past 100.

Al Muthu from the SCG: "Kohli was angry at getting out. A Test match - the whole series - was on the line. He was angry at getting out the same way. Boland had pretty much laid out what Australia were doing with him and that it was working. "He sort of feels like he leaves a lot and then he wants to play the ball once he gets in. So once he gets in, we just want to switch our lines a little bit to fifth stump and it's working at the moment." He knew what was coming. He couldn't stop it. That provoked the outburst which now leaves behind a question. Is that the final image of Virat Kohli batting in a Test match in Australia? Yelling at himself. Punching himself in the leg. Nicking off eight times in nine trips to the crease. The crowd at the members pavilion were waving him off, possibly sarcastically."

India ran away to a fast start, but Boland has reined them in with a double-blow. He first has Rahul chopping a full inducker back onto his own stumps for 13 off 20 balls and then snags Jaiswal in his next over.

It's on a perfect length - that Boland length - angling in towards middle from round the wicket, then straightening away late to smash into the top of off. Jaiswal is opened up and beaten on the outside edge. You can't do much about that except perhaps get the pad in line and get away with it. Australia roar back into the contest through Boland's strikes. Jaiswal gone for 22 off 35 balls. India are 47 for 2 in the tenth over.

Sampath Bandarupalli crunches the numbers: Eight of the ten wickets that fell in Australia's first innings have come through catches, with seven claimed by the slips or the gully. Indian fielders in those positions completed only 11 catches across the previous four matches in this series. India has benefited from the bounce on this Sydney pitch, with all eight catches in this innings coming across the 21 edges induced by the bowlers.

There have been 200 instances of bowlers taking eight or more wickets through the edges induced since 2002, as per ESPNcricinfo's BBB logs. Of those, only 23 times a team took eight or more wickets by producing as few as 21 edges, including India in Sydney.

The 21 edges are the fewest among the 23 instances where the Indian bowlers took eight or more wickets through edges in a Test innings. The previous fewest were 23 edges in last year's Cape Town Test, which resulted in nine wickets and eventually South Africa folding for 55.

For reference, 44 edges in Perth produced 10 wickets for India earlier this series and only seven wickets in Melbourne in 85 edges. Fifteen wickets fell from the 79 edges in Brisbane. Still, it was only eight across 60 edges in the first innings and seven out of 19 in the second when Australia tried to go for a declaration after early wickets.

Jaiswal launches India's second innings in grand style, smashing Starc for four fours in the first over. Starc kept spraying it short and wide. Jaiswal latched onto those and scythed the left-arm quick behind square or in front of it on the off side.

Starc has been battling back issues and lost his footing as well during the opening over, but nevertheless it was a poor start.

Deep Gadhia chimes in:
Most runs scored by an Indian in first over of a Test Innings
16 Yashasvi Jaiswal v Mitchell Starc, Sydney 2025
13 Virender Sehwag v Mohammad Khalil, Eden Gardens 2005
13 Rohit Sharma v Pat Cummins, Nagpur 2023

Australia fold for 181 as India take a slim lead of four runs. Siraj wraps up Australia's innings by sneaking through Boland's gate. Twin collapses have turned this game into a second-innings shootout. In the absence of Bumrah, Reddy and Prasidh have stepped up on day two, but it will be advantage Australia indeed if Bumrah isn't fit to bowl anymore in this Test. The umpires have called for early tea on day two.

Prasidh hits his stock length this time - back of a length - and has the debutant half-centurion Webster jabbing an outside edge. It rears up from that back of a length and messes with Webster's shot. Jaiswal leaps across to his right to grab the ball with both hands. Gone for 57 off 105 balls. Prasidh has marked his Test return with the scalps of Smith, Carey and Webster.

Bumrah has gone for a scan, but the change bowlers are the job in his absence. Australia are 166 for 9, scrambling for the first-innings advantage.

While India are anxiously awaiting reports of Bumrah's potential injury, Nitish Kumar Reddy lands one on a good length in the channel outside off and has Cummins edging behind to Kohli, who appears to be leading the team in the absence of Bumrah, at first slip.

Reddy has Starc caught by Rahul at second slip off his next ball to leave Australia eight down. They're still 21 behind.

Andrew McGlashan from the SCG: This has been a terrific innings on debut from Beau Webster. He has been proactive rather than reckless. It has been notable how straight he has played and used his big stride to good effect. The half century was greeted by a huge ovation from another packed SCG crowd.

After his solid role with the ball and safe catching yesterday it’s becoming a very handy start to his Test career. Although it’s been a month since his last Sheffield Shield action, the selectors have picked a player in form. It's the second call in two matches that has paid off handsomely. Like Scott Boland’s rise to the Test side, it’s also reward for perseverance at domestic level.

"Scotty was a bit like me," Webster said yesterday. "We sort of plugged away for years and did pretty well and then got an opportunity. He's gone on and he looks every bit of a Test cricketer if not one of the best in the world. I'm hoping I can follow in those footsteps, that would be nice. He's been world class and if I can just contribute while I'm in the team with some catching, some wickets and hopefully some runs, it'd be a nice way for however long it lasts."

Bad news for India: Jasprit Bumrah was seen leaving the changeroom at the SCG in his training kit with the medical staff, likely going for scans. He bowled just one over on the second afternoon before leaving the field. We're awaiting official details on the nature and extent of his injury.

Bumrah had spent three of the last five overs in the morning session off the field. He had come back out for the final two overs and resumed the bowling for India after lunch. He began by beating Alex Carey’s bat with his first ball but his speeds were way down, in the early 120kph to early 130kph. Bumrah left the field immediately after bowling that over and was not seen until there were visuals on the broadcast of him leaving the dressing room in a car.

Bumrah is still off the field, but Prasidh has broken Australia's resistance. His natural length is short, but he's got two wickets off full deliveries today after correcting his lengths.

After having Smith nicking off, he bursts through the defences of Carey with a 141.3ks inducker. It cannons into the top of off and middle, ending a 41-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Australia are 137 for 6 in response to India's 185.

Bumrah has bowled just one over after lunch and has gone off the field. Webster is mounting a recovery along with Carey. After having impressed in the slips and with the ball, Webster now shows off his batting chops. It's not for nothing that he averages over 37 in first-class cricket. In the 2023-24 Sheffield Shield season, he racked up 938 runs at an average of 58.62 and hammered the door down for national selection. He seems strong on the back foot and is competent on the front foot. With Bumrah off the field, this is Australia's chance to chip away at the deficit and get closer to parity.

Rohit spoke to Star Sports during the lunch break

On whether he was rested or dropped: "I stood down, that's what I would say. I will say one word but there are 50 other words. The chat that I had with the coach and the selector was very simple: my bat is not scoring runs, I am not in form, this is an important match, and we need players who are in form. As it is, the boys are not in great form. So I had this simple thought in my mind: we can’t carry out-of-form players. That’s why I thought I should tell the coach and the selector what’s going on in my mind. They backed my decision. They said you have been playing for so many years, you are the best judge of what you are doing.

"It was a difficult decision for me, but if you keep everything in mind, this was a sensible decision. I am not thinking too far. Right now, what does the team need? That is what I was thinking. Nothing else."

On his future: "This decision is not a retirement decision. Nor am I going to take myself out of the game. I sat out of this match because runs are not coming off my bat. There is no guarantee runs won’t come five months down the line. There’s no guarantee runs won’t come two months down the line. I have seen a lot in cricket that life changes every second, every minute, every day. I have confidence in me that things can change, but at the same time I have to be realistic as well. So life won’t change by what people with a mic, pen or laptop write or say. They can’t decide when we should retire, when we should sit out, when we should captain. I am a sensible man, mature man, father of two kids. So I know what I need in life."

Welcome back, Prasidh Krishna. He had a rough initiation into Test cricket in the 2024 New Year's Test in Centurion. He didn't have much to do in his second Test in Cape Town and was then relegated to the sidelines because of injury. He might not have been played this Test had Akash Deep been fit.

After erring on the shorter side, Prasidh goes much fuller, which perhaps surprises Smith, who nicks behind to second slip for 33 off 57 balls. Timely strike for India, five minutes before the lunch break. After having seen off spells from Bumrah and Siraj, Smith was set to pick off India's change bowlers. Webster, though, is firm at the other end. Australia are 101 for 5 at lunch, still 84 runs behind.

Andrew McGlashan sends this dispatch from the SCG: "Five more runs. Steven Smith looked destined to reach the 10,000 run mark on the second day at the SCG, but moments before lunch he edged Prasidh Krishna to slip just short of the milestone.

"He had to battle tough conditions on a very challenging SCG surface although off consecutive deliveries from Krishna he pulled him over the leg side for six and carved a boundary through over the covers. He then moved to the brink of becoming the 15th batter to 10,000 runs with consecutive boundaries of Nitish Kumar Reddy. Instead, he will have to wait until at least the second innings of this Test to join Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting as the Australian batters in the exclusive club."

Sid Monga's musings: "While India have managed to get as much seam as Australia in the first 19 overs - 0.9 degree on average - they have swung the ball much more than Australia. India have managed 1.5 degree of swing on an average as against Australia’s 0.6 degree.

"Now whether this is a result of India bowling fuller or India’s bowling fuller is a result of the availability of swing is a question only they can answer. However, I will venture that India have consciously been fuller because they are a three-man attack and can’t sit on the movement like Australia did yesterday. If it was to Australia’s detriment will be revealed right before our eyes in the sessions to come."

Al Muthu from the SCG: "A fair bit of pace and bounce off this SCG pitch has found the batters out in this Test match. But Siraj's wickets have been different. Where Boland hit the deck and Bumrah hit the deck and Cummins hit the deck and every batter was bobbing and weaving on the back foot, the source of Siraj's menace has been swing. He is getting the ball to move in the air. It almost felt like he'd lost that.

"According to Fox Cricket's broadcast, there has been more swing apparently in the first 10 overs this morning than any other 10-over block in the series and Siraj was a major contributor."

Siraj goes bang bang to remove Konstas and Head in a space of four balls to leave Australia at 39 for 4.

Siraj first had Konstas nicking to gully with an outswinger and then also found Head's outside edge with a delivery that veered away with the sharp angle from over the wicket. Pressure on debutant Webster. Four slips and a gully greet him.

Here's Gnasher from the SCG: "That was a wild stay for Sam Konstas. It included a charge down the pitch at Jasprit Bumrah, moving to the leg side to show all his stumps, nearly running out Steven Smith, and a scoop to deep third the one ball that it was vacant for him. A delivery later the fielder was back in place. But it wasn't Bumrah who did for him in the end. Mohammed Siraj found the edge of a drive and it was neatly taken in the gully by Yashasvi Jaiswal who has found his hands after dropping three at the MCG. When the wicket fell, Bumrah did not head directly to the India huddle, instead he walked a line in Konstas’ direction. The umpires then had a brief chat to him. Meanwhile, Travis Head’s nicked to slip early. It’s all happening. India are firmly back in the Test."

Konstas has done it once again.

Bumrah and Siraj had started the day with a deep third in place but after having spotted Bumrah bring that man into the slip cordon, Konstas pulls off an audacious reverse-ramp that sails over the cordon. Bumrah responds by sending that fielder back to deep third.

Konstas had earlier charged down the track to thrash Bumrah down the ground for four

After having dismissed Khawaja off the last ball of day one, Bumrah makes an early incision on the second to lift India even further. After hitting the shoulder of Labuschagne's bat, Bumrah gets a back-of-a-length delivery to climb at the batter and leave him outside off. Labuschagne is opened up as he feeds a faint outside edge to Pant, who takes the ball almost in front of his face.

Labuschagne was unmoved but Bumrah knew he'd got his man. He spins around to review the on-field not-out decision. The Snicko detects a spike, Labuschagne gone for 2 off 8 balls. Bumrah is fired up. He throws Konstas a stare as he walks back to his mark. Spicy stuff at the SCG.

With that strike, Bumrah surpasses Bishen Singh Bedi's tally of 31 to become India's highest wicket-taker in a Test series in Australia.

Ricky Ponting speaks on Channel 7: "The one thing I didn't like… I didn’t like Konstas getting involved. That was not his battle to fight. It was between Khawaja and Bumrah. So, for the young man there, I hope that there was some talking to from the Australian dressing room last night because he should have stayed out of it, let his senior player try and handle the last couple of balls. And of course, when you play with the game, the game has a way of coming back and biting. That happened to Khawaja last night."

After Rohit stepped aside and Bumrah chose to bat on a green pitch, India suffered another first-innings failure, folding for 185. Scott Boland was impeccable with his lines and lengths, his 4 for 31 cutting through India's flimsy batting line-up. Australia have to contend with frailties of their own batters, so India will feel like they can still stay in this Test - and the series - if they make deep inroads on the second morning. Bumrah continues to do Bumrah things - he struck with the last ball on day one - and raised India's hopes, but he needs the other bowlers to ably back him up. Bumrah vs Konstas promises more fireworks on day two.

It's that man Jasprit Bumrah once again. He strikes with the last ball of the day to have Khawaja edging behind for 2 off 10 balls. After a heated exchange with Konstas, which needed intervention from the umpire, Bumrah spins around and roars at Konstas to have the final say on the first day.

The full report will be up on the site shortly. Same place, same time tomorrow. Take it easy

He has Bumrah holing out for 22 off 17 balls. Another first-innings failure for India. Australia will face a tricky 15 minutes against Bumrah and co. before stumps on day one.

Cummins digs a short ball down the leg side. Washington doesn't get bat on ball as he shapes to pull but Carey thinks that he has tickled it behind to him off the glove. He coaxes Cummins into reviewing the on-field not-out decision. Snicko detects a little spike as ball passes the glove. TV umpire Joel Wilson, who has had a tough day in the office, eventually rules it out. "I can't differentiate any gap between ball and glove," Wilson says.

Washington drags himself off the field for 14 off 30 balls. India are 148 for 8 in 66 overs.

Starc ends Jadeja's vigil when he nips a full one into his front pad from left-arm over. Jadeja plays around his front pad and burns a review, with replays indicating that it would've hit the middle of middle. After testing Jadeja with a barrage of short balls, he sucker-punches him with the fuller one. India slump further to 134 for 7. Washington will have to work with the tail now.

Pant shows great restraint and defends resolutely until he holes out to mid-on for 40 off 98 balls. He aims to take on a short ball from Boland but miscues the pull to captain Cummins at mid-on. His painstaking stay ends.

The next ball is on a perfect length that Boland is often known for and he has Reddy nicking to slips for a golden duck. Boland is denied a hat-trick but still elicits a round of applause as he walks back to the boundary. India are reeling at 120 for 6.

"This is the first time Pant is out playing the pull shot against pace in Australia, having scored 68 runs off 43 balls previously," notes Shubham Agarwal, the newest member of our stats team. "Overall, this is only the third time in his career. Pant playing the pull against pace in his career: 205 runs, 127 runs, 3 dismissals."

Here's Gnasher on Boland: Scott Boland has been outstanding. There has barely been a ball off line, as an economy rate of barely a run an over would attest to. It has been a masterclass.

He was within a grass blade of having Virat Kohli for a duck but still gave him a working over during a boundary-less stay which eventually ended with another nick into the cordon. It was the fourth time had removed Kohli in his Test career, but him equal top among Boland’s victims alongside Joe Root.

And since tea he has continued to trouble the batters with a ball now more than 50 overs old, nipping it off the surface from over and around the wicket, particularly against Ravindra Jadeja. Eventually further reward came his way when Rishabh Pant’s painful stay ended with a spliced pull to mid-on.

Boland has played as big of a role as anyone in Australia turning this series around, and he wouldn’t be in a first choice XI if everyone was fit.

Australia's bowlers have been on the money, making India work hard for their runs. Pant has crawled to 32 off 80 balls and Jadeja to 11 off 50 balls. Jadeja could've been out on 3 had Smith not shelled a catch at second slip. India are 107 for 4 at tea on the first day.

It feels like there are two Rishabh Pants on the first day at the SCG.

Pant's failed scoop at the MCG drew criticism from many, including Gavaskar who called it a "stupid" shot, so it appeared like he had curbed his natural instincts at the SCG.

After defending and wearing blows on his body, Pant dashes out of the crease and pumps Webster over the sightscreen for six. It's only the sixth boundary for India in 46 overs. The groundstaff need a ladder to retrieve the ball. India need more of these if they're to stay in this game and the BGT.

Mitch Starc has hiked his pace up to 147kph, banging the ball into the SCG pitch and using the uneven bounce on offer to his advantage.

After striking Pant on his bicep and leaving him with a bruise, he pings him on the helmet. Having been caught on the boundary both times at the MCG, Pant has been more circumspect in Sydney. Starc also has Jadeja ducking and weaving with his rapid bouncers.

Webster, Australia's fifth bowler, has also been relentless, giving India no breathing room.

Andrew McGlashan from the SCG: The pre-match build today was dominated by the Rohit Sharma shemozzle. But amid the wait to see over who came out for the toss, Beau Webster was handed his Test cap by Mark Waugh.

He has already had a significant impact on the opening day by showing his bucket-like hands in the slips. He is renowned as one of the best catchers in Australia and provides a huge presence lurking at third slip alongside Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith.

After a relatively comfortable grab to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal, he pulled off something more eye-catching when he sprang to his left to intercept Virat Kohli’s edge off Scott Boland. It was probably heading comfortably to Smith, but Webster was safe as houses.

His first spell of brisk medium pace was also tidy as he sent down 4-2-2-0 in the morning session to ease the burden on Australia’s three frontline quicks.

To find out more about Webster's rise to Test cricket, click here

New Year, new stance, same-old problems for Kohli. He has been dismissed seven times in this series and all seven of his dismissals have followed a pattern: nicking behind outside off. Kohli had ditched his open stance for a more side-on one, but he still jabs at a Boland delivery on a fifth-sixth stump line and offers up a catch to debutant Webster in the slips. Boland gets it to seam away sharply from that wide line and claims the outside edge.

After having dug in earlier in the morning, Kohli goes for 17 off 69 balls after lunch. Boland has been impeccable with his lines and lengths on a surface that hasn't offered much purchase to the bowlers so far. This is the fourth time in six Test innings that Boland has dismissed Kohli.

Boland presses on to threaten the edges of Jadeja, the new batter. After beating it, Boland hits Jadeja's outside edge, but Smith snatches at the ball and drops it at second slip.

Sampath Bandarupalli, our stats whiz: KL Rahul has the unique feat of being the only Indian opener with Test centuries in Australia, England, and South Africa. He has been India's most assured batter during recent overseas tours. However, his place in the team is always under scrutiny, and he had to adjust to different batting positions.

But it is more of his self-doing, having not been consistent throughout his Test career and being injured. Among 26 batters with more than 3000 Test runs for India, only R Ashwin (25.75) and Kapil Dev (31.05) average lower than Rahul (33.79). He has played only 22 of India's previous 54 Test matches and was injured in at least 14 of the 32 games he missed.

In his 57-match Test career, Rahul had more than two fifty-plus scores in a Test series only once - against Australia at home in 2017, where he scored six fifties in seven innings. It was also one of the only two series where he averaged over 40 after batting four or more innings. He averaged 58.25 against England at home in 2016, but 199 of the 233 runs came in one innings.

Rahul led India in a Test match at the start of 2022 even before Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah. He was then dropped from the Test team in 2023 when he was the vice-captain. He might have been leading the team today if things went in his favour in these three years.

Shubman Gill is no different. He has not batted below No. 3 in 32 Test matches but has a career average of just 35.47. He averaged 56.50 against England at home last year with two centuries and two fifties and 51.80 in his debut series, the only series where he had multiple fifty-plus scores.

Gill, so far, has played nine Test series where he batted four or more innings, while the same count for Rahul is 12. Only five Indian batters have a lower % of series with three or more fifty-plus scores than both Rahul and Gill (minimum of nine or more Test series where they batted four or more innings in the top six). Ravi Shastri (13), MAK Pataudi (12), Anshuman Gaekwad (10), Pankaj Roy (10) and Shikhar Dhawan (9) all failed to have a series with three or more fifty-plus scores.

Gill falls off what turns out to be the last ball before lunch on day one. He's given it away like Rahul had done earlier in the day.

Gill advances at Lyon only to nick him behind to slip, where Smith holds onto a sharp catch, for 20 off 64 balls. So, Gill fails to convert another good start. India slip to 57 for 3, with Australia establishing their command on the first morning at the SCG. The visitors could've been four down had Kohli not survived a close call first ball.

Webster starts with a no-ball but his tall release point could pose a threat to India's batters.

Webster bowled offspin before he switched to medium-pace with the help of former Tasmania coach Adam Griffith.

Here's a snippet or two from Gnasher's latest piece on Webster.

Just a few weeks before the world was shut down in early 2020, Webster had made a run-a-ball 187 against Western Australia. But it was a change of tack with his bowling during the Covid lockdowns that proved to be a major catalyst in his career. Having watch team-mate Jake Doran snag a wicket with his left-arm mediums in the aforementioned WA game, Webster decided to revive his pace bowling which had been shelved by back problems when he was younger.

"If we're going to do it, we're going to do it properly and start from scratch and get your action sorted," his coach Adam Griffith told him. It took a little while for pace bowling to bring dividends, but Webster has no doubt about the role it has played in his rise to the Australia side.

Having tucked his bat tap away, Kohli has adopted a more side-on stance. He's batting on middle and off, which may aid him in his judgement of the off stump. He's prepared to leave those tempters in the channel.

Kohli has been dismissed six times in this BGT so far and all six of his dismissals in Australia have followed a pattern: nicking outside off. He is trying to remedy it in Sydney.

Andrew McGlashan writes from the SCG: "Well, the Sydney Test has had its first moment of in-play controversy. There was a blade of grass between a not out call and one of the most remarkable slip catches you would see. And, of course, it involved Virat Kohli.

"Facing his first ball from Scott Boland, Kohli was squared up and edged low to Smith’s right at second slip. He dived and got fingers under the ball, then he was able to somehow flick it up and Marnus Labuschagne claimed the rebound.

"The Australians set off in wild celebrations – and the noise around the SCG was incredible – as the decision went to the third umpire. Replays showed Smith had got his fingers under ball, but a final frame or two but after much rocking, rolling and zooming, TV umpire Joel Wilson decided the final couple of frames had shown the ball touching the grass.

"Fair to say, we won’t have heard the last about this moment."

Simon Taufel speaks on Channel 7:

“I think you described it very well when you said that depending upon which side of the fence you sit on you could probably build a case for either decision to be given. Listening to Joel Wilson's language there, where he said the fingers were underneath the ball and then he's seen it roll on to the ground, by his own language he is telling us that he believes he's seeing that ball on the ground. So, there are two things that the TV umpire here is looking for. One is fingers underneath the ball. He was satisfied there. But then he believes through those pictures that he's clearly seen the ball on the ground. And here's the challenge, slowing it right down with slow-mo. Play it at real speed and it looks pretty good.

“I can certainly understand what the third umpire's done there. He believes he's seen the ball on the ground and called it way he's seen it. Normally the ICC protocol on fair catches is if you see the fingers underneath the ball, that's good to maintain a fair catch. But here’s the problem: the on-field umpire's no longer have the soft signal and make the decision, it's purely in the hands of the television umpire now.”

Boland strikes with his fourth ball, drawing an outside edge from Jaiswal. This is the perfectly pitched delivery from Boland. Starc was too full in his first over as he went hunting for swing. Cummins' lengths with the new ball were shorter. But Boland finds his groove right away - on a good length, starts outside leg, and seams away to square Jaiswal up and snag the outside edge, which is held by debutant Webster in the slips.

Boland almost goes bang bang. He finds Kohli's outside edge next ball. Smith dives across to his right at second slip and it seemed like he had got his fingers underneath the ball and somehow scooped it up to Labuschagne at gully. Replays and more specifically the final frame, however, suggest that the ball burst out of Smith's fingers and touched the ground before Labuschagne completed the catch.

Kohli tightens up and leaves the next delivery outside off.

Rahul had showed good judgement outside off and absorbed some good balls, but has chipped a leg-stump half-volley to Konstas at square leg. He falls for 4 off 14 balls.

Starc felt some discomfort in the Melbourne Test - he has been battling a back issue - but has hit speeds north of 140kph in Sydney. He maintains those high speeds. Though there isn't much swing on offer, Starc and Cummins have been generating some steep bounce on an usual SCG pitch. Starc did correct his length, though, to get rid of Rahul.

Oh hello! It's Bumrah who walks out for the toss alongside Cummins.

Bumrah wins the toss and he elects to bat first on a grassy pitch under overcast conditions. Bold call. He says "our captain has opted to rest". Have we seen the last of Rohit in Test cricket? He will be 38 by the time India's next WTC cycle begins.

Prasidh Krishna, meanwhile, gets a game in place of the injured Akash Deep. This is Prasidh's first Test since the Cape Town Test in January 2024. "Our captain has shown leadership by opting to rest in this game," Bumrah adds. "That shows there's a lot of unity in this team."

Rahul has been listed to open alongside Jaiswal. Gill at No.3.

Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Sam Konstas, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Jasprit Bumrah (capt), 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna

...from Mark Waugh. What a moment for the 31-year-old allrounder from from the small town of Snug in south-east Tasmania. Australia have dropped Mitch Marsh to accommodate Webster in their team. Cummins gives Webster a bear hug and then Marsh greets him.

Webster has been the form allrounder in the Sheffield Shield in recent seasons. He was the highest scorer in the Shield last season with 938 runs at 58.62 and took 30 wickets at 29.30. Sir Garfield Sobers, in 1963-64, is the only other player in Shield history to score more than 900 runs and take more than 30 wickets in the same season.

Al Muthu sends this dispatch from the SCG: Well Rohit’s at least made it to the ground. The India team bus swung by into the basement level entrance for the players dressing rooms at 9am and he was maybe the sixth or seventh man down, with a gleaming orange cup of coffee (might be the brightest thing in the ground given the grey day).

Bumrah’s made his entry. Went straight up to the pitch which is still currently cordoned off and taking some treatment with the heavy roller and did some spot bowling. Once he was happy with that he and Morne Morkel had a nice long look at the pitch. Then it’s off for a chat with Gautam Gambhir. They were pretty buddy-buddy at training too. Almost like captain and coach.

At 9.15am, Rohit walks out to the middle. Hands in his pockets. Gambhir comes over to meet him. And now he’s off to see the pitch. He crosses the cordon to go right onto the pitch and presses his hands down on it, on the short of a good-length area at both ends. Then he heads off for what looks like a think tank meeting. Him, Gambhir and Bumrah involved.

Rohit kicked a football around with Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant. Went into the huddle where he was conspicuously quiet. Gambhir and Kohli did the talking. And then at 9.40am, he stepped off the field and into the dressing room. Odds on him coming back in 20 minutes for the toss?