Beating India by 337 runs and with one day in hand, Australia has achieved their 15th consecutive win in the first Test at MCG venue.
Chasing an improbable 499 run score, India collapsed 161 runs in the second innings of the fourth day.
India started their fourth day 6 without losing any wicket with Rahul Dravid was on 3 and Wasim Jaffer was on 2.
After Wasim Jaffer and Dravid departed India were ticking along nicely as VVS Laxman, Tendulkar and Ganguly played some impressive strokes but none could build a match-saving partnership. Dravid, who scored 5 runs facing huge balls in the first innings, tried to protest Australian bowling attack also playing 16 runs off facing 114 balls in the second innings. V.V.S. Laxman was the highest run scorer in his side. He scored 42 runs including 6 boundaries. Sourav Ganguly also played another big innings of 40 runs before he became the victim of Brad Hogg.
Australian left-hand fast-medium bowler Mitchell Johnson finished the day taking the wicket of Rudra Pratap Singh. He claimed 3 for 21 in 15 overs with the most important wicket of MS Dhoni.
Brett Lee and Brad Hogg got 2 wickets each. Andrew Symonds claimed only one wicket and that was Rahul Dravid.
The highest successive run chase at the MCG was England’s 332 against Australia in the 1928-29 Ashes series. However, India needed a record score to win the match. Being a hard and strong batting line up, India also failed to save the match.
However, Indian captain Ricky Ponting is looking towards the Sydney Test to make match will start from 2nd January, 2008 aiming to equal their own record of 16 straight Test win. It may not be hard task for Australia team.
Only India could stop the record of Steve Waugh’s Australia’s 16 successive Test win in 2000-01 at Kolkata. So, it is expected to Indian fans to repeat the same thing in Aussies soil.
India can change some of their top players. We again can see Virender Sehwag.
So, dear Indian fans wait to see what Virender Sehwag can do for India team until the second Test match will start.
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