Cricket enthusiasts are always engaged, be it June in Barbados or August in Galle. But around Christmas, cricket’s profile rises enough for casual observers to take note. This week, the dreaded question, “Who’s winning?” has popped up multiple times. For seasoned fans, the answer is frustratingly simple: nobody wins a Test match until it’s over.
On the fourth day of the Brisbane Test between Australia and India, the intricacies of the game unfolded spectacularly. To the uninitiated, the match might have seemed one-sided. Australia had posted a commanding 445, while India resumed the day 394 runs behind with four wickets down, quickly losing captain Rohit Sharma. With rain delays shortening play and parity looking improbable, India’s survival hinged on one of cricket’s great quirks: the follow-on.
India didn’t need to match Australia’s total. Reaching 246 would suffice to avoid the follow-on, forcing Australia to bat again and make strategic decisions about declaring and attacking. Falling short of that mark would leave India vulnerable to an innings defeat.
What could have been a dull passage of play turned gripping as the day progressed. KL Rahul, dropped by Steve Smith early, anchored the innings with a vital 84 before eventually falling to Nathan Lyon. By then, India had reduced the follow-on deficit to 105, and Ravindra Jadeja had settled in. Jadeja continued the resistance with Nitish Kumar Reddy, adding 53 runs during rain-interrupted periods.
Every delay offered India hope, while every resumed session reignited tension. Wickets fell intermittently—Cummins removed Reddy and Mohammed Siraj—but Jadeja’s counterattacking 77, featuring a lofted six and an edged four, kept India alive. When Jadeja finally fell, pulling Cummins to deep square leg, India was nine down with 33 runs still required.
What followed was pure drama. Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep inched India closer. Bumrah’s top-edged six electrified the small contingent of Indian fans, while quick singles and nervy twos added to the tension. Cummins and Mitchell Starc bowled tirelessly before Starc made way for Lyon. With four runs needed, Deep slashed a boundary just wide of gully, followed by a celebratory six over long-on.
Any hopes of a late declaration dash were dashed by bad light, as Bumrah and Deep walked off together, reminiscent of Laxman and Dravid in Kolkata, 2001. India will likely resume on day five, though their primary objective—forcing Australia to bat again—has been achieved. With rain still a factor, every over India consumes will edge them closer to salvaging a draw, leaving Australia needing something extraordinary to secure a win.