Sydney, Jan 4: Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj picked three wickets each as excellent bowling performance led India to a four-run first-innings lead after bowling out Australia for 181 on day two of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

What would even please India more is they took the last five wickets after captain Jasprit Bumrah, who picked 2-33 in ten overs, left the field to go to hospital for scans over an unspecified injury. Krishna, playing his first match of the series, stepped up to break two crucial partnerships to pick 3-42.

While Siraj finished with 3-51, Nitish Kumar Reddy showed his utility with the ball to pick 2-32 as all Indian pacers were amongst the wickets to take a very narrow lead. For Australia, debutant Beau Webster was the top-scorer with an impressive 57.

With plenty of time left in the match, especially after early tea break taken on day two, the match will now be decided by a second innings shootout from both teams. After the second session began with Webster and Alex Carey taking five quick boundaries to get Australia past 100, Krishna broke the dangerous-looking partnership by getting a fuller ball to jag in, and sneaked through the gate to smash Carey’s top of off-stump.

There came a little troublesome phase for India – Bumrah leaving the ground for scans in a car and Webster becoming the second Australian batter after Sam Konstas to get a fifty in his debut Test innings in the series. But Nitish brought India back by getting a good length pitching delivery outside off stumps to have Pat Cummins edging it to first slip.

In his next over, Reddy had Mitchell Starc caught at second slip off his next ball, leaving Australia in trouble of conceding the lead. That became a foregone conclusion when Webster fended at a short ball outside off from Krishna and was caught by gully for 57 off 105 balls, while Siraj got one to nip back and end Australia's innings on 181, where five batters were dismissed in single digits, and only two got a score above 23.

Previously, Bumrah struck early on day two’s play when he got a length delivery to draw a faint outside edge off Marnus Labuschagne’s bat and was caught by Rishabh Pant. India took the review, and snicko detected a spike, meaning Labuschagne was out for just two.

With that becoming his 32nd wicket of the series, Bumrah also surpassed Bishen Singh Bedi's tally of 31 scalps to become India's highest wicket-taker in a Test series in Australia. Sam Konstas tried countering Bumrah by crunching two boundaries, including one off a reverse sweep.

But Konstas was out for 23, as he got an outside edge off Siraj and was caught by gully. One brought two as Siraj squared up Travis Head and was caught at second slip. Steve Smith and Webster tried resurrecting Australia’s innings through a 57-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Smith swivelled and drove Prasidh for a six and four respectively, apart from square-driving and straight-driving for more boundaries, while Webster was attractive in glancing, pulling and square-driving for his runs.

But Smith fell five runs short of reaching his 10,000 Test runs as he nicked behind off a length ball from Prasidh to second slip and fall for 33 off 57 balls at the stroke of lunch. Webster and Carey ensured that Australia didn’t lose another wicket in a session won by India. After lunch, despite losing Bumrah, Prasidh, Siraj and Reddy ensured India got the lead, thanks to superb bowling and sharp catching in slips.

Brief scores: India 185 (Rishabh Pant 40; Scott Boland 4-31) lead Australia 181/10 in 50 overs (Beau Webster 57, Steve Smith 33; Prasidh Krishna 3-42, Mohammed Siraj 3-51) by 4 runs.

(IANS)

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