Series and game on a knife’s edge as India and Australia share honours on Day 4

It is often a cliche in cricket that all three results are possible. But, if there was one game of cricket that could aptly live up to that saying, it would be the series-decider at Gabba. There could not have been a more fitting ending to the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar summer of cricket. After yet another day which saw both teams winning small chunks throughout the day, the game has now entered a phase where predicting the outcome would be as futile as trying to finding a needle in a haystack.

The Aussies finally seemed to have regained their swagger, with David Warner and Marcus Harris batting like it was the 90s and 2000s again, taking on the Indian bowlers right from the get-go. But, the Indian team has grown so much in character over the past 2 Test matches that 4 wickets in quick succession to claw their way back into the Test match does not even feel surprising anymore.

Yet again, Steve Smith needed to produce some magic, and produce it he did. It took a corker of a delivery, rearing off a length from Mohammed Siraj to get rid of the ICC Test batsman of the 2010s. While the Aussies kept on counter-punching, the Indian bowlers, hit back with wickets. To think that the collective experience at the international level before this game was just Test matches is the stuff that boggles the mind.

While Siraj took home the match ball with a deserved fifer for all his efforts throughout the series, he was ably supported by Shardul Thakur who alongside Siraj accounted for 9 of the 10 Australian wickets. Judging by the way they started off, the Aussies would have hoped for a lead of 400 going into the fourth innings.

 A series that has seen both India and Australia fight tooth and nail now enters the final day with India needing just a draw to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while the Aussies need to pick up all 10 Indian wickets to claim their hands on the trophy. Going into the final day, a target of 328 just appears to be tantalizing enough to entice Team India to go for the victory. Can the team that has consistently produced moments of unexpected brilliance cap off an outstanding summer with one final heist? An intriguing Day 5 at The Gabba awaits!