Virat Kohli came up with a brilliant plan to dismiss Steve Smith along with Mohammed Siraj during Day 4 of the fourth Test match between India and Australia on Sunday. Kohli was caught on the stump mic directing Siraj to bowl from the edge of the wicket to bring the batsman out of the crease. “Every ball from the corner, from the corner, from the corner. Who likes you? (Wide bowl from the corner of the wicket. I like it from there)” In the past, Smith has lost his wicket while chasing a delivery outside the off-stump, and the plan worked for India on Sunday as well. Smith eventually completed a wide delivery directly to Rishabh Pant and a video of the entire incident went viral.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday became the second-fastest Indian to complete 200 Test wickets, along with Ravindra Jadeja, and the first bowler to average below 20 on Day 4 of the fourth Test against Australia.
Bumrah dismissed Travis Head (1) for his 200th victim in the post-lunch session and joined Jadeja in the list of fastest 200-wicket bowlers in Tests.
Both Bumrah and Jadeja achieved the feat in their 44th Test and overall he is the 12th Indian bowler to complete the landmark.
Siraj Kohli…!!!!
– With Smith gone, the India game has begun at the MCG. pic.twitter.com/W1UcNaCWuv
—Jones. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 29, 2024
Recently retired Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the fastest Indian to take 200 wickets, a feat he achieved in his 37th Test.
Of all the bowlers who have crossed 200 wickets in Test cricket, Bumrah is the only one to average less than 20 wickets, including West Indies’ fearsome fast bowlers such as Malcolm Marshall (376 wickets at 20.94) and Joel. The same goes for Garner (259 wickets at 20) and Curtly Ambrose (405 wickets at 20.99). The same goes for England’s James Anderson (704 wickets at 26.45) and even Glenn McGrath (563 wickets at 21.64).
Ashwin ranks third in the overall list of bowlers who have passed 200 Test wickets fastest, behind only two leg-spinners – Pakistan’s Yasir Shah (33 Tests) and Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett (36 Tests).
Head was dismissed and Mitchell Marsh’s dismissal (0) was caught behind the wicket as Bumrah took his wicket to 28 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He had previously dismissed opener Sam Konstas (8) on the first wicket of Australia’s second innings.
(including PTI input)
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