SYDNEY (AP) — Indian wickets tumbled in a dramatic final session of the fourth test before the visitors hung onto claim a draw against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, limiting the series defeat to 2-0.
Australia claimed five wickets in the final session and looked capable of pulling off a victory but Ajinkya Rahane (38 not out) and Kumar Bhuvneshwar (20 not out) hung on in the final overs to avoid defeat, with the visitors finishing on 252-7.
Mitchell Starc took 2-36, including the prize wicket of India captain Virat Kohli for 46, and Josh Hazlewood (2-31) dismissed top scorer Murali Vijay for 80 to give the hosts a shot at victory before being frustrated by the final pair.
“It would have been nice to have got the win today,” said Australia captain Steve Smith. “I thought 90 overs and them having a little dip at us with the bat, I thought we were going to be a good chance to win this game, but today wasn’t to be.”
“The wicket didn’t break up quite as much as I thought it would, there wasn’t much up and down movement with balls that were on the stumps.”
Smith had declared the hosts’ second innings at the overnight score of 251-6, setting India 349 runs from 90 overs — an ambitious target on a pitch exhibiting uneven bounce and turn on the final day.
“They’ve been playing some good test cricket for a while and they are always competitive,” said Kohli. “They could have easily given us two sessions to bat today but they gave us three.”
India lost only two wickets in the first two sessions: Nathan Lyon (2-110) deceived Lokesh Rahul (16) with extra bounce and the first innings centurion was hit on the gloves, looping the ball to David Warner at leg slip, then Rohit Sharma (39) was brilliantly caught by a diving Smith at slip off Shane Watson (1-22).
Vijay combined with Kohli for a 74-run partnership in nearly 23 overs before the innings quickly unraveled.
Vijay edged Hazlewood to Brad Haddin just after tea to open the door for the hosts.
Starc then removed Kohli, swinging the ball away from the new India captain, taking the edge which was caught by Watson diving low to his right.
Three balls into Starc’s next over he trapped new batsman Suresh Raina lbw for his second duck of the match to leave India suddenly in trouble at 203-5.
Wriddhiman Saha was also dismissed without scoring, with Lyon trapping the wicketkeeper lbw after the ball stayed low.
Hazlewood then had Ravi Ashwin lbw for one, with replays showing umpire Richard Kettleborough correctly adjudged the ball would have hit leg stump.
Australia crowded the last remaining pair, with nine fielders in close catching positions, but could make no further inroads.
“It’s been very satisfying to see people like Ajinkya, Rahul, Vijay, Rohit in this game stepping up the right time and showing a lot of character and composure to go out there and make runs against very good bowling,” said Kohli. “The guys stood there, dug it out and pulled out a draw which is satisfying.”
Australia won the series 2-0, and regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy, after victories in the first two tests in Adelaide and Brisbane respectively, and draws in Melbourne’s third test and final test in Sydney.
“I’m extremely proud of the boys,” said Smith, who was named both man of the match and series. “To win that first test match was extremely big for us to start the series off well and throughout the series there have been tough moments and the boys the way they’ve held them throughout the series has been terrific.”
