Amidst the boos that echoed every time rain interrupted play, the loudest cheer of the day came when Akash Deep struck a boundary through the third man region late in the day. That shot wasn’t just a boundary—it ensured India avoided the follow-on. Although Australia remain firmly in control with a 193-run lead, India’s resilient batting on Day 4 has significantly reduced their chances of losing this Test. With two innings still left and only one day remaining, a draw now seems the most likely outcome.
KL Rahul had a stroke of luck at the start of the day when Steve Smith dropped a catch off the very first ball, leaving him reprieved on 33. Pat Cummins, in the midst of an inspired spell, looked menacing and seemed destined to claim a wicket. His persistence paid off as he dismissed Rohit Sharma for another disappointing score. With his feet going nowhere, Rohit attempted to drive the ball but was caught on the crease by a fuller delivery from the Australian captain.
Following Rohit’s dismissal, Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja steadied the Indian innings with a vital partnership that brought some much-needed calm. Rahul reached his half-century as Nathan Lyon came into the attack, and the duo began to score with greater ease. Both batsmen avoided unnecessary risks, played close to their bodies, and focused on rotating the strike while picking up occasional boundaries. With Josh Hazlewood leaving the field after bowling just one over, the workload fell heavily on Cummins, Starc, and Lyon for the remainder of the session.
The partnership between Rahul and Jadeja, worth 67 runs, was finally broken against the run of play by Lyon, courtesy of a stunning catch from Smith at first slip. Rahul fell short of what could have been a memorable century. Despite losing two wickets, India managed to score over 100 runs in the session, keeping themselves in the fight.
Jadeja kicked off the second session in style with a superb straight drive down the ground. A lucky boundary later in the same over and a quick single brought up his well-deserved half-century. However, just 2.5 overs into the session, rain once again interrupted play, halting India’s progress.
Following another hour-long rain delay, India resumed cautiously but steadily, inching closer to improving their chances of salvaging a draw in this match.
Jadeja never looked scratchy. Against Lyon he employed sweeps, when Lyon went full at the stumps and when bowled short, Jadeja was quick to cut through the off side. Jadeja looked very comfortable against Lyon. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar Reddy was happy to play second fiddle.
The first half hour after the second resumption of play was relatively uneventful, as Jadeja and Reddy steadily guided their partnership to a fifty-run stand. Just as the partnership began to look dangerous, Cummins introduced himself into the attack for the first time in the session and struck almost instantly, dismissing Reddy. There were a few moments of miscommunication between Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj that caused some nervousness, but before anything could happen, rain returned once more, catching everyone off guard—most notably Starc, who appeared visibly frustrated by the last rain interruption of the day. Siraj was dismissed immediately after play resumed.
Just when it seemed India might not avoid the follow-on, a resilient Akash Deep stepped in and forged a highly entertaining, unbeaten 39-run partnership with Jasprit Bumrah against the tired-looking trio of Cummins, Starc, and Lyon, saving the day for their team.