He was beaten, had several balls not touching the stumps after taking the inside edge and earned a few reprieves due to poor catches during his stay.
Jasprit Bumrah took heart from Marnus Labuschagne’s luck during the third innings of the Boxing Day Test. He was beaten, had several balls not touching the stumps after taking the inside edge and earned a few reprieves due to poor catches during his stay.
However, one particular case tempted Bumrah to label Labuschagne as the “luckiest cricketer”. The bowler bowled a long delivery that went just over Marnus’ willow, and the batsman was so lucky not to take it straight to the keeper.
As he returned to his mark again, Bumrah exclaimed, “Probably the luckiest player I have ever seen,” as he looked at the referee, the non-striker and Pat Cummins. In fact, it was frustrating to see Marnus survive everything that was thrown at him, and there was nothing the Indian bowlers didn’t try.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma fuming as Yashasvi Jaiswal takes three catches in Boxing Day Test [WATCH]
Then Jaiswal’s catches didn’t help them either as he grabbed two saves and scored a vital 70 off 139 balls, including three boundaries. He made sure to make the most of those lifelines and put Australia in a commanding position after a sensational spell from Jasprit Bumrah in the middle.
Australia continues to frustrate India with vital last-minute partnership
After bowling India out for 369 earlier in the day, Australia did not get off to a good start with the willow. They lost Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja early before Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith attempted to form a partnership.
However, Smith couldn’t hold on any longer and then came a magnificent spell from Bumrah. He removed three batsmen (Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey) in quick succession and put Australia slightly under pressure in the third innings.
However, Labuschange and Pat Cummins put together a crucial 57-run stand as Australia recovered. India again made a small comeback by quickly removing some batsmen, but the last-wicket partnership between Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland continued to frustrate India during the final moments of the day.
The duo took Australia’s lead past 300 runs, making them the favorites to win the game. At the moment, Australia are 199/9 in 76 overs, leading by 304 runs as India continue to search for the final wicket.
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