Australia battles to victory over India in an MCG Test epic, controversial and captivating to the last
ABCIt was always going to end like this. It was a reward for Australia's careful calculation and its patience on a fifth day that featured the requisite momentum swings, but also for the raw physical endeavour of its bowling attack. Travis Head, bowling only to keep Australia on the right side of the over rate ledger, dropped one disgustingly short and watched Pant hoik it straight down Mitch Marsh's throat at cow corner. Boland, the undisputed master of the MCG, found lift where before there hadn't been lift to clip the shoulder of Ravindra Jadeja's bat and take Australia to the halfway point. That's almost certainly due to the brushing nature of the contact — the bat helped the ball on its way gently, rather than abruptly striking an edge — and fortunately the third umpire trusted his eyes first and foremost.