4th Test: Virat Kohli enforces follow-on after Australia dismissed for 300 on rainy day

In his first match of the series, Kuldeep Yadav claimed 5/99 at the SCG.

Jasprit Bumrah bowled Peter Handscomb for 37. © AFP

Virat Kohli has enforced the follow-on at the Sydney Cricket Ground after India bowled out Australia for 300, of which 42 came via a stubborn tenth-wicket stand between Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

Kuldeep Yadav ended the innings when he won an lbw appeal to claim his fifth wicket – for the second time in Tests – in his first match of the series. Sunday marked the first instance of a visiting team enforcing the follow-on in Australia in three decades. The last team to do was England in 1988, also at the SCG.

Prolonged and steady rain Sunday prevented any play on the fourth morning, and then under slate grey skies and with the floodlights on, India wrapped up Australia’s innings in 104.5 overs to claim a lead of 322 and enforce the follow-on. (LIVE UPDATES: INDIA vs AUSTRALIA, DAY FOUR)

It took Mohammed Shami three balls into the resumption to strike, as Pat Cummins was bowled by a ball that kept low ad hit off stump. From the other end, Jasprit Bumrah cranked up terrific speeds while varying his lengths to have the batsmen hurrying to either jam their bats down or duck out of the way. As with Cummins, an edgy Peter Handscomb was done in one that kept low, but the difference was that Bumrah’s success was not that delivery, but the ones that led up to it. After two bouncers that had Handscomb wary, Bumrah pitched on further up and got it to jag back into the batsman who was late to play at it and was trapped lbw.

Handscomb’s 37 from 111 deliveries is the second best score of Australia’s innings; only Marcus Harris faced more balls.

In the next over, the wrist-spinner Kuldeep won an lbw shout when Nathan Lyon missed a full toss. Kuldeep was denied a fifth wicket when Hanuma Vihari dropped a catch at mid-on when Starc mistimed a big swipe across the stumps.

Starc used the reprieve from Vihari to add 15 runs to his account as the last pair batted 14 overs to keep India searching for the last wicket. Hazlewood blocked sturdily, chipped deliveries over the infield and when Kuldeep and Jadeja landed them in his zone, confidently cleared his leg to smack down the ground.

One such shot prompted Kohli to remove Jadeja and go back to Shami. Hazlewood copped a short ball on the arm guard, and was in the next over given lbw when he missed a wrong one from Kuldeep. Hazlewood reviewed, but the original decision stayed to give Kuldeep 5/99 in 31.5 overs.