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Scott Boland joined legendary Glenn McGrath for an elusive record at the SCG after leaving India in tatters on Day 4 of the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Boland has been the mastermind behind India's downfall in Adelaide, Brisbane and now Sydney. The seasoned pacer came in to replace Josh Hazlewood and didn't allow his absence to be felt for a single moment. After playing a starring role in the first innings, and returned with figures of 6/45. He continued to be India's true nemesis in the second innings. He upped the ante and struck at crucial junctures. Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (61) were his two prized scalps on Day 2. The following day, Boland was the ideal backup for his skipper Pat Cummins and played his part in clearing up the tail end. He ended the second innings with figures of 4/31 as India's batting misery ended on 157. Boland's match figures at the SCG stood at 10/76, marking just the second instance of an Australian seamer picking up ten wickets in a Test at the SCG since 1990. Before Boland, Australia's famed quick McGrath finished with figures of 10/103 against India in 2000. After India managed to crawl up to 157, setting a target of 162 for the hosts, the Australian team got off to a flying start. Sam Konstas continued to gamble on his aggression and explosiveness to swiftly put runs on the board. His short yet effective knock came to an end when he mistimed his shot while targeting the boundary rope. The young opener holed it to Washington Sundar at 22(17), handing Prasidh Krishna his first wicket. With the opening partnership biting the dust, Prasidh continued to ride high on the momentum. He rattled Australia's top-order by removing Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith to keep India in the mix. (ANI)
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