Watch How Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj combined plans to DISMISS Steve Smith early in the 4th Test
New Delhi: Virat Kohli devised a clever plan with Mohammed Siraj to dismiss Steve Smith on Day 4 of the fourth Test between India and Australia on Sunday. Kohli was overheard on the stump mic instructing Siraj to bowl from the corner of the wicket to lure Smith wide of the crease. “Kone se, kone se, har ball kone se. Usko pasand hai kone se (Bowl wide from the corner of the wicket. He likes it from there),” Kohli said. Smith has previously lost his wicket chasing deliveries outside the off-stump, and the strategy worked again on Sunday. Smith edged the wide delivery straight to Rishabh Pant, and the video of the dismissal quickly went viral.
On Sunday, Jasprit Bumrah became the second fastest Indian bowler, alongside Ravindra Jadeja, to reach 200 Test wickets. He also made history as the first bowler ever to achieve this milestone with a sub-20 average, during Day 4 of the fourth Test against Australia. Bumrah claimed his 200th wicket by dismissing Travis Head (1) in the post-lunch session, joining Jadeja in the list of bowlers fastest to 200 wickets in Tests. Both Bumrah and Jadeja achieved this feat in their 44th Test, making Bumrah the 12th Indian bowler overall to reach this landmark. Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj and Virat Kohli’s contribution continued to stand out in India’s fightback.
SIRAJ KOHLI….!!!!
– Smith gone & game opened for India at MCG. pic.twitter.com/W1UcNaCWuv
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 29, 2024
Among all bowlers who have crossed the 200-wicket mark in Test cricket, Jasprit Bumrah is the only bowler with an average under 20. This includes some of the most fearsome fast bowlers in history, such as West Indies’ Malcolm Marshall (376 wickets at 20.94), Joel Garner (259 wickets at 20), and Curtly Ambrose (405 wickets at 20.99), as well as England’s James Anderson (704 wickets at 26.45) and Australia’s Glenn McGrath (563 wickets at 21.64).
Ravichandran Ashwin ranks third in the list of bowlers fastest to 200 Test wickets, behind two leg-spinners: Pakistan’s Yasir Shah (33 Tests) and Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett (36 Tests).
Bumrah’s 200th wicket came when he dismissed Travis Head (1), followed by Mitchell Marsh (0), caught behind, taking his tally in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to 28. Earlier, he had dismissed Australian opener Sam Konstas (8) for his first wicket in the second innings.