Indian tailenders continued to frustrate Australia on the final morning at the Gabba as Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep extended their last-wicket stand to 47 runs, surviving four more overs before India were bowled out for 260.
Their crucial contributions the previous evening had already ensured India avoided the follow-on, and their gritty resistance on Day 5, despite overcast conditions, sparked hopes of salvaging a seemingly lost Test.
Adding to Australia’s woes, Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the match with a calf injury, forcing skipper Pat Cummins to turn to part-time spinner Travis Head to ease the burden on his frontline bowlers.
Don't think Travis Head loved that 😂#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/XzR6kIJZu5
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2024
Head needed just five deliveries to dismiss Akash Deep for a memorable 31, but not before a tense mini-drama unfolded in the previous over, adding to the story of India’s defiant tail-end resistance.