After a resilient 79-run partnership, Smith’s innings comes to an end. He attempted to steer a flatter delivery towards the off-side, but the ball kept straight, took the inside edge, ricocheted off his pads, and hit the stumps. The wicket was taken by none other than Jadeja.
Steve Smith was dismissed after he inside edged Ravindra Jadeja’s delivery onto the stumps, leaving him in disbelief. Jadeja’s persistent line and length paid off, breaking a threatening partnership and providing a much-needed wicket for India.
Peter Handscomb came in to bat as Australia had to start afresh and build a new partnership. Meanwhile, keeper Bharath found his voice again and the Indian team seemed rejuvenated after the wicket.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring 149/2 at Tea on the first day of the series-deciding fourth Test in Ahmedabad against India on Thursday. After an impressive start, R Ashwin and Mohammed Shami brought India back into the game during the second hour, leading to Australia losing their momentum.
Despite the dismissals of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne in quick succession by Ashwin (1/18 in 10 overs) and Shami (1/14 in 8 overs) respectively, the determined Usman Khawaja scored a half-century and built a 77-run partnership with Steve Smith.
The match is being played with both Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese, in attendance. India, leading the four-match series 2-1, is aiming to dominate Australia in the final Test of the 2023 Border Gavaskar Trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The focus is on India’s bowling unit to finish off the match later in the day. The hosts have a straightforward objective: win the series 3-1 and secure a place in the summit WTC clash in June without relying on the outcome of Sri Lanka’s away series in New Zealand.
