Former Australian opener and head coach Justin Langer lauded pacer Scott Boland for his performances in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, terming his bowling “elite” and saying he would have played every single Test had he be born in any other era. Boland continued to haunt the Indian team with his accurate line and lengths, taking a four-wicket haul as, despite a promising start by openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul in the second innings, India lost quick wickets and ended their day on 141/6, with a 145-run lead in their hands and very less batting firepower left in the tank.
Speaking as quoted by WWOS after stumps, Langer said, “He (Scott Boland) is brilliant, I love him.”
“He is so mean on the field, but he is one of the most humble people you will ever meet.
“Just imagine if he had been born in any era before? He would have been playing every single Test. It’s been really hard because of Hazlewood, [Mitchell] Starc and [Pat] Cummins – but every time he gets the opportunity, he stands up. His bowling was elite, as it always is and I would not want to face him that’s for sure,” Langer concluded.
In three matches of the ongoing series against India so far, Boland has taken 19 wickets at an average of 14.42, with best figures of 4/31 and two four-wicket hauls to his name. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in the series, having dismissed Virat Kohli four times.
Boland’s home record continues to be stunning, having taken 47 wickets in just nine Tests at an average of 13.10 and best figures of 6/7. In 12 Tests overall, Boland has taken 46 wickets at an average of 19.84, with best bowling figures of 6/7.
Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first. India was off to a disappointing start yet again as the top order threw away their wickets, especially Virat Kohli (17) who continued his struggles with outside off-stump deliveries.
However, the fight by Pant (40 in 98 balls, with three fours and a six), Ravindra Jadeja (26 in 95 balls, with three fours) and skipper Jasprit Bumrah (22 in 17 balls, with three fours and a six) pushed India to 185/10 in 72.2 overs.
Boland (4/31) was the pick of the bowlers for the Aussies and once again a thorn in the eyes of Indian batters. Mitchell Starc took 3/49 while Pat Cummins got 2/37.
In their first innings, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals even when Jasprit Bumrah (2/33) walked off the field due to an injury scare. Under the stand-in skipper Virat, India continued to dominate the Aussies, skittling them out for just 181 runs and taking a four-run lead. Debutant Beau Webster (57 in 105 balls, with five fours) had a fine showing with the bat and Steve Smith (33 in 57 balls, with four boundaries and a six) showed some attacking intent.
Prasidh Krishna (3/42) and Mohammed Siraj (3/51) were the top bowlers for India.
In their second innings, despite a promising start by Yashasvi Jaiswal (22 in 35 balls, with four boundaries) and KL Rahul (13), Indian batters fell to trap of Boland’s (4/42) impressive lines and lengths, with KL, Shubman Gill (13), Virat (6), Nitish Kumar Reddy (8) falling cheaply to consolidate Australia’s position in the match. At the end of the day, India made 141/6, with Jadeja (8*) and Sundar (6*) at the crease.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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