Why didn’t Pat Cummins declare and put India into bat on Day 4? Ravi Shastri, Michael Vaughan share thoughts

Australia took the lead in the Boxing Day Test with a fine display from their bowlers. It was a great performance from the likes Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyonand Scott Boland who formed vital partnerships to save their team from a difficult situation.

However, it also looked like Australia may have missed a chance to put India under pressure by declaring their innings with a few overs to spare on day four. Former cricketers Ravi Shastri and Michael Vaughan shared their views on Pat Cummins’ decision.

While Ravi Shastri predicted the reason why Australia didn’t declare, Vaughan believes the Indian openers could have been pressed in the final minutes of the day if they had come out to bat.

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Ravi Shastri explains why Pat Cummins didn’t declare

Speaking to Fox Sports, Ravi Shastri opined that India will be happy not to have won in the final overs as it is a tough period after a busy day on the field.

“They’ll be glad they didn’t hit tonight. It’s a different ball game when you’re on the field all day to play those last 20 minutes or three or four overs. It’s a completely different atmosphere when you come back tomorrow,” said the former India coach.

Ravi Shastri also feels that Australia are aware of India’s young batsmen who are capable of chasing any target on their day and thus, Pat Cummins wanted to give them as many runs as possible to chase.

“You’re fresher and you know if you get through the day, you can either get the score or save the game. It also tells you that Australia are a bit wary of India. They’ve chased scores in the past and got the batsmen who if come in, they can make a difference,” Ravi Shastri added.

India have previously chased big targets in the past. One of the most famous run-chases came at the Gabba during India’s Test series in Australia last time they toured down for a Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“You just have to look at the psychology” – Michael Vaughan

But Michael Vaughan had other ideas. He reckons India could have been put under a lot of pressure if they had batted in that difficult situation. Vaughan claimed India captain Rohit Sharma is in poor form and Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped three catches on the day, which could have been enough to put them under more pressure.

“You just have to look at the psychology. Rohit Sharma (would) come in first under immense pressure. Then you have Jaiswal who had a shocker on the field. I think both of those players would be very happy to leave the MCG tonight and come back tomorrow,” Vaughan explained.

Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped three catches on the day with two of them being relatively simple chances. Dropped catches have already cost India and Jaiswal will look to make amends with the bat tomorrow.

Australia inch ahead on Day 4

Meanwhile, Australia seem to be leading the game with their lead already extended to 333. The last wicket pair will look to add as many runs as they can on the morning of Day 5 and come out fresh and attack the Indian batters.

The last wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland have already added more than fifty runs for the final wicket and are putting Australia in a good position. Skipper Pat Cummins also scored a fine 41. On the other hand, India need to bat out of their skin to get closer to the target.