WATCH: Rishabh Pant’s rocket arm throw gets Mitchell Starc run-out on day four of MCG Test

India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant pulled off a brilliant piece of fielding during the final session of day four at the MCG. The 27-year-old used his rocket arm throw to run out Mitchell Starc for five runs. The incident happened in the first ball of the 59th over of the innings with Bumrah bowling to the Aussie pacer. 

Starc took a quick single down to the square leg region and set off for a second run. Skipper Pat Cummins though wasn’t keen and Starc had to run back to the bowler's end. Pant spotted the batter yet to reach his crease, fired the throw and hit the stumps on the full. Indian team started to celebrate with excitement as the umpire sent the decision upstairs. 

What a throw 😭🔥#RishabhPant #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/t4KAoEfiPj

— Nani sai (@alwaysnanisai2) December 29, 2024

By the time the third umpire was pressed into action, Starc was already making his way back to the hut. The replays showed that Starc was way short of his crease before the ball hit the stumps. Indian players celebrated the wicket as Australia lost their 8th wicket with an overall lead of 261. 

Also Watch: Jasprit Bumrah completes 200 wickets in Test cricket

Mohammed Siraj strikes big to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne 

Pat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne proved to be a thorn in India’s flesh with a frustrating stand of 57 runs. The 7th wicket stand came off 19.1 overs with Labuschagne braving the odds and the Indian bowing to score 70 runs from 139 balls with three hits to the fence. 

Mohammed Siraj got India the vital wicket when he trapped Labuschagne LBW in the first ball of the 56th over. The batter went up for review but the third umpire deemed it to be the umpire's call as team India got a huge wicket. Both batters had played out a tricky period which saw Bumrah take 3 wickets in just ten balls. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped three catches to leave Rohit Sharma frustrated. The young opener first dropped Usman Khawaja in the morning session. Jaiswal then dropped Labuschagne when the batter was on 46 to leave the visitors shocked. His final drop was that of Cummins who offered a simple catch off Jadeja which went through Jaiswal’s legs.