Aussies suffer embarrassing 142-year first at SCG

India have enforced the follow-on as they power towards an emphatic Test series victory over Australia, snatching a first-innings lead of 322 runs after rolling the hosts for 300 on day four of the SCG finale.

Australia haven’t been asked to follow on at home since 1988.

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It’s the biggest first-innings deficit that Australia, reeling from a record three-consecutive declarations this series, have given up at the famed venue since 1936.

It’s also the first time in 142 years of Test cricket history that a visiting side have had the option of asking Australia to follow on twice in a home summer.

It comes after India also amassed a 292-run first-innings lead in Melbourne last week, only on that occasion they opted to bat again themselves in the 137-run flogging.

In total, Australia have only conceded a 200-run deficit when batting second in a Test 43 times in their history, and just 16 times at home.

Showers provided a good deal more resistance than many of Australia’s batsmen, washing out Sunday’s morning session.

Play, delayed because of both bad light and rain, started at 1:49pm on day four.

Australia, resuming at 6-236, quickly lost 3-22 a day after their top order folded in a collapse of 3-24.

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who was dropped on zero, combined for a final-wicket stand of 42 that spanned 14 overs but only delayed the inevitable.

Recalled tweaker Kuldeep Yadav finished with figures of 5-99.

Left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Yadav did the bulk of the damage on day three, but it was quicks Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah who made early inroads with the second new ball.

Shami’s third ball of the day kept low and scooted underneath Pat Cummins’ bat, uprooting off stump.

Bumrah needed just four balls at Peter Handscomb to remove the recalled batsman for 37, tempting him to play a delivery outside off that took the inside edge and dislodged the bails.

Yadav trapped Nathan Lyon lbw for a fifth-ball duck then could have been denied a five-wicket haul when Hanuma Vihari offered Hazlewood a life in the following over.

Yadav eventually had his man and ended the innings, trapping Hazlewood lbw with a wrong’un.