India vs Australia | Rain & Bad Light Delay India's Charge For 3-1

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (5 for 99) got enough time to complete his second Test five-wicket haul, but constant drizzle and bad light ensured that only 25.2 overs were possible on day four of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia in Sydney on Sunday (January 6).

Australia were bundled out for 300 in 104.5 overs in reply to India's 622 for 7 (decl) after the first session was washed out. Indian skipper Virat Kohli wasted no time in enforcing the follow-on, and the home side were six without loss in four overs when play had to be stopped because of bad light, not allowing India to bowl a single delivery in the final session as well. Australia are still 316 runs in arrears and India will look to end this series with a scoreline of 3-1 if weather permits on the final day.

Earlier, persistent light rain prevented any play in the morning session. A huge storm rolled in late Saturday, forcing play to finish half an hour early, and the overcast skies lingered into Sunday. Lunch on day four was taken without a ball being bowled.

When the match finally started in the second session, Mohammed Shami castled overnight batsman Pat Cummins in the very first over for 25. Cummins had batted well till then but had no answer to Shami's delivery that kept low and scooted under his bat.

Peter Handscomb crafted a couple of good-looking shots against Kuldeep but could only add nine runs to his overnight score as he was sent back by Jasprit Bumrah. The paceman kept pegging Handscomb back with short ones and then brought one back in out of nowhere as the ball found the inside edge of the bat, clipped the right-hander's pad and went back to rattle the off-stump.

Coming in at No. 10, Nathan Lyon couldn't offer any resistance like he has done in the series and was trapped right in front of the stumps, becoming Kuldeep's fourth victim. The visitors had a chance to wrap up the innings much earlier when Kuldeep induced a top-edge off Josh Hazlewood's blade but Hanuma Vihari running back from mid-on shelled a simple chance. Australia's score at the time was 264 for 9.

Mitchell Starc (29*) and Hazlewood (21) then stuck for a while and brought the deficit down to some extent by adding 42 runs for the final wicket. The two kept playing their shots, most of them being straight-batted, and kept India at bay.

It was Kuldeep who broke the frustrating stand by pinning Hazlewood right in front of the stumps and completed his five-fer. India have enough runs to play with and they did decide to impose the follow-on, which meant this is the first time in 30 years Australia have had to follow on in a home Test. The last time this happened was at the same venue in 1988 against England in the one-off Bicentennial Test.