Scott Boland equals Glenn McGrath's record in SCG Test: Details
What's the story
Scott Boland was the chief architect of Australia's six-wicket triumph in the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
After claiming four wickets in his first outing, the pacer claimed a six-fer.
He hence took 10 wickets in the match, joining cricket legend Glenn McGrath in an elite list.
Meanwhile, Boland's brilliance powered the Aussies to a six-wicket win.
Match impact
Boland's performance restricts India to modest total
Boland's six-fer in the third innings kept India to a paltry 157 runs in their second innings. This gave the Aussies an easy target of 162 runs to chase.
Though they lost three early wickets, Australia eventually got home with six wickets in hand. They hence sealed the series 3-1.
Boland, who replaced Josh Hazlewood, has been the architect of the match's fate with his relentless performances in this series.
Key scalps
Boland's key wickets and match figures
In the first innings, Boland took four wickets for just 31 runs.
He continued his dominance in the second innings by dismissing key players like Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (61).
His efforts resulted in a total of six wickets for 45 runs in the second innings.
These performances led to his match figures standing at an impressive 10/76.
Historical context
Boland's feat: A rare achievement for Australian seamers
Boland's feat is only the second instance since 1990 when an Australian seamer has taken 10 wickets in a Test at the SCG.
The first was McGrath, who ended with figures of 10/103 against India in 2000.
This historical context further highlights how special Boland's performance in this match has been and how he has contributed to Australia's current standing.
Career
50 Test scalps for Boland
Boland was the pick of the Aussie bowlers in both innings, claiming 4/31 and 6/45.
Playing his 13th Test, Boland has raced to 56 wickets, as per ESPNcricinfo.
The 35-year-old claimed his second Test fifer and maiden match 10-wicket haul.
His bowling average of 17.66 is the best among Australian bowlers to have scalped 50 or more Test wickets in the last 80 years.
21 of his scalps came in BGT 2024-25 at 13.19.
DYK
Boland joins Murphy and Anderson
Boland dismissed Virat Kohli four times across five meetings in the BGT 2024-25.
The batter has managed just 28 runs off 68 balls in this battle.
Meanwhile, Boland's compatriot Todd Murphy (2023) and former England pacer James Anderson (2014) are the only other bowlers to trap Kohli four times in a bilateral Test series.
Overall, Kohli became Boland's bunny for fifth time in Test cricket.
Summary
How did the game pan out?
India bundled out for a paltry 185 on Day 1 with Boland taking four wickets.
The Aussies managed 181/10 in response as debutant Beau Webster scored a fifty.
Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj snared three wickets apiece.
A fiery 61 from Rishabh Pant meant India managed 157/10 in the third innings. Boland took six wickets.
Chasing 162, the Aussies lost three early wickets but they eventually crossed the line in the second session of Day 2.