Australia v India 4th Test Live scoreboard, Virat Kohli century

India is 3-289 and trailing by 191 runs, thanks to a superb 128 from opener Shubman Gill.

Australia struggled to break through on the flat Ahmedabad deck and this match appears headed for a draw unless one side can set the game alight early on day four.

Steve Smith’s side needs wickets and India would need quick runs to force the issue in this Test.

Indian commentators believe Rohit Sharma should seriously consider declaring behind in a bid to force a result, given they’ve already secured the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

7:44PM – 5-472. INDIA SHAPE AS ONLY TEAM THAT CAN WIN FOURTH TEST

Commentators have declared India is now the only team that can win the Test match, with the home side only 8 runs from taking a first-innings lead.

India has a chance to lead by 100 runs by the end of day four, setting up a very nervous final day for Australia.

Fox Cricket expert Mark Waugh believes the flat Ahmedabad track is starting to exhibit up-and-down bounce, with Brad Haddin expecting India to try and set Australia a target of around 160 to try and hold on through two and a half sessions on the last day.

Adding to Australia’s anxiety is Usman Khawaja has not returned to the field after injuring his left knee while fielding.

Losing Khawaja from the top of the order would be a massive blow to Australia’s hopes of holding on for a draw.

Australia has twice this series been bowled out in a session, and although this wicket isn’t anywhere near as treacherous as the decks served up in the previous three Tests, nerves will come into play when the visitors can’t win the match.

Khawaja hobbled off with the physio and would need to return soon to guarantee he can open the batting. If he spends too much time off, he would have to be bumped down the order.

The highlight for Australia on a tough day four, is Nathan Lyon has overtaken Derek Underwood of England to be the highest overseas wicket-taker in India.

Lyon has bowled an extraordinary 58 overs in the fourth Test, testament to his ironman ability.

Overall across his career, Lyon has now taken 55 wickets at an average of 27 in his 11 matches on Indian soil.

That usurps Underwood who took 54 wickets from 16 Tests.

7:06PM – 5-444. KHAWAJA LIMPS OFF IN INJURY DRAMA FOR AUSTRALIA

India is only 36 runs from taking a first-innings lead in the fourth Test, and as Australia confront the possibility of having to survive two or three sessions to save the match … opening batting star Usman Khawaja has left the field with injury.

Khawaja has limped off after appearing to hurt his left knee attempting to stop a ball from going for six on the boundary rope.

The batsman immediately felt for his knee and a short time later was limping off the ground with the physio.

Khawaja then had to ascend the 96 steps to the dressing rooms at the Ahmedabad stadium.

Australia is yet to give a medical update on the seriousness of the injury concern.

6:15PM – 5-400. KOHLI ENDS 1207-DAY DROUGHT

Indian master Virat Kohli has broken a 1207-day Test century scoring drought, by posting his 28th ton.

‘The King’ was very reserved as he played Nathan Lyon away to bring up the milestone, before pausing for a silent prayer.

It was November 2019 that Kohli last tasted a Test century, and since then he has relinquished the captaincy and watched his Test average drop below 50.

Indian great and his former coach, Ravi Shastri, said a gigantic burden had been removed from one of the greatest of all time.

“Gorilla off his back. He will grow a couple of inches taller by this evening,” Shastri said.

“A long wait. But class is permanent. It’s been a long time, but he’s shown his class in this innings.”

India is trailing by 80 runs.

Australia claimed the wicket of KS Bharat the over before Kohli brought up his ton, out for 44.

Effectively India is six down not five, given batsman Shreyas Iyer has been unable to come out to bat due to a back problem.

Australia needs quick wickets to give themselves a shot at still winning the match.

5:15PM – 4-362. EX-GREATS SAY KUHNEMANN, HEAD UNDERBOWLED BY AUSSIES

India is trying to slowly strangle Australia out of the fourth Test, prompting commentators to inject Travis Head out of the box to try and ruin Virat Kohli’s party.

Kohli is 88 not out and determined on breaking a three-year drought without a Test century.

India is still 118 runs behind, and appear in no hurry to move the game on until they’ve wiped off the first innings deficit.

Australian great Brad Haddin has called on Steve Smith to inject part-time spinner Head into the fray to try and break India’s defensive mindset.

Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket that Matthew Kuhnemann has also been underbowled on this tour and believes he could be tried.

Kuhnemann has only bowled 19 overs compared to Nathan Lyon (49) and Todd Murphy (32).

Mitchell Starc hasn’t been bowled on day four, with Matthew Hayden saying on commentary that the left-armer should come on, if for no other reason than to create more rough for Lyon.

Haddin warned Australia that a dangerous couple of sessions await them on day five unless they can break up India’s roll.

Australia may face the task of having to survive on the last day with no prospect of victory.

4:o7PM – INDIA 4-324. MURPHY BOWLS THREE STRAIGHT MAIDENS AS PITCH ‘STIRS’

Todd Murphy has bowled three consecutive maidens – two to Indian maestro Virat Kohli – as commentators predict the fourth Test is about to roar to life.

Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle – the voice of Indian cricket – believes the pitch has finally “stirred to life” after being dormant for three days.

Indian superstar Shreyas Iyer may be unable to bat due to a back problem, meaning India may be effectively five wickets down and vulnerable should Australia be able to take a couple of quick wickets before lunch.

After an hour’s play, India is trailing by 156 on the first innings.

3:41PM – INDIA 4-318. INJURY DRAMA ROCKS INDIA

India has a been rocked early on day four by a Todd Murphy wicket and an injury drama which threatens to weaken their batting line-up for the rest of the match.

Shreyas Iyer has been sent for scans on his back and was unable to come to the crease when Ravi Jadeja fell early to Murphy to give Australia another sniff on a flat wicket in Ahmedabad.

Wicketkeeper KS Bharat has come out to the middle to partner Virat Kohli (69 not out) instead.

If Iyer is unable to bat, it means India is effectively five wickets down and still 162 runs behind.

The draw is the favourite result, but Australia could give themselves an opportunity if they can skittle India in the next two sessions.

India’s plan will be able to bat all day and build enough of a lead that they can throw Australia in to try and survive on day five to draw the game.

Murphy got his second wicket when he lured Jadeja into a loose shot where he attempted to hit the spinner down the ground only to chip him to Usman Khawaja at mid-off.

Kohli is chasing his first Test century in three years.

Usman Khawaja has been invaluable for Australia, but the national selectors face a huge call in deciding precisely what he’s worth.

Australian cricket’s annual contract list, to be announced next month, traditionally rewards all-format players with the most eye-watering contracts.

But there is a strong argument to suggest Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne should be breaking into the top five this year, based purely on their prowess at Test level.

It’s a huge call, because to slot them in, selectors would have to drop Josh Hazlewood and David Warner down the list in a year in which both men could yet be decisive in the Ashes and 50-over World Cup.

Last year, Pat Cummins, Warner, Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith made up the top five highest-paid contracted cricketers in Australia.

The all-format prowess of those five stars makes them incredibly difficult to shake from the top echelon, but this year at least, selectors have some serious thinking to do.

Ultimately, players will all be given an overall ranking, but first and foremost, selectors need to sit down and determine a rankings list for red and white ball cricket.

First question should be, is Khawaja now the best Test batsman in Australia?

The 36-year-old’s stunning form which has seen him smash six hundreds since being recalled to Test cricket 14 months ago is so compelling it begs the question whether Khawaja has taken over from the world No. 1 Labuschagne and Australian all-time great Smith as our best Test bat.

Test great Matthew Hayden believes Khawaja shapes as the key man on this year’s Ashes tour.

Khawaja may not have much more than 12-24 months left in Test cricket given his age, but on what he has done, and what he is capable of doing for Australia at the Ashes, he at least deserves to earn his biggest ever contract this year.

Labuschagne is also owed an upgrade given his years’ of consistency since breaking out on the last Ashes tour of 2019.

Being the No. 1 Test batsman has to count for something.

And then of course there is Cameron Green. The new all-format prototype who simply has to charge into the million dollar pay bracket off the back of his maiden Test century.

Australia’s top ranked cricketer earns an estimated $2 million, and then there’s a sliding scale where the top seven at least, all earn more than $1 million.

Nathan Lyon was ranked about No. 6 last year and is still the world’s No. 1 spinner.

It would be a brave selection panel to bump down proven champions like Hazlewood and Warner with so much on the line this year.

Unless selectors have already made a decision not to take Warner to England (which there is no evidence of), then he remains an integral part of Australia’s plans this year, particularly given he is still a beast as an ODI batsman in a World Cup year.

Early next year he will also be central to Australia’s T20 World Cup hopes in the West Indies.

Hazlewood has struggled to stay on the park for the past two summers, but if fit, he could be Australia’s key bowler in English conditions.

At ODI level he is ranked higher than Pat Cummins, and he is Australia’s best T20 quick.

The decisions won’t be as tough lower down the rankings list, particularly given there is a feeling Cricket Australia may expand the contract list this year.

That means tearaways like Spencer Johnson and Lance Morris are likely to be rewarded and invested in heavily for the future.

Originally published as Australia v India 4th Test: Live scoreboard, latest news from Ahmedabad