Why didn't Pat Cummins declare and put India into bat on Day 4? Ravi Shastri, Michael Vaughan share thoughts

Australia have inched ahead in the Boxing Day Test with a fine batting display by their tailenders. It was a superb performance from the likes of Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, and Scott Boland who formed vital partnerships to bail their team out of a tricky situation.

However, it also seemed like Australia might have missed out on an opportunity to put India under pressure by declaring their innings with a few overs left on the fourth day. Former cricketers Ravi Shastri and Michael Vaughan shared their views on Pat Cummins' decision.

While Ravi Shastri predicted the reason why Australia didn't declare, Vaughan believes that the Indian openers could have been put under pressure in the last few minutes of the day if they had come out to bat.

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Ravi Shastri explains why didn't Pat Cummins declare

While speaking on Fox Sports, Ravi Shastri claimed that India will be happy not to have batted in the last few overs since they are a tricky period to face after a long day in the field.

“They will be happy they are not batting tonight. It’s a different ball game when you have been in the field all day to play those last 20 minutes or three or four overs. It is a different atmosphere altogether when you come back tomorrow," the former India head coach said.

Ravi Shastri also feels that Australia are aware of India's young batters who are capable of chasing down any target on their day and thus, Pat Cummins wanted to give them as many runs to chase as they can.

"You are fresher and you know if you bat out the day you can either get the score or save the game. It also tells you that Australia are a little wary of India. They have chased down scores in the past, and they’ve got the batters who if they get in, can make all the difference," Ravi Shastri added.

India have previously chased down big targets in the past. One of the most famous run-chases came at Gabba during India's Test series in Australia the last time they toured down under for a Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“You’ve just got to look at psychology" - Michael Vaughan

But Michael Vaughan had other ideas. He reckons that India could have been put under a lot of pressure had they batted in that tricky situation. Vaughan claimed that India's captain Rohit Sharma is in poor form and Yashasvi Jaiswal has dropped three catches in the day which could have been enough to put them under more pressure.

“You’ve just got to look at psychology; Rohit Sharma (would) be going in first under a huge amount of pressure. Then, you have got Jaiswal who has had a shocker in the field. I think both of those players would be quite happy to just get out of the MCG tonight and come back tomorrow," Vaughan explained.

Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped three catches in the day with two of them being relatively straightforward chances. The dropped catches have already cost India and Jaiswal would look to make amends tomorrow with the bat.

Australia inch ahead on Day 4

Meanwhile, Australia seem ahead in the game with their lead already stretched to 333. Their final wicket pair will look to add as many runs as they can on the morning of Day 5 and come out fresh and attack the Indian batters.

The last wicket pair of Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland have already added more than fifty runs for the final wicket and put Australia in a good position. Skipper Pat Cummins also scored a fine 41. On the other hand, India needs to bat out of its skin to reach closer to the target.