Rishabh Pant slammed the second-fastest Indian Test half century on Saturday to drive the visitors to a 145-run lead with four wickets left after an intense second day of action in the decisive fifth Test against Australia.
At the close in Sydney, India were 141-6 with Ravindra Jadeja on eight and Washington Sundar six after they dismissed Australia for 181 in reply to their first-innings 185.
Australia lead the series 2-1 with India needing to win at the Sydney Cricket Ground to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Pant signalled his intent by hammering a six on his first ball and then reached 50 after just 29 deliveries with another big heave that cleared the ropes. Only his 28-ball half-century against Sri Lanka in 2022 was faster for India.
He was eventually dismissed for 61 off 33 by Pat Cummins, but Scott Boland was India's main tormentor, taking 4-42. Pant's heroics set up an exciting finale, amid doubts over whether skipper Jasprit Bumrah will take any further part.
He left the field after bowling one over following lunch and was driven away from the SCG for hospital scans. Bumrah was seen returning shortly before stumps. In his absence, Prasidh Krishna (3-42), Mohammed Siraj (3-51) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (2-32) stepped up to fill the void and dismiss Australia after they resumed on 9-1.
"It's been a hell of a Test, it's been in fast-forward mode," said Australian all-rounder Beau Webster, who top-scored with 57 and took a wicket.
"With the amount of wickets, I am just happy that I could contribute with the bat, few catches and wicket there as well, so really happy.
"It's a real tussle," he added. "We don't know what a good score is yet and obviously plenty on offer for the quicks."
Yashasvi Jaiswal got India's second innings off to a fast start, crunching four boundaries from the first over by Mitchell Starc.
But the opening partnership was broken when KL Rahul was bowled for 13 by Boland, whose line and length was impeccable throughout. He struck again in his next over with a ball that nipped back to exact the same punishment to Jaiswal (22).
Virat Kohli desperately needed a big score - for himself and the team - but failed once again, caught in the slips for six with Boland once more the architect.
It was likely the 36-year-old Kohli's last Test innings in Australia, with India usually only visiting every four years.
Webster claimed Shubman Gill (13) as his first Test wicket, but at the other end Pant was on a mission until an edge off Cummins carried to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Boland claimed his fourth to remove Reddy cheaply.
"As many runs as possible would be great for us because we don't know what the wicket will be behaving like for us," said India bowler Prasidh Krishna. "There's no particular number in mind, but as many as we can score. We are ready to bowl them out for whatever."
Earlier in the day, Australia had lost Sam Konstas (23), Marnus Labuschagne (two), Travis Head (four) and Steve Smith (33) before lunch. In front of his home crowd, Smith looked set to become only the 15th batsman and fourth Australian to reach 10,000 Test runs.
But he was made to wait, five runs short, after Prasidh enticed an edge to Rahul in the slips.
The home side resumed after a dramatic final-ball wicket on Friday when Bumrah - captaining the side after Rohit Sharma was "rested" - had Usman Khawaja caught.
That Australian body blow came two balls after Bumrah and Konstas had a tense exchange. The 19-year-old Konstas padded up again on seven with new partner Labuschagne, who didn't last with Bumrah getting the faintest edge to Pant.
A fearless Konstas slammed Bumrah to the boundary, then produced an audacious reverse ramp shot for another four. But the teenager overplayed his hand and fell to a Siraj outswinger, attempting a drive that flew to Jaiswal at gully.
Siraj removed Head in the same over with another gem to leave Australia at 39-4. Smith and Webster, who replaced the dropped Mitchell Marsh, began the rebuild before Prasidh dismissed the veteran just before lunch and bowled Carey soon after their return.
India then took 3-4, with Reddy at the forefront, as the tail collapsed.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
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5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
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7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
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