The 2024 Boxing Day Test goes down as the best-attended cricket game ever in Australia, with tens of thousands watching a drama-filled evening featuring DRS controversy and Travis Head oddity.

• Match wrap: Australia takes seven wickets in the last session for famous MCG win

Here are the quick hits from day five of the fourth Test.

1. Marnus with the ‘worst appeal in the history of the sport’

Marnus Labuschagne has been no stranger to the most audacious appeals throughout his career but his shout from the first few overs of India’s run chase might take the case. 

Mitchell Starc, in the second over of an excellent opening spell, bowled one wide outside Yashasvi Jaiswal’s off stump, and the left-hander shouldered arms as the ball flew by nowhere near Jaiswal or his bat.

Yet, as he tends to do, Marnus heard something, not only appealing but charging up towards the pitch with both arms in the air pleading for the umpire’s finger to be raised.

ABC Sport commentators couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Marnus. Stay at third slip, don’t speak, don’t appeal,” former Australian coach Darren Lehmann said.

“That is the worst appeal in the history of the sport,” Harsha Bhogle added.

Labuschagne would not be deterred though, continuing to appeal when balls passed miles away from the bat a few overs later, earning a rebuke from the left-armer himself.

Starc outstretched his arms to show Marnus saying, “He f***ing missed it by that far” while shaking his head.

2. Day five ticks over for record crowd

On day five, adults were allowed into the MCG for just $10 and kids for free.

As the fans streamed in and the crowd numbers ticked over 350,534, it set a new record for attendance at a Test in Australia, eventually reaching 373,691.

It broke the high-water mark that had lasted since the final Ashes Test at the MCG in 1937 when the fans turned out to see Don Bradman’s Australian team thump England by an innings and 200 runs.

Making the 2024 record more impressive, that 1937 game took place over six days.

The MCG crowd is still some distance off the all-time record for a Test though — 465,000 turning out in Kolkata to watch India take on Pakistan in 1999.

3. Australia misses out by millimetres

As India came out to bat after lunch, Yashasvi Jaiswal loomed as the key for both his side and Australia.

Jaiswal motored along after lunch, before Mitchell Starc struck him on the back leg on middle stump.

Australia pleaded and begged for the wicket, but umpire Joel Wilson was unmoved.

After a lengthy deliberation with his players, Pat Cummins sent it upstairs and everything about this shout looked absolutely stone dead, even as the ball tracking started.

It showed the ball would have struck a significant part of the top of leg stump, yet the verdict was ‘umpire’s call’ on whether the ball would hit the stumps.

Australia was left in disbelief, India left breathing a huge sigh of relief.

“We certainly might get 50 per cent of the ball inside the line of leg stump. What we don’t have is 50 per cent of the ball below the top of the stump,” former ICC umpire of the year Simon Taufel said on Seven’s coverage.

“So, on this particular occasion, it’s the 50 per cent of the ball that’s not below the height of the top of the stump.

“So, I can certainly understand why the Australians would feel aggrieved, but they’re the rules and that’s to say as determined by the ICC.”

4. Travis Head rips out a unique celebration

Travis Head has been India’s chief tormentor over the last two years and did it again on day five; only this time it was with the ball. 

With nothing happening and the Test match looking likely to peter out to a draw to start the final session of play, Head finally drew the false stroke Australia had been craving.

He bowled a rank long hop halfway down the pitch, and after exhibiting monk-like patience all innings, Rishabh Pant took the bait.

Pant decided he wanted to hit Head out of the MCG, but mistimed his leg-side slog, with Mitch Marsh taking a diving catch close to the boundary.

Following the catch, Head had a unique celebration aimed towards the Indian fans in the stands.

He made a circle with his left hand and then held it up and poked the index finger of his right hand, his spinning finger, through the hole. 

Fans were left wondering what the celebration was a nod to, and it appeared it was a nod to one of his own jokes.

Head took 4-10 in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2022 and posted an Instagram story of him putting his index finger on ice, joking that he had to put the “digit on ice” after a hard day’s work.

5. A contentious review ends Jaiswal’s marathon knock

Yashasvi Jaiswal was the sole beacon of hope as India collapsed in the final session.

The left-hander made his way to 84 when he lost his concentration, bizarrely looking to hook a short ball from Pat Cummins that was headed well down the leg side.

Alex Carey caught the ball and Joel Wilson ruled not out on the field, with Australia immediately calling for a review.

As the third umpire went through the usual review process, a camera angle from behind the keeper showed a noticeable deflection of the ball’s trajectory as it passed Jaiswal’s gloves and bat.

A side-on angle was less conclusive on whether there was any contact between the bat and ball.

Having seen the camera angles, the TV umpire then went to snicko, only for there to be no noticeable spike. 

Thousands of Indian fans in attendance roared, but then booed seconds afterwards when the decision was overturned, and Jaiswal was forced to go.

Jaiswal was stunned by the call, approaching both umpires on the field before trudging off after an excellent innings.