A resilient India rallied from its embarrassing early test exploits to take Australia out by just 195 and take control of a riveting second test opening day in Melbourne on Saturday. After their horror show in Adelaide last week, where they lost by eight wickets and were hit for 36 in their second inning, tourists were desperate to get off to a good start in Melbourne. And they delivered after Australian captain Tim Paine won the draw and chose to hit in front of 27,615 socially estranged fans, just below the maximum allowed under coronavirus restrictions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
But on a pitch that featured twists and rebounds, they found it difficult to face a high-quality attack led by Jasprit Bumrah (4-56), Ravi Ashwin (3-35) and the impressive Mohammed Siraj (2-40), making their debut of the injured Mohammed Shami.
Marnus Labuschagne scored the leading scorer with 48, but that was the best, with Steve Smith and Joe Burns among those looking for ducks.
It left Indian starters Shubman Gill, also on debut, and Mayank Agarwal needing to trade 40 minutes at the end of the day against Australia’s world-class attack.
Agarwal was not up to the task, caught lbw by a Mitchell Starc inswinger in the first over.
Gill was brought down in five by Labuschagne, but otherwise looked comfortable, hitting five limits to reach 28 and help lead India to 36-for-one at the close with the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara unbeaten in seven.
With Ajinkya Rahane captaining the team in place of Virat Kohli, who returned home for the birth of her first child, India got off to a perfect start, grabbing Burns, Matthew Wade (30) and Smith before lunch.
It left Australia in trouble, but Labuschagne used his luck, surviving two review decisions, to lead a recovery, putting 86 with Travis Head (38).
Head got off to a nervous start but calmed down and grew in confidence, hitting four limits before Bumrah pulled in a lead that drove Rahane into the ravine, causing a meltdown.
Labuschagne looked ready for a ninth half century, but a brilliant capture of Gill ended his vigil and handed Siraj his first test window.
All-rounder Cameron Green grounded 12 before he, too, fell to Siraj, then an excellent catch by Hanuma Vihari at Ashwin’s bowling alley represented Paine (13).
Nathan Lyon made a 20th cameo, but Australia’s tail didn’t budge.
– Provisional –
With David Warner still injured, the hosts entered the game unchanged, with Burns starting alongside Wade.
Burns hit an unbeaten 51 in Adelaide to ease the pressure a bit after a long lean period, but his performance on Saturday will once again raise questions about his place on the team.
He looked tentative against Bumrah and got a nickname for a delivery that he should have left.
Rishabh Pant, behind the stumps in place of Wriddhiman Saha, took the catch and Burns was eliminated without scoring.
At the other end, Wade escaped in four when Gill narrowly missed a catch on the slide.
He started finding the gaps before attempting a big hit with Ashwin, which turned out to be his downfall for 30.
Promoted
Ravindra Jadeja took the catch, but only with Gill also underneath. The couple collided but Jadeja managed to hold on.
Ashwin then claimed the crucial scalp from Smith, who was undone by an off-break with Pujara holding a catch on the slip after the world’s best hitter faced just eight balls.
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