Skipper Pat Cummins struck twice to dismiss Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as India reached 51/2 in 15 overs, trailing Australia by 423 runs at tea on day two of Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
After Australia were bowled out for 474 in their first innings, Cummins ensured Australia maintained its control on the match by taking out Rohit cheaply and then dismissing Rahul with a corker of a delivery at the stroke of tea.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal looking comfortable in his 23 not out, India will need big scores and partnerships to make 275, the mark they need to avoid a follow-on. India’s innings began on a bad note as Rohit, opening the batting for the first time in the series, played a one-leg half-hearted pull off Cummins, and the top-edge was easily caught by mid-on to be out for three.
That dismissal took Rohit’s tally of runs to 22 in this series, thus extending his woeful form in Tests this year. From there, Jaiswal showed poise while ramping and driving Cummins for boundaries. On the other hand, Rahul showed amazing composure, and lit up the session with three eye-catchy boundaries.
Just as India looked to close the session on a high, Cummins brought out a jaffa of a delivery – a full ball pitched on off stump and getting to seam past the bat of Rahul to hit the top of off stump and send the batter back 24 off 42 balls, as Australia walked into tea break with high spirits.
Previously, Steve Smith top-scored 140 – his 34th Test hundred laced with 13 fours and three sixes – as Australia made a mammoth 474. He also got valuable support from Cummins (49) and Mitchell Starc (15) in stitching stands of 112 and 44, respectively, helped the hosts’ made the visitors’ bowling line-up listless.
It was also Smith’s fifth ton at the MCG, and second three-figure score coming in as many matches against India in this series. Bumrah shined yet again with figures of 4-99, as rest of bowlers were ineffective in stopping the Australian batting juggernaut.
Post lunch, India had some relief as Starc was castled by Ravindra Jadeja, who got the ball to straighten in and rattle his off-stump. Smith was next to fall in a bizarre fashion, as he danced down the pitch to hoick off Akash Deep, but got a bottom edge and the ball rolled onto the stumps to dislodge the off-stump bail.
After Scott Boland successfully used the review twice to overturn lbw decisions, Jadeja finally closed Australia’s innings in 122.4 overs by trapping Nathan Lyon plumb lbw, though the hosts’ were the happier side yet again at the end of the session.
Brief scores: Australia 474 in 122.4 overs (Steve Smith 140, Marnus Labuschagne 72; Jasprit Bumrah 4-99, Ravindra Jadeja 3-78) lead India 51/2 in 15 overs (KL Rahul 24, Yashasvi Jaiswal 23 not out; Pat Cummins 2-27) by 423 runs.
