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A slow pitch on the first day of the Boxing Day Test match threatened to render India‘s bowling impotent but they did well to pick up five wickets and restrict Australia‘s score to 259.
A crucial second day could push the game one way or the other after a stalemate on the first and you can follow the live scores of this match from the the MCG starting 10:30am local time.
Australia’s decision to bat first after winning the toss was on expected lines but what was not was the dismissal of David Warner before he had opened his account.
Still, Chris Rogers continued his form from the previous couple of innings and Shane Watson looked to have finally taken a cue from the selectors and edged past 30 – his Achilles heel in the past. Unfortunately for the pair, both of them got out to cross-batted shots in a bid to up the scoring after the run-rate took a tumble post the lunch-break.
R Ashwin, who averages more than 60 in overseas Tests with the ball, turned on the screws and performed the role of a containing bowler to perfection while the three speedsters looked to overcome their problems from the first session when they bowled too short at the Aussies.
What did work for them was they managed to eke out two more wickets in the final session and those were that of two set batsmen.
Shaun Marsh seemed to have gotten himself going by slashing at one that wasn’t wide enough to cut. And after looking a part, debutant Joe Burns managed to under-edge a pull to the keeper.
Fortunately for Australia, Brad Haddin seemed to have overcome his woes with the bouncer, obviously also helped by the nature of the pitch and he gave Steven Smith company till the end of the day.
It came down to Smith yet again.
He was slower to start things off but when he got going, he quickly accelerated to the levels of what is acceptable in Test cricket. And what more, the Indians never looked like getting him out.
Going into the second day, records suggest India will be in the game if they can bowl Australia out for around 350. Anything more could become more and more difficult to bat, especially in the final innings.
There’s also bit of, to quote the commentators, tennis ball like bounce on the pitch which could come more and more into the game if the pitch quickens up over days two and three. The Indian batsmen will need to adapt to that when it’s their turn.
For starters, however, they will need to devise a strategy to get the better of the Aussie lower-order. If their bowling in the first innings at the Gabba was an indicator, it showed how not to bowl at the tail.
Hopefully India would have learnt from those mistakes. Or else they could end up facing a very, very imposing first innings total.
You can follow the live score of the second day of this third Australia v India Test from 10:30 am AEDT on Saturday and post your comments in the section below.
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