It's advantage India after an opening day of the Boxing Day Test which had it all and left Australia with a huge task to claw its way back into the match.ย
Marnus Labuschagne has conceded that Australia’s batting line-up was being strangled by India and it faced a steep challenge to outsmart the clever bowling plans.
Captain Tim Paine won the toss and batted first but finished Boxing Day wearing the gloves after his team was rocked and rolled for 195 runs by a patched-up attack.
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah (4-56) and spinner Ravi Ashwin (3-35) landed punch after punch before India matched its pathetic Adelaide Oval total of 36 runs – but this time with nine wickets up its sleeve.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane stacked his leg-side field, which remarkably brought down Steve Smith (duck), Labuschagne (48), Paine (13) and Mitchell Starc (seven).
India stubbornly stuck to its plans and eventually reaped the rewards.
The tactics gave India a leg-up a week after captain Virat Kohli legged it back to Mumbai for the birth of his first child.Labuschagne said the lopsided field was limiting the scoring zones.
“You just know you’re going to have to lock in and bat for a long period of time,” he said.
“They’re bowling real straight lines and we’re not getting many runs through the off-side.
“This is the art of Test cricket, this is why we all love it. The continual challenge for the bowlers to come up with new ideas to stop the batter’s scoring and build pressure.
“That’s what they did today. I think I faced 130-something (132) balls again today
“By no means are we scoring freely and that’s the challenge for us.”
The new ball seamed around on an improved MCG pitch and it started swinging by the 50th over.
Debutant Mohammed Siraj (2-40) swung the ball away from left-hander Travis Head in the second session, and swung the match swung India’s way by dismissing Labuschagne.
“That’s (swing) something that we probably don’t usually see here at the MCG at that time,” Labuschagne said.
“I think we’re in the game. We certainly showed last game that it doesn’t matter how many you have you’re in the game.
“It’s pretty hard to make an assessment on the wicket currently. You’re going to have to let both teams bat.”
Coach Justin Langer declared the Aussies targeted 400 runs in the first innings on home decks – but his batsmen have now had two cracks (191 and 195) and haven’t even reached half of that magical number.
Winning the toss and batting first on Boxing Day has been a free pass for bowlers to put their feet up in recent years.
But Paine once again had to call upon his awesome foursome attack to bowl Australia out of trouble, and Starc answered the call by trapping opener Mayank Agarwal for a duck in the first over.
Pat Cummins should’ve had debutant Shubman Gill for four, but Marnus Labuschagne – fielding at third slip – threw his hands at the catch so hard that the ball popped out.
Opener Matthew Wade (knee) finished his 33rd birthday with an icepack on his knee in a major concern after taking a tumble trying to save a boundary.Perennial 12th man Michael Neser replaced Wade in the field although it is understood Wade will be fit to field on Sunday.
Seasoned players noted from the commentary box they had never seen the MCG pitch spin like this in a sign India selected wisely by partnering spinner Ravi Ashwin with Ravi Jadeja.
In many ways normal programming resumed on a day which confirmed last Saturday’s historic collapse by India (all-out for 36) and half-century by Joe Burns (duck on Boxing Day) were anomalies.
India’s most painful moment came when it was confident Australia’s captain was short of his crease, the fate suffered by counterpart Kohli last week.One angle appeared to show Paine out and another angle appeared to show him in, so TV umpire Paul Wilson gave the batsman the benefit.
Shane Warne couldn’t believe it.
“Very surprised that Tim Paine survived,” Warne said.
“There was no part of his bat behind the line!”
But it mattered little as Paine only lifted his score from six to 13.
Victorian Paul Reiffel – who played the first of his four Boxing Day Tests back in 1993 – umpired his first home Test with an eagle eye, his on-field decisions repeatedly backed up by DRS.
India’s debutants Gill and Siraj were among the MCG’s 27,615 spectators in the first session as Rahane turned to spin well before Siraj’s swing.
But the the son of an auto rickshaw driver who chose to stay on tour when his father died last month digested his lunch and then livened up India’s attack after digIndia went from sloppy to slick in the field with the exception of untidy inclusion Rishabh Pant, who is clearly in the team for his X-factor batting and not his wicket-keeping.
At 3-79 the scoreboard somehow flattered Australia, with 10 of those runs coming as byes.
The only reason Australia's innings lasted until 5pm was India's snail-paced over rate.Former Test opener Michael Slater hit out at Australia’s top six.
“I just question the intent of the Australian batting mindset at the moment,” Slater said on Channel 7.
“Matty Wade started and then he’s looked the best all day. But have we got our top six thinking about scoring runs enough?”
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WARNIE'S FAVOURITE BOXING DAY TEST MOMENTS
India has made it to the dreaded number 36 – and this time for the loss of only one wicket.
Shubman Gill was dropped on five and has raced to 28 at stumps on day one, with Cheteshwar Pujara unbeaten on seven.
Mitchell Starc was the wicket-taker for Australia.
India trails by 159 runs and holds the upper hand heading into day two.
There's concern for opener Matthew Wade who has left the field after appearing to jar his knee when trying to stop a boundary from Shubman Gill.
Wade twisted awkwardly diving for a ball late in the day and left the field for treatment.
But if Wade's setback is nothing serious, then the batting picture will remain pixelated after the first innings of the calendarโs final Test.
He tried to return to the field but is off again after looking proppy while chasing a ball.
Shubman Gill has a life on debut after being dropped by Marnus Labuschagne at slip.
A Pat Cummins delivery flew to Labuschagne at third slip and he couldn't hold on as it burst through his fingers.
A huge let off for India which has been under the pump since the first ball.
Gill carves the next ball from Mitch Starc to the fence and India is 1-9.
It was all happening in the second over for Shubman Gill!
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 26, 2020
โ First Test runs/boundary
โ Dropped by Labuschagne#AUSvIND live coverage continues ๐ https://t.co/hN7CweXrOd pic.twitter.com/3g1Leioz8a
India's batting woes continue as Mitch Starc traps Mayank Agarwal for a duck on the last ball of the first over of India's innings.
Agarwal was almost given out on the second ball of the innings lbw.
He reviewed on the second occasion but the review went back to umpire's call.
Agarwal 0 (6)
1 over, 1 wicket, 0 runs – strong start from Mitchell Starc! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Xwjpaqg9MB
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 26, 2020
Australia has lost 7-71 to be bowled out for 195 on day one at the MCG.
The home side reached 3-124 but offered little resistance from that point as Mohammed Siraj, Ravi Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah bowled India into a commanding position.
Pat Cummins was the last wicket to fall, caught off Ravi Jadeja's bowling.
Australia all out for 195 and the Indian fans at the MCG are loving it! ๐ฅฐ #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/7mSFX76AVd
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 26, 2020
Umpire's call falls in India's favour and Australia loses its ninth wicket.
Nathan Lyon played an entertaining hand, hooking Jasprit Bumrah for six and pulling the Indian quick for a boundary before he was trapped in front.
DRS said the ball would have clipped leg stump which was enough to uphold the original decision.
Lyon 20 (17) lbw Bumrah
Former Aussie opener Michael Slater has questioned the intent of Australia's batsmen after they slumped to 8-179 on the opening day against India.
โThe pitches are doing enough to make batting uncomfortable at times but there comes a point in your career where if the ball is moving around, you have to have a technique firstly to survive," Slater said on Channel 7.
"But I just question the intent of the Australian batting mindset at the moment. Matty Wade started and then heโs looked the best all day. But have we got our top six thinking about scoring runs enough?โ
Australia looks certain to be batting tonight after Mitch Starc was caught at deep fine leg off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah.
The Aussies were 3-124 but have lost 5-40 since then.
Nathan Lyon joins Pat Cummins and getting to 200 would be an achievement at this point.
Mitch Starc 7 (8) c Siraj b Bumrah
BOOYAH, BUMRAH! ๐๐๐
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 26, 2020
Reminder: Australia won the toss and elected to bat. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Il2NTjOntZ
So much for Ravi Ashwin struggling in Australia!
The Indian skipper is having a field day at the MCG, having Tim Paine caught in close for Hanuma Vihari.
It was Ashwin's third scalp on day one and the off-spinner has 3-30 in his 22nd over.
Tim Paine 13 (39) c Vihari b Ashwin
Ashwin gets another one and the captain is gone. Could Australia be all out before the end of Day 1? #AUSvIND ๐ https://t.co/hN7CweXrOd pic.twitter.com/w7zvpmyC9C
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 26, 2020
Mohammed Siraj is making up for lost time after being made to wait until the second session to bowl his first ball in Test cricket.
The quick has 2-29 in his 15th over after removing Cameron Green lbw.
Australia is in danger of being bowled out on the opening day in Melbourne, slumping to 6-155.
Tim Paine has been joined by Patrick Cummins.
Cameron Green lbw Siraj 12 (60).
On 155 runs, Australia lose the wickets of Cameron Green and Tim Paine ๐ฌ๐ฌ #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/N3csBiWMeL
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 26, 2020
A cricketer who has been banned from playing cricket in England and Wales for 10 years will be allowed to play in Western Australia.
Australia hasnโt lost a T20 to New Zealand for more than three years, but something is happening to the Kiwis at the World Cup.