Australia are facing a monumental battle to save the second Test as they fume over the controversial DRS dismissal of captain Tim Paine.
Tim Paine’s DRS dismissal has left Australia furious at TV umpire Paul Wilson because they believe Cheteshwar Pujara was given not-out off similar evidence a day earlier.
A visibly upset Paine appeared to say: “What the f***?” when he was given out for one run despite hot spot showing no mark on his bat and on-field umpire Paul Reiffel turning down India’s appeal for caught behind.
The Aussies lost 3-1 and had collapsed to 6-99 when Paine was told to go.
Cameron Green and Pat Cummins guided them to 6-133 at stumps on day three after first-innings totals of just 191 and 195 this series.
While the MCG crowd of 24,995 let out its largest roar when Green’s punch through mid-off put Australia in front in the final over, India trails by just two runs and is on target to level the series at 1-1 on day four at the MCG.
“From what I’ve seen it (Paine's dismissal) looked quite similar to the one we referred on Pujara,” gritty opener Matthew Wade said on Monday night.
“From all reports, and from what I’ve seen, snicko probably showed a very similar thing.
“One was given out, one was given not out … that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.”
Paine lost a review when he referred Cummins' appeal on the first ball of day two, which showed a murmur on snicko but no hot spot on Pujara's bat.
But India's No.3 was given not-out and the Aussies were furious that the lineball calls went opposing ways.
“I heard a noise on the Pujara one, I was at first slip at the time, and his bat was the only thing out there,” Wade said.
“And then we saw what you guys saw, there was a small spike.
“So either way if it was out or not-out, consistency is all you want as a player.”
The DRS system has long infuriated Paine although his frustration appears to be aimed at the TV umpire’s application rather than with the technology in this Test.
While the captain’s dismissal was painful for Australia, the deeper issue of its brittle top six remains the hot spot requiring urgent attention.
The Aussies appear set to travel six home Tests against India without any of their batsman celebrating a century.
Australia’s highest individual score in that run is just 79, struck by back-up opener Marcus Harris at the SCG in a dead-rubber in January last year.
With Indian seamer Umesh Yadav sent to hospital for calf scans after bowling just 3.3 overs on Monday, and Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma already sidelined, there was an opening for Australia to exhaust India.
Instead it fell in a hole and Wade lamented the soft nature of some dismissals.
“Just some disappointing outs – myself included,” Wade said.
“Getting out to spin sometimes can be frustrating when you’ve done a heap of work.
“They’re bowling pretty well, pretty straight and making it quite hard for us to score.
“Our intent is to go out there and score runs, obviously. But they’re making it quite challenging at times.
“We haven’t gone deep enough yet to really cash in on tired bowlers late in the day.”
Wade has fallen to spin twice at the MCG, but looked the best of Australia’s batsmen.
The temporary opener is looking more and more like Australia’s answer in the top order after a gritty knock of 40 (137).
Wade’s on-drive off Jasprit Bumrah to take him to 27 was one of the shots of the day and he confirmed the pitch wasn’t one that should be troubling the batsman.
Wade said the Aussies wanted a lead of at least 100 runs to stay in the game.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon will start the second innings on a hat-trick with Australia’s attack literally left to do all the work
The batsmen grassed six chances, forcing the bowlers to not only create chances but finish most off as well as Cummins and Lyon cleanly took chances to help rip through the tail.
Now Australia needs the tail to not only wag with the bat but perform another miracle with the ball a week after rolling India for 36.
For the second time in as many Tests, India’s first innings collapsed in a heap because its captain was run-out.
Ajinkya Rahane was the culprit in Adelaide when he burnt Virat Kohli although Ravi Jadeja – trying to pinch a quick single to reach 50 – torched Rahane at the MCG.
But Rahane (112) patted Jadeja on the back in a sign of maturity.
Re-cap our coverage of day three in the blog below.
Thanks for following our live coverage of day three of the Boxing Day Test.
I'll be back again tomorrow to do it all again as India presses for the last four wickets and then a few runs to square the series at 1-1.
Or could Cam Green and Pat Cummins conjure a miracle?
An eventful day leaves India on the cusp of squaring the series at 1-1.
The visitors took a lead of 131 on first innings and Australia has lost six wickets while only gaining a lead of two runs.
While Cameron Green and Pat Cummins showed fight to push the Test to a fourth day, Matthew Wade (40) and Marnus Labuschagne (28) have been the only Aussie batsmen to get to 20.
Stumps, day three: Australia 6-133, lead by two runs
Green 17 not out, Cummins 15 not out
India will have to bat again!
Cameron Green slaps Ravi Ashwin for four in the last over of the day and Australia leads by one run.
Cameron Green hits a four to give Australia a lead at the end of day 3. The MCG faithful is loving that! 😅 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/1djzmXJ4lY
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 28, 2020
Jasprit Bumrah is giving Cameron Green and Pat Cummins a serious working over as India chases a seventh wicket before the end of day three.
Australia still hasn't reached India's first-innings lead of 131 with three overs left until stumps.
Cameron Green, welcome to Test cricket, young fella! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/Ly5e3o2qmy
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 28, 2020
And some key wickets most importantly for India!
Former leading umpire Simon Taufel has explained why Tim Paine was given out despite no hot spot showing when India reviewed him being given not out for caught behind.
Speaking on Channel 7, Taufel said: "There's a number of things the third umpire's working through here in his conclusive evidence protocols. The first is, is there a deviation? That's normally the first thing they look for.
"The second thing is if there's no deviation apparent, then the redundancy in the protocol looks at the hot spot. If there's no hot spot that they can determine is conclusive then the further protocol is to go to RTS.
"If the ball is close to the bat – in other words next to the bat – while there is a spike as the ball goes past the bat, or up to one frame past the bat, then that is deemed to be conclusive evidence that the ball has hit the bat."
Former Test opener Michael Slater has questioned Travis Head's "mental process" after he fell playing a flashy drive only a few balls after Matthew Wade's dismissal.
Head was caught in the slips trying to drive the first ball of Mohammed Siraj's new spell, playing a shot Slater said he was "dumbfounded" by.
“I don't know why he wouldn't have a look, why he wouldn't understand that angle was going outside the off stump through to the keeper," he said on Channel 7.
"It's a big flashy drive on the up. I can guarantee you, if we go side on to it, he will not have made a big step forward…they all play so deep in their crease these days.
"He wants to drive on the up. It's a shot you play when you're 70 and seeing them big."
He added: “Forget the technique, it's about a mental process as well. When you're trying to play certain shots, I just think mentally it was the wrong time."
Australia is in serious danger of being beaten by an innings after Tim Paine was given out caught behind on DRS review.
The Aussie skipper tried to cut a ball from Ravi Jadeja and was caught by Rishabh Pant, but initially given not out.
India sent it upstairs and snicko suggested there was a clear edge before the ball landed in Pant's gloves.
There's some conjecture though as hot spot showed no edge on Paine's bat.
Australia has lost 3-1.
Tim Paine 1 (9) c Pant b Jadeja
Australia 6-99, trails by 32
Rishabh Pant was VERY confident in his appeal – DRS finds an edge and Tim Paine goes for one. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/c2Bph5oaOG
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 28, 2020
The bowling change works wonders for India – what hasn't Rahane done right this Test?
Mohammed Siraj comes back into the attack, bringing about a false shot from Travis Head who's caught in the slips.
Australia still trails by 33 and unless the lower-order shows some resolve the home side is in danger of losing inside three days in Melbourne.
"I'm dumbfounded by that shot when you think about the situation Australia are in," former Aussie quick Merv Hughes says on ABC.
Head 17 (46) c Agarwal b Siraj
Australia 5-98, trails by 33
Still 33 runs behind, Australia has lost another wicket and another review.
A desperate Matthew Wade hoped DRS would save him after being given out lbw off Ravi Jadeja, but replays should the ball was hitting middle and leg stump.
It always seem a forlorn appeal as Wade was playing back and it looked plumb.
Wade 40 (138) lbw b Jadeja
Australia 4-98, trails by 33
Spinners Alana King and Ash Gardner have terrorised England, sealing the first women’s Ashes whitewash with more than a day to spare in the MCG Test.
Australia have smashed a previous Test record as certain controversial selection decisions paid massive dividends.
