’We’re all positive’: India says dressing room still intact after mix-up

A member of the touring side claims sprits remain high after a strong evening session went pear-shaped and threatened to define the series.

All-rounder Washington Sundar says the mood in the Indian dressing room remains upbeat despite the calamitous run-out which helped Australia regain control leading into day three.

Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal remonstrated with each other on the pitch after the latter was dismissed when he joined Kohli at the nonstriker’s end in a horror mix-up with the score 2-153.

It triggered a collapse of 3-11 as a furious Kohli made his way back to the pavilion after prodding at a delivery outside the off stump from Boland, but Washington said the tourists felt they could regain a foothold in the match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal gestures at Virat Kohli after he was run-out for 82 by Pat Cummins and Alex Carey following a horror mix-up with the Indian veteran. Picture: Michael Klein

“We looked like we were in a great position … to get big runs, especially when Virat and Yash were batting, but we’ll still come back and continue to fight (on Saturday) morning,” he told reporters after play.

“Definitely the energy is very good in the dressing room – we’re all positive. There’s still three days, a lot of overs to play, so it’ll just be about us trying to fight really hard and get things done for the team.”

After India sent in a nightwatchman, Washington Sundar is not due to bat until no. 9 despite his impressive average of 48 with the bat in Test cricket. Picture: Martin Keep / AFP

Washington, who still boasts a Test batting average of 48 after his stellar debut series in Australia three years ago, was listed to come in at no. 9 after nightwatchman Akash Deep was unsuccessfully deployed to protect Rishabh Pant and India’s trio of all-rounders.

He said he didn’t feel any added pressure to score runs after replacing no. 3 Shubman Gill in a revamped batting order.

“Isn’t it amazing that the team wants me to do really well in all three aspects of the game? That’s a great opportunity for me, especially when the team is believing in me that I am able to perform and win games for the team in all three aspects,” he said.

‘You’ve got to have faith’: Smith on verge of huge milestone

Australian batting maestro Steve Smith has credited debutant Sam Konstas with generating the momentum that helped deliver the side’s highest first innings score of the series on Friday.

Smith motored to his 34th Test century – his quickest since the 2015 Boxing Day Test – to take Australia from 6-311 to 474 on day two at the MCG, but said the teenage opener had paved the way in the first session.

The middle-order veteran, who is now only 51 runs shy of the coveted 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket, joked it was time for him to “retire” if dashing openers Konstas and Yashasvi Jaiswal were the future of the longer format.

“If that’s the future, maybe it’s time for me to finish,” he said at stumps.

“I mean, you’ve got to have some serious courage to do what (Konstas) did yesterday, and that first over, (Jasprit) Bumrah beat him three our four times … and I actually thought he played really well, played down the line and they just did too much.

“For a kid to have the confidence to start lapping and reverse-lapping arguably one of the best bowlers to have played the game shows some real confidence. It sort of swung momentum our way.”

Smith said the MCG pitch was “offering a little bit less” for the bowlers than the previous three wickets in the series, but thought plenty of life remained for Australia’s bowlers to take 20 wickets and move to Sydney with a 2-1 series lead.

“There’s still something going on. You’ve just got to keep hitting good areas and be consistent,” he said.

“The ball’s probably getting softer, quicker than perhaps it normally does, which maybe takes a little bit of the life and the carry out of it.

“I still think there’s some seam on offer, and even swing – (India’s) ball yesterday was swinging at 80 overs still, so there’s still something on offer for sure.”

If he looked close to the end of his glittering career in Perth and Adelaide, the champion batter said he had never felt that way as he just waited for some good fortune to build an innings.

“You’ve got to have faith, you’ve got to have a bit of trust in what you’re trying to do,” he said.

“I’ve played the game for long enough now to know that you can have your ups and downs. “There’s a difference, I think, between being out of form and out of runs You need a lot of luck on these wickets to get big runs as well … last week (at the Gabba) I had my fair share – I think I got an umpire’s call, and got beaten on various occasions when other days I’d nick it, so you need a bit of luck.”