India 36 again – with 9 wickets intact

Boxing Day Melbourne Test Day 1:

India 36 again – with 9 wickets intact

What a day it was, Test Match Special. Indian bowlers especially Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin, well supported by debutant Mohammed Siraj with their excellent performance made sure that we all forget 36 and the heartbreaking memories of Adelaide debacle. The talk of 400 plus first innings score for last few matches at Melbourne was in the air, when hosts won the toss and happily chose to bat first. But Indian bowlers showed tremendous self-belief, under stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane. In his 3^rd over, Bumrah removed the last time half centurion opener Joe Burns for zero after torrid 10 balls. 1-10. Then even though pitch was bit helpful to the pacers, Rahane made Aussies face the music of Ravichandran Ashwin as a first change in just 11^th over of the morning. Ashwin in his second over removed attacking, impatient Matthew Wade.2-35.Then to top this in his very next over got better of the most dangerous Aussie batsman, the run machine Steven Smith for zero.3-38.Ashwin to Smith this series : 5 balls ,0 runs , 2 dismissals. Then barring 4^th wicket partnership of 86 between Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head, which was broken by Bumrah in his third spell. Indian bowlers kept striking at regular interval. Debutant Mohammed Siraj got the inform Labuschagne for 48, as his first test wicket. Aussies thus bowled out for 195 in 72.3 overs. Aussie bowlers Mitchell Stark and Pat Cummins came firing all cylinders during the last hour of the day. Stark removed Mayank Agarwal within 6 balls. Cummins too bowled firing line. But debutant Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara played and missed few times and were bit lucky to miss the edges. Shubman opened his account with a boundary to mid-off. His sharp chance was floored in third slip when on 4. But once Shubhman got bit settled and grown in confidence, played some cracking shots to boundaries. Gill 28 not out with 5 fours along with Pujara on 7 with 1. With fast bowlers getting bit assistance from the pitch, Aussie pacers are expected to come down hard at Indian batsmen, on the second morning with a ball just 11 overs old. If Indian batsmen manage to survive up to lunch, especially the first hour in the morning , then they can hope to build a good first innings total. (Brief scores - Australia 159 and India 36/1)