India continued their domination in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series after reducing Australia to 133 for 6 at stumps on the third day at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Monday. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane's 112 and Ravindra Jadeja's 57 took India to a decent first innings score of 326 and a handy 131 run lead. The visitors can wrap up the proceedings on the fourth day. Jasprit Bumrah bowled brilliantly to end the day with 1/34 while Ravindra Jadeja got 2/25. Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj also got a wicket apiece. The only worry for India is Umesh Yadav's (1/5 in 3.3 overs) calf muscle injury after removing opener Joe Burns with a peach of a delivery. Get highlights of India vs Australia, second Test, Day 3 at Melbourne. (DAY 3 REPORT | SCORECARD | NEWS)
AUS 2nd Innings & 195; IND - 326 | Toss - AUS
12:30 PM IST: Final over of the day. Ravichandran Ashwin on with his 23rd over. Cameron Green hit the second ball for a four to mid-off. A single off the fourth, and two dots to Pat Cummins. AUS - 133/6 (66).
Australia led India by 2 runs with two days still in the match.
Brief Scores
Australia - 195 and 33/6 (Matthew Wade 40, Marnus Labuschagne 28, Steve Smith 8, Jasprit Bumrah 1/34, R Jadeja 2/25)
India - 1st Innings 326 (Ajinkya Rahane 112, Ravindra Jadeja 57, Mitchell Starc 3/78, Nathan Lyon 3/72).
12:25 PM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued. Four dots, then a single to fine leg as Cameron Green rotated the strike with Pat Cummins. AUS - 128/1 (65).
12:22 PM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. Three dots, then a single to cover by Cameron Green. Pat Cummins blocked the two remaining balls. AUS - 127/6 (64).
12:18 PM IST: Mohammed Siraj returned for his 11th over, and maiden to Pat Cummins.
12:16 PM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. Three singles. Cameron Green and Pat Cummins have added 27 runs in 88 balls from the seventh wicket. AUS - 126/6 (62).
12:12 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. A single off the third ball, then Cameron Green kept out the remaining three balls, including a well-directed yorker. AUS -123/6 (61). 18 runs in the last ten overs.
12:07 PM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his 20th over. Rishabh Pant dropped Pat Cummins off the third ball. Faint feather. A single off the fifth ball. AUS - 122/6 (60).
12:04 PM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his 16th over. Cameron Green's having all sorts of problems. He was lucky to dig up a yorker (3rd ball), then got hit on the shoulder by the fourth. AUS - 121/6 (59).
11:59 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin returned for his 19th over. A single off the third ball. In the previous over, Jasprit Bumrah delivered a maiden to Pat Cummins. AUS - 120/6 (58).
11:52 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja continued. Pat Cummins hit the first ball for a four, lofted over mid-off. A single, then Cameron Green picked the third ball for a four, one bounce to mid-on boundary. AUS - 119/6 (56).
11:48 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah returned for his 14th over. And a maiden to Cameron Green. Bumrah's figures so far: 14-3-32-1.
11:44 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja continued. Two singles from his ninth over. AUS - 110/6 (54).
11:43 AM IST: Umesh Yadav update from BCCI
"Umesh Yadav complained of pain in his calf while bowling his 4th over and was assessed by the BCCI medical team. He is being taken for scans now".
11:41 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his 11th over. Five dots, then Pat Cummins played a nice cover drive for three runs. AUS - 108/6 (53).
11:38 AM IST: Another maiden over from Ravindra Jadeja, his third in eight overs. Cameron Green on 3 off 23.
11:35 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued. Cameron Green took a single off the third ball, to square leg. Pat Cummins survived the next three. AUS - 105/6 (51).
11:30 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja on with his seventh over. Two runs from it, including a front-foot no-ball. AUS - 104/6 (50). Ten runs and three wickets in the last ten overs.
11:27 AM IST: Pat Cummins joined Cameron Green in the centre. Five dots from Mohammed Siraj, then Cameron Green took a single. AUS - 102/6 (49).
11:23 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja continued and wicket. Tim Paine caught behind. India took the review at the insistence of Rishabh Pant and the review showed the faintest of nicks. Paine made one off nine. AUS - 101/6 (47.4)
11:18 AM IST: Tim Paine joined Cameron Green in the centre, and the Aussie captain took five balls to open his account, a single to mid-on. Mohammed Siraj's figures so far: 7.3-0-17-1. AUS - 99/5 (47).
11:12 AM IST: Bowling change, and Mohammed Siraj had Travis Head caught at slip by Mayank Agarwal. Head made 17 off 46. AUS - 98/5 (46.1)
Drinks!
11:10 AM IST: Another maiden as Ravindra Jadeja kept Cameron Green quiet. 15 runs and a wicket in the last ten overs.
11:07 AM IST: Cameron Green joined Travis Head in the centre. And a very quick maiden over from Ravichandran Ashwin.
11:03 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja continued, and WICKET off the last ball. He trapped Matthew Wade in front. Aussies reviewed and lost it. Wade made 40 off 137. AUS - 98/4 (43.6)
11:00 AM IST: Back-to-back maidens for India as Ravichandran got his third, to Matthew Wade. AUS - 95/3 (43).
10:57 AM IST: First maiden over for Ravindra Jadeja, to Travis Head. 24 runs and a wicket, that of Steve Smith, in the last ten overs. AUS - 95/3 (42).
10:54 AM IST: India rushing through overs here with spin duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja operating in tandem. Four dots and a single. A dot, a beauty, to end Ashwin's 16th over. A huge sigh of relief for Matthew Wade. AUS - 95/3 (41).
10:51 AM IST: Ravindra Jadeja on with his second over. Four runs from it -- a double and two singles. AUS - 94/3 (40).
10.48 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his 15ht over. A single off the third ball. And lucky Travis Head survived. Almost induced a nick with a fizzing delivery. That happened off the last ball. AUS - 90/3 (39).
10:44 AM IST: Bowling change. Ravindra Jadeja on. A single then a double as Matthew Wade and Travis Head rotate the strike. Jadeja replied with four dots. AUS - 89/3 (38).
10:40 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. Three runs from the over. AUS - 86/3 (37).
10:36 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his 14th over. A double off the fourth ball, to mid-wicket by Travis Head. AUS - 83/3 (36).
10:30 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. Travis Head took a three off the first ball, courtesy of a misfield from sub-Shardul Thakur ar mid-wicket. Bumrah then hit Matthew Wade on the helmet with a bouncer. Batsman looked fine, but concussion protocol being followed.
10:27 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his 13th over. A double off the second ball, to fine leg with Mohammed Siraj almost losing his pants while taking a dive. AUS - 78/2 (34).
10:23 AM IST: Travis Head joined Matthew Wade in the centre and a bouncer. Lucky he survived. Ball ballooned over gully fielder. Five runs and the big wicket of Steve Smith from Jasprit Bumrah's 11th over. AUS - 76/3 (33).
10:18 AM IST: Stunning scenes! Jasprit Bumrah bowled Steve Smith. Hit the leg-stump. Rare sight. Smith made 8 off 30. AUS - 71/3 (32.2)
10:16 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. Five dots, a misfield from Mayank Agarwal at mid-off gifted Matthew Wade his third four. AUS - 71/2 (32).
10:13 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his 10th over. A maiden to Steve Smith. His figures so far: 10-2-21-0. Australia still trail India by 64 runs.
10:09 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his 11th over. Steve Smith took a single off the first ball, then Matthew Wade survived the next five. AUS - 67/2 (30).
10:05 AM IST: A single off the first ball, then Jasprit Bumrah kept Matthew Wade quiet. AUS - 66/2 (29).
10:00 AM IST: Players are back for post-Tea session. Jasprit Bumrah to resume the proceedings.
9:47 AM IST: Still no update on what happened to Umesh Yadav. But a fascinating session of play with India taking two wickets, those of Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne. Steve Smith was struggling against Ravichandran Ashwin. Burns (4) was caught behind off Umesh Yadav's bowling but fast bowler couldn't complete his first spell hobbling off with a knee injury after having sent down 3.3 overs. Labuschagne (28 off 49 balls) was caught by Rahane off Ravichandran Ashwin (1/24 in 10 overs) as the home team still trail by 66 runs. Matthew Wade (27 batting, 89 balls) and Steve Smith (6 batting, 20 balls) are at the crease.
9:41 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with the last over before Tea. Steve Smith took a single off the first ball, to mid-on. Matthew Wade failed to control his forward defensive shot and the ball landed in front of cover fielder. A dot, then another half-chance. This time, the short leg fielder in action. AUS - 65/2 (28).
9:38 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his eighth over. Three dots, then a fuller one and Matthew Wade hit it for a four. Nice one from the left-handed batsman, to mid-on. Bumrah replied with short balls. IND - 64/2 (27).
9:34 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. A maiden to Steve Smith. Ashwin clearly dominating. A half-chance off the last delivery, with the ball landing just in front of leg slip.
9:31 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah returned for his seventh over. A dot, then Matthew Wade played the second with a straight bat for a double. And Mohammed Siraj, while returning the ball, took a tumble. He could have injured himself. AUS - 60/2 (25).
9:27 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. He almost had Steve Smith as the Aussie batsman came down the pitch to kill the turn, but the ball beat him. Inside edge saved him. Two singles. AUS - 58/2 (24).
9:24 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his seventh over. Steve Smith played the first ball to square leg for three runs. Then, five dots to Matthew Wade. AUS - 56/2 (23).
9:21 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. Matthew Wade took a double off the second ball, to square leg. AUS - 53/2 (22).
9:18 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj bowling in tandem with Ravichandran Ashwin. Matthew Wade played the first ball to deep mid-wicket and ran four. Rare feat! AUS - 51/2 (21).
9:14 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his sixth over. Two from it. AUS - 46/2 (20). 25 runs and one wicket in the last ten overs.
9:10 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued. And one poor review from India. Siraj convinced skipper Ajinkya Rahane to go for it after he felt he had trapped Matthew Wade off the first ball. Missing leg clearly. A double off the last ball. AUS - 44/2 (19).
9:04 AM IST: Massive wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin had Marnus Labuschagne caught at slip by Ajinkya Rahane. Brilliant delivery. One quicker delivery and caught Labuschagne on the crease. Labuschagne made 28 off 49. AUS - 42/2 (17.5)
Steven Smith new man for Australia.
9:01 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his third over. Matthew Wade his first boundary, off the fifth ball, past point fielder. AUS - 42/1 (17).
8:57 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. A three off the first ball as Marnus Labuschagne played through covers. AUS - 38/1 (16).
8:53 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued. Unlucky not to get the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne, off the third ball. Just clipping the leg stump, and umpire's call. Then, half-chance off the fourth balls. Ball landed in no man's land at square leg. AUS - 34/1 (15).
8:49 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin on with his third over. Marnus Labuschagne took a double off the second ball, to fine leg then another three, off the fourth through cover. AUS - 33/1 (14).
8:41 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj replaced Jasprit Bumrah. A single off the fourth ball. AUS - 28/1 (13).
Drinks!
8:36 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. A double and three off the third and fourth balls as Marnus Labuschagne take on Ashwin. AUS - 27/1 (12).
8:31 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. A single off the last ball as Marnus Labuschagne played it to mid-wicket. AUS - 22/1 (11).
8:27 AM IST: Bowling change. Ravichandran Ashwin on. A double off the first ball as Marnus Labuschagne played it through cover. A single more, and three from the over. AUS - 21/1 (10).
8:22 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. A sublime straight drive from Marnus Labuschagne to start the over. A single off the third. AUS - 18/1 (9).
8:17 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj completed Umesh Yadav's over. Three dots, and in fact, a maiden to Matthew Wade.
8:14 AM IST: Massive blow for India. Umesh Yadav walked off injured. Hamstrung. A brief consultation with the physio before limping off. He's into his fourth over.
8:10 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued. Three singles. AUS - 13/1 (7).
8:06 AM IST: Umesh Yadav continued. Almost clipped the top off off stump with the first ball as Marnus Labuschagne shouldered. Singles off the second and third balls. AUS - 10/1 (6).
8:01 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah on with his third over. Singles off the first and fourth deliveries. AUS - 8/1 (5).
7:58 AM IST: Marnus Labuschagne joined Matthew Wade. And soon opened his account with a single to long leg. Another single, off the last ball. AUS - 6/1 (4).
7:51 AM IST: WICKET! Umesh Yadav continued and a dream delivery to get the faintest of nicks. Joe Burns reviewed in vain. He made 4 off 10 balls. AUS - 4/1 (3.1)
7:49 AM IST: Jasprit Bumrah continued, and India took the review for an LBW. Clipping the leg stump, but umpire's call. Joe Burns survived. After four dots, Burns played a good looking cover drive for three runs. AUS - 4/0 (3).
7:43 AM IST: Umesh Yadav shared the new ball. A risky single off the fourth ball to open the account. A direct hit from Ravichandran Ashwin at the bowler's end would have made things interesting. Joe Burns was diving for life. AUS - 1/0 (2).
7:38 AM IST: Brilliant first over from Jasprit Bumrah. A massive shout for LBW against Matthew Wade to start with. Pitched outside, and no further discussion. A maiden.
7:33 AM IST: Players are back for the Australia second innings. Matthew Wade and Joe Burns to open for Australia. Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball.
7:04 AM IST: Quick recap of what happened in the first session. Ravindra Jadeja scored his half-century as India take a significant 131-run lead. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (112 off 223 balls) was run-out after a 121-run sixth-wicket stand with Jadeja (57 off 159 balls). Mitchell Starc (3/78), Pat Cummins (2/80) and Nathan Lyon (3/72) got the bulk of the wickets.
Brief Scores:
Australia 1st Innings - 195 all out.
India 1st Innings - 326 all out. (Ajinkya Rahane 112, Ravindra Jadeja 57, Mitchell Starc 3/78, Nathan Lyon 3/72).
7:00 AM IST: And now, we are talking about that Ajinkya Rahane run out. Captain, top-scorer running out and India taking first-innings lead. Adelaide redux?
6:55 AM IST: Nathan Lyon claimed the last wicket, that of Jasprit Bumrah (0 off 1). Caught by Travis Head in the deep. IND - 326 (115.1). Lead 131.
Five wickets in the session. And Lunch taken.
6:52 AM IST: Josh Hazlewood finally got a wicket. He had Ravichandran Ashwin caught at point by Nathan Lyon. Ashwin made 14 off 42. IND - 325/9 (114.4).
Mohammed Siraj the new man.
6:57 AM IST: Nathan Lyon continued, and got his second wicket. A floater and Umesh Yadav failed to keep the ball down, and a fine catch taken by Steve Smith at slip. Yadav made 9 off 19. IND - 325/8 (113.6). Lead by 130.
Jasprit Bumrah the new man.
6:44 AM IST: Josh Hazlewood got his first over today. He replaced Mitchell Starc. And singles off the third and sixth balls. IND - 323/7 (113). Lead by 128.
6:39 AM IST: Nathan Lyon on with his 26th over. A double off the second ball as Ravichandran Ashwin played it towards extra cover. And a single off the fifth ball. IND - 321/7 (112). Lead by 126.
6:36 AM IST: Mitchell Starc bowling in tandem with Nathan Lyon. Two singles. His figures so far: 26-5-78-3. IND - 318/7 (111). Lead 123.
The first Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan has been stopped due to rain. Pakistan were 65/5 (51.2) in reply to New Zealand's 431 at Bay Oval.
6:30 AM IST: Nathan Lyon on with his 25th over. A single, then Umesh Yadav hit the second ball for a four, to square leg boundary. Slog swept. Six from the over. IND - 316/7 (110). Lead by 121.
6:27 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin continued. A single off the second. Umesh Yadav opened his account with a single off the fourth, another single to rotate the strike. And he got hit again, on his shoulder. Three from Mitchell Starc's 25th over. IND - 310/7 (109). Lead by 115.
6:22 AM IST: Mitchell Starc continued A nasty bouncer to Ravichandran Ashwin, got hit on his shoulder. Medical attention required.
6:20 AM IST: Umesh Yadav joined Ravichandran Ashwin. Marnus Labuschagne dropped Ashwin off the fourth ball at leg slip. A single off the last ball as Nathan Lyon completed his 24th over. IND - 307/7 (108). Lead by 112.
6:16 AM IST: Looking to be aggressive, Ravindra Jadeja holed out. Caught by Pat Cummins at deep mid-wicket. Third wicket for Mitchell Starc and some celebrations to go with it. And Jadeja was not happy. He made 57 off 159, with three fours. IND - 306/7 (106.5)
6:10 AM IST: Nathan Lyon resumed the proceedings. A maiden to Ravichandran Ashwin.
6:05 AM IST: At Bay Oval, Pakistan are struggling against New Zealand. In reply to Kiwis' 431, the visitors were five down for 62 at Lunch on Day 3. Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson got a brace each.
6:03 AM IST: Mitchell Starc continued. Ravichandran Ashwin took a single off the second ball, followed by a double as Ravindra Jadeja played the next one to square leg. A couple of dots and a brilliant bouncer. Aussies almost reviewed for caught behind. IND - 306/6 (105). Lead by 111.
And Drinks!
5:58 AM IST: Nathan Lyon continued. Ravichandran Ashwin took a single off the second ball, then Ravindra Jadeja pulled convincingly the fifth ball for a four. And 300 up for India. And the umpire cleaned the ball upon retrieving from the boundary. COVID-19? IND - 303/6 (104). Lead by 108.
5:54 AM IST: Mitchell Starc returned. And a maiden to Ravindra Jadeja. Indian all-rounder starting afresh after completing his fifty.
5:49 AM IST: Nathan Lyon continued. Two singles. IND - 298/6 (102). Lead by 103 runs. Just 19 runs and a wicket in the ten overs. Australia fighting back.
5:45 AM IST: Ravichandran Ashwin joined Ravindra Jadeja, and the latter reached his fifty with a single off the first ball, in 132 balls. Two singles from Pat Cummins' 27th over. IND - 296/6 (101). Lead by 101.
5:38 AM IST: Run out! Ajinkya Rahane short by milimetres as he responded to Ravindra Jadeja's call for a single. He made 112 off 223 balls, with 12 fours. Good throw from Marnus Labuschagne and brilliant work from Tim Paine. IND - 294/6 (99.5).
This was Rahane's first run out in Test cricket, and with that, a brilliant 121- run stand also came to an end.
5:35 AM IST: Pat Cummins continued. A single. IND - 294/5 (99). Lead by 99. Ravindra Jadeja on 49 off 126.
5:30 AM IST: Nathan Lyon returned for his 19th over. A single off the third ball. IND - 203/5 (98). Lead by 98 runs.
5:26 AM IST: Pat Cummins on with his 25th over. A maiden. Cummins tried a couple of bouncers to finish the over. Nothing happened. India have added 28 runs in the last ten overs.
5: 21 AM IST: Mitchell Starc continued. Singles off the second and last balls. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja stand now worth 119 in 221 balls, and India's lead 97. IND - 292/5 (96)
5:17 AM IST: Pat Cummins continued. A single off the second, then Ravindra Jadeja gently guided the fifth for a four through cordon. A single to fine leg to end the over. IND - 290/5 (95). Lead by 95.
5:13 AM IST: Mitchell Starc continued. A dot to Ajinkya Rahane, then singles before another dot. India skipper made a nice stride to play a pushy drive off the fifth. Three for the effort. IND - 284/5 (94). Lead by 89 runs.
Rahane, who was hit on the right thumb while fending off a bouncer, so far look comfortable with his grip.
5:08 AM IST: Pat Cummins on with his 23rd over. And a fiery start from the top-ranked Test bowler. A well-directed bouncer to Ravindra Jadeja, and the Indian all-rounder needed some reflex action to avoid getting hit. A maiden over.
5:04 AM IST: Ajinkya Rahane negotiated the remaining three balls from Mitchell Starc's 19th over. He took a couple off the fifth ball. IND - 279/5 (92). Lead by 84 runs.
4:49 AM IST: Players are out for the third day's play. Pressure surely on Australia. Mitchell Starc to start the proceedings.
4:55 AM IST: And here's what Shubman Gill said about his dream debut.
"It's special to debut at the MCG in a Boxing Day Test. I wanted to bat positively, my gameplan was to play shots whenever possible."
4:41 AM IST: Meanwhile, here are some classy shots from yesterday's play by Ajinkya Rahane:
4:30 AM IST: At Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Pakistan were 43/3 against New Zealand as players took Tea. Only 13 runs, losing two wickets, were scored by the visitors in the first hour in reply to New Zealand's 431.
4:10 AM IST: ICYMI! Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Sunday named captain of ICC's ODI and T20 International teams of the decade while Virat Kohli stamped his pre-eminence in world cricket after being voted the skipper of the Test team. Indians also dominated the limited-over teams by having three and four players in the ODI and T20I respectively while England have a maximum number of players -- four -- in the Test side. The 39-year-old Dhoni, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, was one of the three Indians in the ODI team of the decade, the others being Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli. Dhoni has three other compatriots in the T20I team -- Rohit, Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Besides being named captain of the Test team, Kohli is the only player in the world to have been voted in the teams of the decade in all formats.
4:01 AM IST: Good morning! It will be one fascinating Day 3 at MCG with India already leading Australia by 82 runs. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who was hit on the hand, hopefully, will continue from where he left off yesterday. And giving him company was Ravindra Jadeja. They were on 104 off 200 and 40 off 104 respectively.
Rahane's 104-run sixth-wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja put India in a sound position at stumps on Day 2. Rahane's century could not have been better timed. India needed a performing leader and Rahane did not let the burden of captaincy weight him down at the MCG.
Jadeja, batting on 40 at close on day 2, showed resolve in a 104-ball stay that had just one boundary. This conviction was missing in the Adelaide Test.
But Day 2 was all about Ajinkya Rahane. He may have been dropped twice but his innings was a lesson for debutant Shubman Gill, who scored a fluent 45 opening the innings.
“This knock was all about patience,” the 21-year-old Gill said. The youngster had replaced Prithvi Shaw for this Test.
“When you play such high-quality bowling attack, you sometimes go into a shell and you are not able to score. The way he (Rahane) played, it was such a magnificent knock to watch.”
India have batting to come. Ravichandran Ashwin is a decent batsman and if can show the conviction that Rahane and Jadeja have demonstrated, the Australians will be in for a long haul on Monday.
