Marnus Labuschagne's 108 was the cornerstone of Australia's 274 for 5 at stumps on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against India at The Gabba on Friday. The hosts were reduced to 17 for 2 after opting to bat on a bouncy and batting wicket but recovered later, thanks mainly to Labuschagne. At the close of play. captain Tim Paine and Cameron Green were batting on 38 and 28 respectively. Labuschagne's 204-ball knock had nine boundaries. He was dropped on 37 by Ajinkya Rahane off the bowling of Navdeep Saini. The Australians scored runs at a fair clip in the second session after they were 65 for 2 at lunch, with Labuschagne going great guns. The hosts added 89 runs from 27 overs and lost just one wicket in that session. But India made a comeback in the final session, with debutant T Natarajan getting rid of Labuschagne and Matthew Wade (45) in the space of two overs after the duo had stitched 113 runs for the fourth wicket. The other debutant Washington Sundar got rid of the dangerous Steve Smith (36) for his first Test wicket. Catch highlights here: (Day 1 REPORT | SCORECARD | NEWS)
AUS 1st Innings | Toss - AUS
1:03 PM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his 19th over. Three runs from the over and STUMPS. AUS - 274/5 (87).
Brief Scores:
Australia: 274 for 5 in 87 overs (Marnus Labuschagne 108 batting; Matthew Wade 45; T Natarajan 2/63).
12:59 PM IST: T Natarajan on with his 20th over. Cameron Green hit the third ball for a four, then another off the fifth ball by Tim Paine. AUS - 271/5 (86).
12:52 PM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued. And a maiden over to Cameron Green. 24 runs in the last ten overs. Siraj's figures: 18-8-48-1.
12:49 PM IST: T Natarajan continued. Tim Paine hit the second ball for a four through mid-wicket, then ran four off the fourth. AUS - 259/5 (84). Natarajan's figures: 19-2-51-2.
12:42 PM IST: Mohammed Siraj returned for his 17th over. A maiden to Cameron Green. His figures so far: 17-7-48-1.
12:38 PM IST: Second new ball taken, and T Natarajan on with it. A single off the last ball. AUS - 251/5 (82). 23 runs in the last ten overs and Cameron Green and Tim Paine have added 38 for the sixth wicket.
12:33 PM IST: Washington Sundar on with his 22nd over. Five dots, then Tim Paine cut the last ball for a four. Ans 250 up for Australia.
12:30 PM IST: Shardul Thakur continued, and a dropped catch off the third ball. Cameron Green hit back, but Thakur couldn't hand onto it. The ball popped out. A maiden.
12:26 PM IST: Washington Sundar continued. A double to backward point, then a four to fine leg boundary as Tim Paine finished the over strongly. AUS - 246/5 (79).
12:23 PM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. Tim Paine played the first ball to cow corner and ran three. AUS - 240/5 (78).
12:19 PM IST: Washington Sundar on with his 16th over. A single off the last ball. AUS - 237/5 (77). In between the overs, a groundman ran out to tend to the deteriorating pitch.
12:14 PM IST: Shardul Thakur on with his 16th over. A single from it. AUS - 236/5 (76). 23 runs from the last ten overs.
And Thakur's off the field.
12:10 PM IST: Washington Sundar continued. Cameron Green hit the first ball for a four, to long-off. And two more singles. AUS - 235/5 (75).
12:07 PM IST: Shardul Thakur returned for his 15th over, and a maiden to Tim Paine. His figures: 15-4-63-1.
12:03 PM IST: Another quick from Washington Sundar. Only a single, off the third ball. AUS - 229/5 (73). 31 runs in the last ten overs.
11:59 AM IST: T Natarajan continued. Four runs from his 17th over, a three and a single. AUS - 228/5 (72).
11:54 AM IST: Washington Sundar returned for his 17th over. A four to start as Tim Pane opened his account with a boundary, to fine leg. Two more singles. AUS - 224/5 (71).
11:48 AM IST: T Natarajan continued. Two runs of another front-foot no-ball. AUS -218/5 (70). Natarajan's figures so far: 16-2-38-2.
Drinks!
11:43 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his 16th over, and a maiden to Tim Paine.
Navdeep Saini injury update: BCCI said, the pacer has been sent for scans.
11:39 AM IST: T Natarajan on with his 15th over. Two runs off the third ball. AUS - 215/5 (68).
11:35 AM IST: Aussie skipper Tim Paine in the middle. And a maiden from Mohammed Siraj. AUS - 213/5 (67). 50 runs and two wickets in the last ten overs.
11:29 AM IST: Massive wicket! T Natarajan got his second. A skier and Rishabh Pant completed the rites. Marnus Labuschagne made 108 off 204 balls. AUS - 213/5 (65.5).
11:24 AM IST: Cameron Green joined Marnus Labuschagne in the centre. Mohammed Siraj on with his 14th over, and the groundsman summoned to work on the footmark. A single off the fourth, then a double off the next ball as Green opened his account. The all-rounder then timed the next ball for a four, to long-off. Some sight. AUS - 207/4 (65). Fifty runs and a wicket in the last ten overs.
11:15 AM IST: WICKET! Debutant T Natarajan got his maiden Test wicket. Matthew Wade tried to pull the fourth ball of his 13th over the bowler's head, but ended up top-edging. Shardul Thakur took the catch. Almost a collision with the bowler. Wade made 45 off 87. AUS - 200/4 (63.4).
11:11 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his 13th over. First one strayed down the leg and Matthew Wade flicked it for a four, to more to 40s. Three dots, then a single to square leg. A brilliant cover drive and hundred for Marnus Labuschagne, in 195 balls. AUS - 198/3 (63).
11:06 AM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. Five dots then Marnus Labuschagne hit the last ball for a four, straight. He's on 97 off 194. AUS - 189/3 (62).
11:01 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj returned for his 12th over, and Australia continued to score runs. A three off the first ball as Marnus Labuschagne picked the fuller delivery and played it past the bowler. Then, doubles off the fourth and sixth balls. AUS - 185/3 (61).
10:56 AM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. Marnus Labuschagne hit the fifth ball to deep extra cover and took three to more 90s. AUS -178/3 (60).
10:52 AM IST: Washington Sundar continued. Busy over, four singles and a double from it. AUS - 175/3 (59). 47 runs in the last ten and scoring rate around 4 an over during that period.
10:48 AM IST: Shardul Thakur on continued. Marnus Labuschagne hit the second ball for a four, to mid-off. Then, singles off the fourth and last balls. AUS - 169/3 (58).
10:43 AM IST: Washington Sundar on with his 15th over. Three from it, with Marnus Labuschagne playing the second ball through covers. AUS - 163/3 (57).
10:39 AM IST: Shardul Thakur on with his 11th over. A single and a double off the third and fourth balls. AUS - 160/3 (56)
10:35 AM IST: Washington Sundar on with his 14th over. Marnus Labuschagne took a single off the second, then Matthew Wade a double of the fifth, to mid-wicket. AUS - 157/3 (55).
10:30 AM IST: Players are back for the post-Tea session. Some 35 overs left in the day.
10:21 AM IST: In Galle, start of Day 2's play of the first Test between Sri Lanka and England is delayed due to rain. England (127/2) were 8 runs behind Sri Lanka's first innings total.
10:14 AM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. Three runs from the over. AUS - 154/3 (54). And Tea. A session which belonged to Australia.
Marnus Labuschagne (73 off 167) and Matthew Wade (27 off 57) have added 67 in 121 balls. 44 runs in the last ten overs.
10:09 AM IST: Washington Sundar continued. Marnus Labuschagne hit the first ball for a four, behind the wicket. Lucky one. A fine nick and beat the wicketkeeper. Then, Prithvi Shaw, fielding for injured Navdeep Saini, hit Rohit Sharma with a throw while going for the stumps. That happened off the second ball. Nothing serious, but still a hit and Rohit has a look. AUS - 151/3 (53).
10:05 AM IST: Shardul Thakur on with his ninth over, and he's leaking runs. Marnus Labuschagne hit back-to-back fours, both pulled, off the second and third deliveries. AUS - 146/3 (52).
9:59 AM IST: Washington Sundar continued. And a single off the second ball. AUS - 137/3 (51).
9:55 AM IST: Shardul Thakur returned for his 8th over. Matthew Wade hit the third and sixth balls for fours. AUS - 136/3 (50). Australia have added 33 runs in the last ten overs.
9:50 AM IST: Washington Sundar on with his 11th over. Three runs off the fifth ball as Matthew Wade played it to backward point. AUS - 128/3 (49).
9:46 AM IST: T Natarajan continued. Dots, then Marnus Labuschagne hit the fifth ball for a four through covers. Natarajan's figures so far: 12-2-25-0. AUS - 125/3 (3).
9:42 AM IST: Washington Sundar bowling in tandem with his Tamil Nadu statemate T Natarajan. A single off the second ball and fifty for Marnus Labuschagne. Matthew Wade hit the last ball for a four, through covers. Seven runs from the over. AUS - 121/3 (47).
9:38 AM IST: T Natarajan continued, and he almost got a maiden Test wicket. Tough chance for Rishabh Pant, and also Cheteshwar Pujara behind the wicket. Marnus Labuschagne's one lucky man. The ball flew to the cordon and a diving Pant spilled it. That happened off the fifth ball. AUS - 114/3 (46).
9:33 AM IST: Washington Sundar continued. And another maiden, to Matthew Wade. 19 runs in the last ten overs.
9:29 AM IST: T Natarajan continued. And his second maiden today as Marnus Labuschagne happily blocked it all. Meanwhile, Navdeep Saini's back to the dressing room after a brief return to the field. Groin issue.
9:25 AM IST: Washington Sundar continued. A single from his 8th over. His figures so far: 8-3-11-1. AUS - 110/3 (43).
9:22 AM IST: T Natarajan on with his ninth over. Once again, a front-foot no-ball to start. Then, a four off the last ball as Matthew Wade hit through covers. AUS - 109/3 (42).
9:18 AM IST: Washington Sundar on with his seventh over. A single off the last ball. Meanwhile, Navdeep Saini's back. Relief for India. AUS - 104/3 (41).
9:11 AM IST: T Natarajan continued, and a single off the second ball. AUS - 103/3 (40). 31 runs and one wicket, that of Steve Smith, in the last ten overs.
Drinks!
9:06 AM IST: Washington Sundar on with his 6th over. A double off the second ball as Marnus Labuschagne played it to point. AUS - 102/3 (39).
9:03 AM IST: T Natarajan returned for his seventh over. and Marnus Labuschagne worked the fifth ball to deep and 100 for the Aussies. AUS - 100/3 (38).
8:59 AM IST: Wicket-taker Washington Sundar continued. Tidy one. Three singles. AUS - 97/3 (37). 32 runs and a wicket in the last ten overs.
8:54 AM IST: And Navdeep Saini has walked off. Rohit Sharma to complete the over.
8:53 AM IST: Navdeep Saini continued, and skipper Ajinkya Rahane dropped a sitter, off the fifth ball. Awkward height, flying straight to his face at gully. Marnus Labuschagne was batting on 37 off 108, and Australia 93/3, having just lost Steve Smith.
Then, the bowler is down. Injured. Cramped. Hamstrung.
8:48 AM IST: Matthew Wade joined Marnus Labuchagne, and hit the last ball for a four, through covers. AUS - 91/3 (35).
8:44 AM IST: What a maiden Test wicket for debutant Washington Sundar. Packed leg side and Steve Smith found Rohit Sharma. India's master plan working, and credit to the bowler. Smith made 36 off 77. AUS - 87/3 (34.1)
8:42 AM IST: Navdeep Saini continued. Singles off the second and third balls, then a three off the fifth as Steve Smith played it through cover. AUS - 87/2 (34).
8:38 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued with his 11th over. A single off the fifth ball as Steve Smith played it to extra cover. AUS - 82/2 (33).
8:34 AM IST: Navdeep Saini on with his sixth over. Marnus Labuschagne hit the first ball for a four to square leg boundary. Then, took a double off the last ball. AUS - 81/2 (32).
8:29 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his tenth over. Three runs from it as Marnus Labuschagne took a double off the second, then a single off the fourth. AUS - 75/2 (31).
8:26 AM IST: Navdeep Saini continued, and his second maiden as Steve Smith happily blocked it all. 15 runs without losing a wicket in the last ten overs.
8:21 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his ninth over. A single off the fourth and a double off the last ball. AUS - 72/2 (29).
8:17 AM IST: Navdeep Saini resumed the proceedings. Marnus Labuschagne took a four off the third ball for a four and there was a mix-up. Steve Smith made a desperate dive to make the ground after the relay-throw from Rishabh Pant at the bowling end almost had him. And with that a fifty-run stand. AUS - 69/2 (28).
8:10 AM IST: Players are back for the post-Lunch session.
7:41 AM IST: Meanwhile, watch this screamer from Rohit Sharma to dismiss David Warner.
7:32 AM IST: Washington Sundar continued. And the third maiden on the trot for the off-spinner. And Lunch.
After two early wickets, Australia found their steady hands in Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith stitching a 48-run stand. Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur got the wickets of David Warner and Marcus Harris respectively.
7:29 AM IST: Navdeep Saini continued. A single off the second ball. AUS - 65/2 (26).
7:26 AM IST: Washington Sundar on with second over, and another maiden. Marnus Labuschagne struggling to read the offspinner's flight and variations.
7:22 AM IST: Navdeep Saini on with his second over. A double off the second ball as Marnus Labuschagne played it in front of square, then a single off the last ball, to mid-wicket. AUS - 64/2 (24).
7:17 AM IST: Double bowling change. Debutant Washington Sundar on with his off-spin. And a maiden to Steve Smith.
7:14 AM IST: Bowling change. Navdeep Saini on with first over. A maiden to Marnus Labuschagne.
7:09 AM IST: Shardul Thakur on with his 7th over. Five dots, then Steve Smith hit the last ball for a four past point fielder. Sublime timing. AUS - 61/2 (21)
7:05 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his eighth over. A maiden. His figures so far: 8-4-18-1.
7:01 AM IST: Shardul Thakur on with sixth over. Steve Smith hit back-to-back fours to end the over. 10 from it. AUS - 57/2 (19).
6:57 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his seventh over. Singles off the first two balls, then a double off the fourth. A dot then Marnus Labuschagne hit the last ball for a four, straight. AUS - 47/2 (18).
6:51 AM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. A maiden to Steve Smith.
6:47 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued, and another maiden to Marnus Labuschagne. 24 runs and one wicket in the last ten overs. AUS - 39/2 (16).
6:43 AM IST: Shardul Thakur on with his fourth over. A maiden to Steve Smith.
6:39 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj returned for his fifth over. Four byes off the first ball and five dots. AUS - 39/2 (14).
6:32 AM IST: Shardul Thakur continued. Steve Smith played two sumptuous drives, off the third and fourth balls, for fours. Then, a double to make it a 10-run over. AUS - 35/2 (13).
Drinks!
6:26 AM IST: T Natarajan on with his sixth over. A dot, then a single as Steve Smith played the second ball to mid-off. Misfield. Two dots, then a double, thanks to another misfield at mid-on. AUS - 25/2 (12).
6:21 AM IST: Shardul Thakur with his second over, and a maiden to Marnus Labuschagne.
6:19 AM IST: T Natarajan continued. Singles off the fourth and fifth balls. AUS - 22/2 (10).
6:14 AM IST: Steve Smith joined Marnus Labuschagne in the centre. Three off the last ball as Smith played it straight. AUS - 20/2 (9)
6:09 AM IST: WICKET! Bowling change, and Shardul Thakur had Marcus Harris caught by Washington Sundar at square leg. Harris made 5 off 23. AUS - 17/2 (8.1).
This was Thakur's 11th ball in Test cricket. He limped off after bowling ten balls in his debut against the West Indies at home.
6:08 AM IST: Another tidy over from T Natarajan. Maiden to Marnus Labuschagne.
6:05 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj continued. Half-chance off the fifth ball as Marcus Harris failed to control his shot. Almost played on. And a single for the effort. Another one to end the over. AUS - 17/1 (7).
6:00 AM IST: T Natarajan on with his third over. Marcus Harris took a single off the first ball, then five dots to Marnus Labuschangne. AUS - 15/1 (6).
5:56 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his third over. Four dots, then Marnus Labuschagne pulled the fifth ball for a four. AUS - 14/1 (5).
5:51 AM IST: T Natarajan continued. One run from the over, a no-ball after the first ball. And Navdeep Saini, fielding at mid-on landed awkwardly while fielding the fifth ball. No worries though. Thumbs up from the pacer. AUS - 10/1 (4).
5:45 AM IST: Mohammed Siraj on with his second over. Four leg byes off the third ball as the ball clipped Marnus Labuschagne's thigh bad. AUS - 9/1 (3).
5:41 AM IST: Marnus Labuschagne joined Marcus Harris in the centre for Australia. First-ever Test over for T Natarajan. And a front-foot no-ball to start with. And six dots.
5:35 AM IST: WICKET! What a start from India. Mohammed Siraj had David Warner caught at first slip, by Rohit Sharma. Warner made 1. AUS - 4/1 (.6).
5:30 AM IST: National anthems done. Mohammed Siraj with the new ball. David Warner to take the strike. He's with Marcus Harris.
5:12 AM IST: Here's are confirmed the playing XIs -
Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan.
5:08 AM IST: Australia had already announced their XI on the eve of the match. And India have four changes, including the two debutants, with Shardul Thakur and Mayank Agarwal making the XI too. Meaning, India are without Jasprit Bumrah and Hanuma Vihari.
5:02 AM IST: Australia captain Tim Paine has won the toss and opted to bat first.
4:57 AM IST: It is also 100th Test for Aussie 'GOAT' Nathan Lyon.
4:46 AM IST: Washington Sundar and T Natarajan are making their Test debuts.
4:30 AM IST: In a winner takes it all match, India are likely to test a new playing combination after key players received injuries during the course of the Test series.
Hanuma Vihari's rock-solid defence that won India the draw at Sydney is likely to be missed. But India's biggest loss will be pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah. The young bowler is probably paying the price for taking an enormous workload for both India and his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians.
For India, it will be a test of their temperament as well. The Aussies can play dirty and their captain Tim Paine showed signs of nerves as Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin forced a memorable draw.
From a personal point of view, this will be Nathan Lyon's 100th Test match. He needs four wickets to reach the landmark 400!
According to ESPNCricinfo, this is the first deciding Test of a series in Australia (with the scoreline level) since the Perth match against South Africa in 2012 when the teams were locked at 0-0.
