A strong bowling performance by Scott Boland saw India dismissed for just 185, despite resilient contributions from Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. However, Jasprit Bumrah’s late wicket gave India a slight boost as they ended the day on a positive note.
India’s Struggles with the Bat
India resumed after lunch at 107/4, with Pant (32*) and Jadeja (11*) unbeaten. Boland continued to trouble the Indian batsmen, dismissing Pant for 40 after a mistimed shot. Pant’s 98-ball knock, which included three fours and a six, ended when he was caught by Pat Cummins at midwicket. India was then at 120/5.
Boland soon had a chance for a hat-trick, and on the very next ball, he claimed the key wicket of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who went for a duck after being caught by Steve Smith at slips. India was now 120/6.
Jadeja Fights Hard, but India Falls
Jadeja, who had fought hard for his 26 runs off 95 balls, was dismissed by Mitchell Starc, trapped leg-before wicket. India was reduced to 134/7. In a controversial moment, Washington Sundar was dismissed for 14 after being caught behind off Pat Cummins. Doubts arose about whether the ball had hit Sundar’s bat or gloves, but the umpire gave him out, and India was at 148/8.
Prasidh Krishna followed soon after, dismissed by Starc for just three. Bumrah, who had been aggressive in his batting, was caught by Starc for 22 runs. India was all out for 185 in 72.2 overs.
Boland and Starc Lead Australian Bowling Attack
Boland was the standout bowler, taking 4/31, while Starc supported well with 3/49, and Cummins picked up 2/37.
Australia’s Response: Early Setback
Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas came out to bat for Australia. However, on the last ball of the day, Khawaja was dismissed for just two runs by Bumrah, giving India some hope. Australia ended the day at 9/1, with Konstas (7*) unbeaten.
India’s Effort in the Second Session
India resumed at 57/3 in the second session, with Pant and Virat Kohli trying to build a partnership. Pant’s aggressive approach, despite taking some body blows from the Aussie pacers, kept India moving forward. India reached the 100-run mark in the 48th over, thanks to a 35-run partnership between Pant and Jadeja, which came from 111 balls.
During the session, Kohli was dismissed for 17 by Boland in the 32nd over. This marked another disappointing moment for India’s star batsman.
India’s Inning Gets off to a Slow Start
Earlier, India won the toss and chose to bat. However, both openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, failed to make a significant contribution. Rahul was dismissed for just four by Mitchell Starc in the fifth over, and Jaiswal fell to Boland for 10 runs. Just before the first session ended, Nathan Lyon took a key wicket, dismissing Shubman Gill for 20 runs.
Brief Scores: India: 185 (Rishabh Pant 40, Ravindra Jadeja 26, Scott Boland 4/31) Australia: 9/1
