India vs Australia Live, 4th Test Day 2 (India National Cricket Team vs Australia National Cricket Team Match Scorecard): India fought back with four late wickets to leave Australia on 311 for six on day one of the fourth Test on Thursday after teen debutant Sam Konstas had lit up the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a thrilling knock in the morning.
Tempers rose in blazing heat in front of a bumper Boxing Day crowd of 87,242, with Virat Kohli booed by home fans after bumping shoulders with Konstas on the pitch after the 19-year-old smashed India’s bowlers around the park early on.
Konstas shrugged off the clash on the way to scoring 60 from 65 balls as Australia’s top order rewarded captain Pat Cummins’s decision to bat after he won the toss.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
LIVE FEED
104.5 – Identical line and length, no room on offer, on middle and leg, turning in from a shortish length. Starc again attempts to tuck it across but misses and wears it on the thigh pad.
104.4 – This one turns in again, from middle on a length, Starc looks to work across but gets pinged on the pads.
104.3 – Short in length, on the middle and leg, tapped away to mid-wicket.
104.2 – Slow and on a shortish length, turning into the batter from middle. Starc is trapped in front and gets hit on the thigh pad.
104.1 – OUT! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Cummins falls just one short of his half-century and it is Jadeja who breaks the deadlock of wickets for India! This is pitched too full and on off, Pat Cummins gets his front foot out of his way and tries to clear the cover region. Tries to hit it aerially and inside-out but just doesn’t get his bat under the ball properly. Hence, gets no real timing on it and it just sails behind the cover region off the toe-end. Nitish Kumar Reddy stationed at the cover region scoots to his left and puts in a slide to take a fine catch in the end.
Mitchell Starc walks out at number 9 for Australia.
104.1 – OUT! c Nitish Kumar Reddy b Ravindra Jadeja.
103.5 – FOUR! That has been belted away! Back of a length, just outside off, Steven Smith charges down the track and slaps it through cover-point for a cracking boundary.
103.6 – Hard length, just outside off, Smith gets behind the line and knocks it with soft hands to the short cover region. 12 runs off this over and Australia have stepped their foot on the accelerator now.
Batsman_1 : Steven Smith 116(176)
Batsman_2 : Pat Cummins 49(62)
Bowler : Mohammed Siraj 0/106(20)
Over : 104
Run : 12
Wicket : 0
Score : 411/6
103.4 – SIX! It just keeps getting better from Smith now! A loosener especially for someone who has notched his century! A predictable bumper from Siraj, down leg, Steven Smith shuffles to the off-stump and pulls it aerially behind deep fine for a six.
103.3 – Cummins moves to 49! Length ball, on top of middle, Cummins hops on the back foot and taps it with soft hands near short mid-wicket for a single.
103.2 – A bumper, a real effort ball, at 142.2 kph, on the off stump line. Cummins sits under it and lets it sail over.
102.3 – Slow and short, on off again with a bit of some turn, Steven Smith punches it through cover for a single.
103.1 – Australia bring up their 400 now! On a good length and angling into the leg stump. Smith misses to flick it away, and gets a deflection off the front thigh pad and the ball rolls towards fine leg for a leg bye.
102.1 – Short and on off, cut away to deep point by Smith for one.
102.6 – The 100-run stand is up between these two now! Full on the middle stump. Smith drills it to long off for a single.
Batsman_1 : Steven Smith 106(172)
Batsman_2 : Pat Cummins 48(60)
Bowler : Ravindra Jadeja 1/59(15)
Over : 103
Run : 5
Wicket : 0
Score : 399/6
102.5 – Shorter and outside off. Cummins slaps it to deep cover for a single.
102.4 – Tad full and outside off, punched away to backward point.
102.2 – Slow and short, on off, cut away pretty late by Cummins, past the backward point fielder for a single.
102.1 – Short and on off, cut away to deep point by Smith for one.
101.6 – Bouncer on off and middle. Cummins ducks safely under it.
Batsman_1 : Pat Cummins 46(57)
Batsman_2 : Steven Smith 103(169)
Bowler : Mohammed Siraj 0/95(19)
Over : 102
Run : 15
Wicket : 0
Score : 394/6
101.3 – Back of a length and angling into the middle stump. Smith misses to tuck it away and gets a hit on he thigh pad.
101.6 – FIVE WIDES! It is going all wrong for India at the moment! Banged in short and it just takes off the surface on the bodyline, Pat Cummins ducks under it and the ball flies over the leaping Pant and races away to the fence.
101.5 – FOUR! These runs from Cummins will sting India, a lot! A good effort by Jaiswal, but could have done much better!
101.4 – Bashes the hard length, into the leg stump. Smith misses the flick and gets hit on the front thigh pad and rolls through square leg for a leg bye.
101.2 – Touch full and on off, Cummins gives himself some room by backing away and punches to wide of cover for a single.
101.1 – FOUR! Poor and punished! Back of a length, on top of off, sits up nicely for the batter and Cummins rises with the bounce, cuts it to deep backward point for a cracking boundary.
100.6 – FOUR! TEST TON NUMBER 34 FOR STEVEN SMITH! A glorious stroke to bring up a glorious hundred. Oh, he does love to bat at the MCG, doesn’t he? His 5th century at this venue as well!
Batsman_1 : Steven Smith 103(167)
Batsman_2 : Pat Cummins 37(53)
Bowler : Nitish Kumar Reddy 0/21(7)
Over : 101
Run : 8
Wicket : 0
Score : 379/6
100.2 – Angling on the pads again, on a length, Smith steers it towards deep square leg for a single.
100.5 – The scoreboard keeps ticking for ‘Straya’! Smith moves to 99 now! Back of a length and just outside off. Smith arches back and punches it to the widish deep point region and hustles back for a second.
Drinks! Unarguably, Australia’s hour. This seventh-wicket stand between Smith and Cummins has already added 72 runs now and has proved to be the cog in the wheel for India’s late surge on the first day. But in all fairness, the Indian bowlers have looked out of plans. Barring Bumrah, hardly anyone has created chances or troubled the batters. And one feels that the Indians have gone a bit more defensive, just waiting for the batters to commit a mistake. Their best bet was to run through the Aussie tail with the new ball, but they just couldn’t utilize it to their benefit. As things stand, Australia are marching towards a mammoth total now and India need some really extraordinary stuff from their bowlers to get rid of Smith, who is on the cusp of a well-deserved century. Cummins too, has provided an exceptional support under pressure.
