Boxing Day Test, Day 3 Highlights: Jasprit Bumrah rips through Australia, India on top despite 2nd innings collapse

Highlights, India vs Australia, 3rd Test, Day 3: Hello and welcome to our live blog of India vs Australia 3rd Test being played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Australian openers survived the early jitters to post 8/0 at stumps on Day 2 of the third Test after India declared their first innings at a mammoth 443/7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Thursday. Aaron Finch (3 batting) and Marcus Harris (5 batting) went back unscathed after the Indian new ball duo of Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah bowled some hostile stuff to spice things up for an exciting contest on Day 3. Earlier, India's massive total was powered by a classic century from Cheteshwar Pujara (106) and excellent half-centuries from skipper Virat Kohli (82), debutant opener Mayank Agarwal (76) and Rohit Sharma (63 not out). Join us at 04.50 to catch up on all the happenings from the MCG. (IND vs AUS 3rd Test LIVE SCORECARD | Read in Hindi)

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Highlights, India vs Australia, 3rd Test, Day 3:

* Finally, a session in Australia's favour, though it's still only a small victory in the larger context of the game. It's been an entertaining day of cricket, wherein 197 runs were scored and 15 wickets scalped. In this final session alone, 60 came of those 197 and 8 from those 15. Those numbers should indicate what a fun day of Test cricket it's been.

12.26 IST: Mayank Agarwal defends the last ball of the day and guides it towards fine leg for a single to stood tall like a warrior.  India 54/5 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 346 runs at stumps

12.25 IST: FOUR! A boundary after a long time Rishabh Pant pulls it in the air for a boundary. India 52/5 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 344 runs

12.22 IST: SINGLE! Rishabh Pant jumps out of the crease and takes a run. India 48/5 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 340 runs

* Only 2 overs left for the day

12.17 IST: Another nasty bouncer from Hazlewood. Bangs it in hard on off, Agarwal somehow, barely and awkwardly manages to fend it down off his glove. India 47/5 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 339 runs

* A short video of lethal spell from Pat Cummins

12.14 IST: Sensible batting from Mayank he finds gap for himself and cut the ball for three runs. India 47/5 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 339 runs

* Rishabh Pant walks out to bat next.

 

12.07 IST: OUT!  Edged and gone! Half the Indian side is back in the dressing room now. A twist left in this tale? May very well be. Short of a length outside off and there's some extra bounce on this too, which gets Rohit Sharma. He looks to cut but edges it behind due to the extra bounce. It's a simple catch for Shaun Marsh at first. India lead by 336 runs. India 44/5 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 336 runs

* Hazlewood replaces Cummins, What a lethal spell that was from Cummins. 

12.02 IST: LOUD APPEAL by Nathan Lyon but the umpire is not interested. IND 44/4 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 336 runs 

11.58 IST: FOUR! Cummins is a bit unlucky. Length ball outside off with some extra bounce, takes the outside edge of Agarwal's hanging bat and runs past the slip cordon for a boundary. IND 41/4 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 333 runs 

11.52 IST: Loud Appeal by Pat Cummins and Mayank was the batsman but the ball was going down the leg stump. IND 35/4 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 327 runs 

11.49 IST: Excellent bowling, Cummins is on fire another lethal delivery but Rohit glance it on the fine leg for a single. IND 35/4 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 327 runs 

11.41 IST: No hat-trick for Cummins, but it was mighty close though. Back of a length on the hips, Sharma swivels and pulls it past Marcus Harris at leg gully, who dives to his right but it just comes at him too fast. It goes through to fine leg and a single is taken. IND 33/4 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 325 runs 

11.39 IST: OUT! Fourth wicket down and Pat Cummins has taken all of them. Is this a tired man? Doesn't look like it at all. He's breathing fire. Absolutely unreal. A bit of a soft dismissal though on this occasion. Back of a length down the leg side, Rahane looks to help the pull fine down the leg side but gets it off the glove. It's only a feather, but it's enough and Tim Paine behind dives to his left to take it. Not what you'd have expected, really. This is sensational. Cummins is on a hat-trick. IND 32/4 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 324 runs 

11.32 IST: OUT! An action replay of the Pujara dismissal. Cummins has his third! And Kohli, believe me Virat Kohli has a zero against his name. India 28/3 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 320 runs in Melbourne

*  Drinks have been called for. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli walks in to the middle at number 4, replacing Cheteshwar Pujara.

11.27 IST: OUT! Gone second ball! Pujara has a rare duck! Caught at leg gully and Cummins has his second wicket in three deliveries. Length ball at the pads and instinctively flicked by Pujara towards the leg side. But lo and behold, there is a leg gully in position who takes an easy catch. Great bowling to the plan and good captaincy too. Second wicket lost in quick succession and the Aussies have something to smile about here. India 28/2 & 443/7d, lead Australia (151) by 320 runs

11.22 IST: OUT! Caught at gully. Almost like the first innings dismissal. India lose their first one. Just as we were saying he was leaving the bouncers better this time around, he has made the same error as he did in the first dig. India 28/1 & (443/7d) lead Australia (151) by 320 runs

* Nathan Lyon to bowl from other end

11.11 IST: Two runs from the over, Cummins was bowling short throughout the over. IND 26/0 and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

* Cummins introduced in the attack

11.02 IST: FOUR! Lofted over the mid on fielder and all the way to the fence. Flighted outside off, Agarwal hops down the track and scores a good boundary. Positive batting! IND 23/0 and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

10.57 IST: Only one run from the over as Lyon is getting some turn from the turf now. IND 19/0 and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

* Nathan Lyon comes into attack

10.48 IST: FOUR! Freebies. The ball is on the hips and it is easily turned away fine on the leg side by Agarwal. Easy picking for any Indian batsman this, who are usually very strong off their pads. Too fine for the fielder at the fence to come around and stop it.  IND 17/0 and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

10.46 IST: Vihari guides it in the gap but the outfield is so slow that openers had to run three to tickle the scoreboard. IND 13/0 in 4.2 Overs and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

10.39 IST: MAIDEN OVER! Mitchell Starc bowls with discipline in this over. IND 8/0 in 3 Overs and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

10.32 IST: FOUR! Shot! The sound of timber was enough to claim how good that shot was from Mayank Agarwal. IND 8/0 and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

* Four runs from the first Over, India need some quickfire start to increase their lead. 

10.29 IST: FOUR! Streaky runs but Vihari will take it. Short and wide outside off, Hanuma throws his bat at it and gets it off the bottom edge between gully and the slip cordon. It races away to the third man fence for a boundary. IND 4/0 and 443/7 against AUS 151-all out

* Hanuma Vihar and Mayank Agarwal are on the crease to face Aussie bowlers in second innings.

* If Bumrah wasn't enough of a threat on his own, the hosts had to deal with Shami, Ishant and Jadeja and all of them created problems for every single batsman. If ever there was a complete performance, this is it. India have decided they WON'T ENFORCE THE FOLLOW-ON! Now, they have mammoth lead of 292 runs, but there is forecast of rain for both Day 4 and 5. So, there's a good chance India would like to add runs quickly and come out to bowl again. Mostly likely it will be tomorrow itself. Let's see how this goes.

* A fine, fine bowling display from the no.1 Test team in the world. The Indians have bowled out Australia for just 151 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was the star of the show as he picked up a 6-wicket haul, running through the Australian batting order with his deadly pace and clever variations. None of the Australian batsmen were able to put up a fight. When you're chasing 443, if you don't have a single 50-run partnership, that's just not going to cut it at all.

10.16 IST: OUT! That's that. AUSTRALIA ARE BOWLED OUT FOR 151 in their first dig. Bumrah picks up his sixth and Hazlewood goes out without troubling the scorers. Fuller length on middle and leg, too pacy for the tailender. Goes on to his pads as he misses his flick. The ball then rolls on to disturb the stumps and knock the bails down. AUS 151-all out vs IND 443/7 decl

10.14 IST: OUT! Struck in front and the umpire raises his finger immediately! Bumrah has five. Pacy and yorker length ball that Lyon tries to flick but misses. Get rapped low on the pad in front of middle and leg, the umpire has no hesitation in raising his finger here. Replays show that the ball would have gone on to clip leg stump with a slight hint of reverse swing. AUS 151/9 vs IND 443/7 decl

10.12 IST: FOUR! BYES! Bouncer down leg and the ball is too wayward down the leg side as even Pant cannot reach it and it runs away to the fence.   AUS 151/8 vs IND 443/7 decl

* Nathan Lyon walks in at number 10, replacing his skipper.

10.06 IST: OUT! Caught behind! The skipper has to go. Pouched beautifully by Pant behind. It was a length ball just outside off and there is a slight hint of reverse swing here that takes the ball away from the right-hander at the last moment. Paine who was looking to push it down on the off side gets an outside edge that just about carries into the waiting gloves of Pant. Good catch moving to his right and Australia are eight down now, with still 97 runs to avoid the follow-on. Australia 147/8, trail India (443/7 d) by 296 runs 

10.02 IST: Only one run from the over after Tea, Tim Paine needs to be calm in this situation. AUS 147/8 vs IND 433/7 dec

*Welcome back for the final session of play on Day 3. The players and umpires stroll into their positions. Mitchell Starc will take strike on the first ball after resumption. Jadeja to bowl.

 

* Third Day evening session

*India firmly in control of this Boxing Day Test. Another session which belongs to them. Australia have lost 3 wickets in the 30 overs, scoring only 56 runs. They lost Head, the younger Marsh and Cummins, to some extraordinary bowling from the Indian contingent. Bumrah, Jadeja and Shami all have done their part to put the hosts on the back foot. Tim Paine is out there and he'll have to bat with the tail. Starc is partnering him for the moment, who can obviously bat, but the task is a monumental one. The Aussies need 99 runs to avoid the follow-on and that will be the first and only thing on the home side's mind right now. Let's see if they're able to do that. Join us in some time for the last session of the day.

*Tea break

09.35 IST: HUGE APPEAL! On a length and angling down on the pads, Starc goes for the flick and misses the ball. The ball raps him on the front pad and the Indians are up in a huge appeal. The ball seems to be going down leg here. Shami and Kohli have a huge discussion before deciding not to go upstairs. AUS 138/7 vs IND 433/7 dec

* Mitchell Starc is the next batsman in.

09.30 IST: OUT! Bowled 'em! Shami strikes on his return to the attack. A promising stand of 36 is broken. He charges in and attacks the stumps with a length ball around off, it nips back in and goes right through Pat Cummins' defence. Nothing he could do about it, was just too good. Australia lose another wicket.  Australia 138/7, trail India (443/7 d) by 305 runs

09.28 IST: NOT OUT! height was the issue there and Cummins escaped the nightmare. AUS 137/6 in 60.2 Overs vs IND 443/7 dec

* Review taken

09.22 IST: FOUR! Amazing timing on this one! Flighted outside off, Cummins drives this beautifully for a boundary through the covers. AUS 137/6 in 59.1 Overs vs IND 443/7 dec

* If Australia can't get to the intended number, then there's a good chance that India can enforce the follow-on. The weather isn't as hot as the previous two days and India haven't bowled as many overs to feel really tired. Will be interesting to see what Virat Kohli opts to do if faced with the situation.

09.20 IST: Excellent push, Cummins wait for it and pushes it towards cover for double. AUS 132/6 in 58.5 Overs 

09.12 IST: MAIDEN OVER! Ishant bowls an excellent over, Indian bowlers are still looking quite refresh thanks to the rotation of bowling by skipper Kohli. AUS 129/6 in 57 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Umpires indicated that the ball is fine.

* Umpires are checking the ball now.

09.07 IST: FOUR! It was too full from Jadeja and it's nicely driven by Cummins for the boundary. AUS 129/6 in 55.3 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Jadeja returns to attack from another end

09.02 IST: Sharp Shot ball from Ishant Sharma and Tim Paine was expecting more bounce from it. AUS 122/6 in 54.4 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

09.00 IST: Ishant Sharma returns to attack replacing Jadeja

08.58 IST: Quick single, nicely done. Good running between the wickets. Paine taps this to mid off and takes off. Pujara is the man there, he has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. AUS 122/6 in 53.5 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

08.45 IST: Dropped! Vihari could have had a wicket with his very first ball in this Test. Bowls the straighter one outside off, Cummins comes forward to play for the turn and ends up getting an edge. It goes behind to Pant who gets low but can't get a hold of it. AUS 114/6 in 49.1 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Here comes the man with the golden arm Hanuma Vihari

* Drinks break in the afternoon session. 2 wickets in the past hour and India firmly on top here. Pat Cummins who has done well in the bat this series so far has joined hands with his skipper. They will have to stitch a big stand for Australia to first avoid follow on and then, think about getting close to India's first innings score. Can they do so?

08.40 IST: FOUR! What has happened here? Outside off and Paine decides to leave the ball late but the ball is quick and goes of the under part of the bat between slip and gully for a boundary. Welcome runs for the hosts. AUS 114/6 in 48.4 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Ishant Sharma returns to attack replacing Shami

08.34 IST: Cummins is looking more confident than Australian top order, only two runs from Shami's Over. AUS 108/6 in 47 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

08.30 IST: Single run from the over and Aussies are now just looking to stay on the crease as long as possible. AUS 106/6 in 46 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Pat Cummins is in at number 8, replacing Mitchell Marsh.

08.20 IST: OUT! Caught at slip! Off the inside edge, onto the pads and gone to Rahane. Fuller ball on leg, Marsh looks to whip flick it away through mid-wicket. Unfortunately for him, the ball takes a thin inside edge on to the pads and lobs up to Rahane for an easy catch. 6 down now! Even a follow-on looks possible here. AUS 102/6 in 43.3 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

08.14 IST: Another maiden from Jadeja but no hint of spin in this over, but the left armer is creating some angle there. AUS 101/5 in 42 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

08.11 IST: FOUR! WHAT A SHOT! Marsh pulls it brilliantly and Aussies reach 100-run mark. AUS 101/5 in 40.5 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

08.09: APPEAL! Excellent bowling by Shami but the bowl was going down the leg side. AUS 97/5 in 40.3 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Mohammed Shami comes back into the attack

07.58 IST: MAIDEN OVER! Aussies are in deep trouble now and they need these two batsmen to stay there till next session.  AUS 92/5 in 38 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Tim Paine is in at number 7, replacing Travis Head.

07.54 IST: OUT! Timberrrrr! All ends cleaned up and Head has to depart. Half the team back in the shed for just 92. Fuller length delivery from around the wicket, angling in. Head tried to hit his way out and gets the inside edge as he is beaten by pace. The ball goes on to knock the middle and leg stump. The Indians are elated, just the start they would have wanted after the Lunch break. Bumrah has his third. The Aussies are in deep trouble now. AUS 92/5 in 36.4 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

07.52 IST: Absolute beauty, it was a leg cutter from paceman Bumrah and Mitch Marsh was clueless. AUS 91/4 in 36.2 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

07.47 IST: Big appeal from Bumrah but the bowl was going down the leg side and umpire Ian Gould rejected it. AUS 91/4 in 34.5 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

*Jasprit Bumrah to bowl from other end

07.42 IST: Only one run from Jadeja's over. AUS 90/4 in 34 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

07.41 IST: Jadeja to bowl the first over after lunch to Travis Head.

* Welcome back, folks. The players and umpires are making their way to the middle for the second session. Mitchell Marsh will join Travis Head out there. Head will face the first ball of the session, to be bowled by Ravindra Jadeja.

* Third Day, Afternoon Session ...

* Bumrah's excellent delivery just before lunch put the Aussies on backfoot.

* Post that, Ravindra Jadeja, who was brought on, didn't disappoint as he got the important wicket of Usman Khawaja soon and just when it looked like the hosts would go into Lunch three down, Jasprit Bumrah bamboozled Shaun Marsh on the last ball before the break to get him LBW plumb in front. The hosts are 89/4 and will be desperate for some sort of a stand, but the Indian bowlers seem to be on fire at the moment. Can the Aussies fight back in the second session or will the visitors run havoc? Join us for the post-Lunch session in some time. It is all happening here, you wouldn't want to miss it.

 

* India's session no doubt! 81 runs have been scored in 27 overs at 3 rpo but 4 wickets have been taken by India. The visitors will definitely go into the Lunch break the happier team. The Aussies started the day off at 8/0 and with some good strokes from the openers who were looking to stitch a decent partnership but against the run of play, brilliant captaincy brought about the downfall of Aaron Finch. Poor shot making saw his partner, Marcus Harris, depart and India were suddenly right on top.

06.59 IST: OUT! What a delivery! Completely outfoxes Marsh. Bumrah comes around the wicket and disguises this slower ball brilliantly. Marsh who was looking to defend this one and get to the break is early into the shot and misses the ball. Gets rapped low on his pads and right in front of the stumps. The umpire has no qualms in raising his fingers. Marsh has a chat with his partner but in the end just walks off without reviewing. Australia have lost their fourth wicket and THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 3. AUS 89/4 in 33 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

06.58 IST: Bumrah to bowl the last over before Lunch. AUS 89/3 in 32 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

06.55 IST: Jadeja is questioning Marsh skills, it was one heck of a delivery. AUS 88/3 in 31.3 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

06.52 IST: That was a total screamer, excellent pace but the ball didn't bounce much. AUS 88/3 in 30.2 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

06.46 IST: FOUR! The ball is wide and outside off, Head immediately pounces on the width available as he cuts this beautifully wide of gully and all the way to fence. Safe shot that. Looked real good.  AUS 86/3 in 28.3 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

* Jasprit Bumrah returns to attack replacing Ishant Sharma

06.40 IST: A beautiful punch off the back foot. Head stands tall and times it well through the covers. Jadeja chases it down and keeps the batsmen to three. AUS 77/3 in 26.5 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

06.32 IST: NOT OUT! The ball is outside off on a length and Head who comes ahead to drive misses the ball. Slightly drags his foot outside the crease. AUS 71/3 in 25.1 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

* The leg umpire has gone upstairs for a stumping appeal against Head. The batsman doesn't seem too worried though.

06.30 IST: FOUR! Where is the slip? 3 down and India could have had another if there was a second slip in place. The length delivery outside off, takes a genuine edge as Marsh tries to defend the ball. The ball flies through the gap between first slip and gully for a boundary. AUS 69/3 in 24.4 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

* Ishant Sharma is back on, replacing Mohammed Shami.

06.26 IST: FOUR! The umpire signals runs off the bat. That would go down as a chance gone begging then! Absolute peach by Jadeja, Head plays for the turn and seems to have missed the ball. Pant too misses it and the ball runs away for a boundary. AUS 63/3 in 23.4 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

06.21 IST: Clipped away nicely for two by Marsh, he is finally rotating strikes after a slow start. AUS 59/3 in 21.5 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

06.19 IST: Excellent running between the wickets and Shaun Marsh snatches three runs. AUS 57/3 in 21.5 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

* Travis Head comes in at number 5, replacing Usman Khawaja.

06.12 IST: OUT! That's the third one! And it is the big fish. Absolute ripper this one from Jadeja! Flatter ball outside off and Khawaja is forward in defense. The ball grips and turns to get the inside edge and goes straight to Mayank Agarwal at short leg who takes a smart, low catch. The Indians are turning on the heat here. AUS 53/3 in 19.5 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

 

06.10 IST: FOUR! The reverse-sweep comes out! Flatter ball outside off, Khawaja gets to the pitch of the ball and reverse sweeps it fine on the off side for a boundary. Good shot against the turn. Ishant at backward point has to go and fetch the ball. AUS 53/2 in 19.4 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

06.06 IST: FOUR! Overpitched and dispatched away beautifully behind square on the leg side for a boundary. The outfield might be slow but the timing was so good that fine leg has no chance to stop it.  AUS 46/2 in 18.4 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Drinks are on the field. A good first hour for India. The pacers have done their job, with Ishant and Bumrah dismissing Finch and Harris respectively. You could consider Finch to be a bit unlucky, but Harris basically threw his wicket away. Big job ahead for Khawaja and Marsh now, as the ball is turning and Jadeja could capitalize on the rough areas.

* A short clip of excellent catch from debutant Mayank Agarwal

* Spin introduced. Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack.

05.58 IST: Another maiden over from India.  AUS 40/2 in 17 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

* Mohammed Shami is the first bowling change for India of the morning.

05.52 IST: MAIDEN! That was a top class over from Jasprit Bumrah with all six balls above 140+ speed. AUS 40/2 in 16 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

05.46 IST: FOUR! That's a positive stroke from Usman Khawaja. It's too full with room on offer outside off, he crashes this through the covers and finds the fence with ease.  AUS 40/2 in 14.3 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

05.42 IST: Loud shout for a leg before, but nothing from the umpire. Clearly pitched outside leg and there was an inside edge as well, so Marsh would have been saved anyhow. Bumrah with a length ball which goes on middle, takes the edge and thuds Marsh on the pads. AUS 36/2 in 13.4 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

* Shaun Marsh comes in next to bat.

05.40 IST: OUT! Throws it away really. Was no need for that shot. Sucked him in and got the wicket. Well done on India's part, quite the contrary on Marcus Harris'. Poor shot selection. He's frustrated with himself, and should be too. Short ball from around the wicket, angling in on middle and leg, Harris takes on the pull and is in no control of that shot. Fine leg is positioned specifically for this, and it's a straightforward catch to Ishant Sharma out in the deep as the ball goes off the top edge. Both the Australian openers are back in the dressing room now. AUS 36/2 in 13.3 Overs against IND 443/7 decl

 

05.39 IST: FOUR! Deflection down the fine leg from Marcus Harris for a boundary. AUS 36/1 in 13.2 Overs against IND 443/7 decl 

05.34 IST: DOUBLE! This was on the pads and Khawaja just guides it in the mid on region to take some quick runs. AUS 32/1 in 13 Overs against IND 443/7 decl 

05.31 IST: BOUNCER! It was a good fast bouncer from Bumrah and Harris ducks it well. AUS 30/1 in 11.5 Overs against IND 443/7 decl 

* Usman Khawaja walks in at no.3.

05.25 IST: OUT! Got 'em! The first casualty is down for Australia. And what a catch from Mayank Agarwal at short mid-wicket. Good captaincy from Virat Kohli to bring in that catching fielder. It made Ishant bowl straighter and get the result. Full on middle, coming in slightly, Finch flicks this aerially. Agarwal at short mid-wicket dives quick and dives low to his left to pull off an absolute blinder. Good work from the debutant. A welcome wicket for the visitors, as both openers were looking confident, so they needed to get a breakthrough quickly. AUS 24/1 against IND 443/7 decl 

05.22 IST: DOUBLE! Harris looks comfortable this morning and picks another two of the last ball of Bumrah's over. AUS 24/0 in 10 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

05.14 IST: FOUR! This time from Aaron Finch, no movement from ball till now and Finch pushes the ball towards cover for a boundary. AUS 20/0 in 8.4 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

05.11 IST: FOUR! First of the morning. Good shot from Marcus Harris. He has some room on offer outside off, just waits for it, uses the pace and with his fast hands cuts it past gully for a boundary.AUS 16/0 in 7.4 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Jasprit Bumrah to bowl from the other end.

05.08 IST: Good over from Australia point of view as they snatch four runs from it. AUS 12/0 in 7 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

05.03 IST: No ball! Bit of a false start. Comes from around the wicket to Harris, angles it in on middle and leg, the left-hander clips it off his pads and works it down to fine leg for a single. Ishant overstepped on this occasion, so a no ball is signalled. AUS 10/0 in 6.1 Overs vs IND 443/7 decl

* Time to begin. As the Indian team is in a huddle by the boundary line, The Australian openers Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch stride out to the middle. Ishant Sharma will be handed the ball first up. Two Slips and a gully in position for him. Let's roll...

 

* Mark Howard has Rohit Sharma with him for an interview just besides the Indian Team which is undergoing a few fielding drills. Rohit says that the drills that are going on are regarding the position of the slips and close-in fielders, considering the low carry on the surface. He also adds that the back injury he had in the previous game has completely sorted itself and he is 100% now. Ends by saying that the on-field banter was a lot of fun but when he is in the middle, he tends to concentrate on his batting.  

* That said, a lot would be expected of the two Victorian opening batsmen, especially Marcus Harris with the good form he is in. The middle order comes into the game with some confidence but, will their being on the field for almost two days have an effect on them? So many possibilities! A long haul from the Australian batsmen with a toil for the Indian bowlers or, A great bowling performance running through the hosts order? What are we about to witness? Or will it be a neck and neck day ? Whatever it is, the day has to be exciting, or at least promises to be so. Lets wait and watch!

* Hello and welcome to what promises to be an exciting day of Test cricket from the MCG. Day 3 of the 3rd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is nicely poised and it'll be interesting to see how the day pans out. Australia have their work cut out to bat and bat long. They have the threat of the pitch that has started to play tricks and an Indian bowling unit that is in good form to contend with. A certain Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja should most probably be their biggest fear on a surface with variable bounce.

05.00 IST: ... Third Day, Morning Session ...

Live Blog and updates, India vs Australia, 3rd Test, Day 3 from Melbourne:

Brief Day 2 Report: Cheteshwar Pujara scored his second century of the series before Australia barely survived a tense six-over period to reach eight without loss at stumps Thursday to trail India by 435 runs after the second day of the third Test. India's captain Virat Kohli declared his side's first innings closed at 443/7, on a Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch that offered variable bounce including the occasional delivery that didn't rise above ankle height. Australia's openers Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris faced a nervous time at the batting crease. Harris ducked into a bouncer from Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth over, after the ball kept lower than expected. When play resumed, a shaken Harris almost edged the next delivery onto his stumps. Harris was also playing and missing in the final over of the day, bowled by Bumrah. (Read Full Report)