Ind vs Aus: In a first, Australia are 'All-Out' on 1st day of Boxing-Day Test

Melbourne, Dec 26: With a spectacular bowling display from India, especially by Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin, Australia rolled down for 195 on day one of the second Test. After Australia's innings, India finished the day at 36/1, trailing by 159 runs.

 

Bumrah and Ashwin - both of them took seven wickets as no batsman from Australia managed to cross the 50-run mark. Marnus Labuschagne came the closest with a 132-ball 48, but the rest of the hosts' lineup lost the momentum against India's skillful and disciplined bowling display. This is the first time in cricket history that the Australia team has been allotted on the first day of the Boxing-Day Test.

 

 

Ashwin, once again, who is looking for a chance to make comeback looked in supreme touch then, dismissing the dangerous Steve Smith. He has now dismissed the No.1 batsman in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings five times in 20 innings. However, there was a stable partnership going on between Labuschagne and Travis Head who guided the hosts from 38/3 to 124/3. Head, too, fought quite a bit in his 92-ball 38, before Bumrah finally broke the 86-run stand.

 

The moment of the game came for Test debutant Mohammad Siraj came two overs before lunch. He claimed his maiden Test wicket in the 50th over, and it was a big one – Labuschagne. Besides, Australia showed no sign of coming back in the game, as three wickets fell for nine runs. Tim Paine and Cameron Green both fell with the scoreboard on 155, before Starc was dismissed by Bumrah for seven.

 

Nathan Lyon offered a little entertainment – and important runs for Australia – at No.10, hitting two fours and a six before falling to Bumrah for a 17-ball 20. India played out 11 overs to end the day, with Shubman Gill (28*) and Cheteshwar Pujara (7*) in the middle. Australia managed to pull one back with the early wicket of Mayank Agarwal, who was dismissed by Mitchell Starc in the first over of the innings for a duck.