The bitter memory of 36-all out may rankle for some time but India took a major step from bouncing back from that low with an all-round performance on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. At stumps on Day 1, India were 36/1 after bowling out Australia for 195.
A confident Time Paine, the Australia captain, won the toss and expectedly opted to bat first at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The tourists took the field without their regular captain Virat Kohli (paternity leave) and strike bowler Mohammed Shami (injury) and gave debut to two youngsters.
However, by the time the stumps were drawn, it was the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane who had a big smile on his face thanks to the show put up by his bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah (4/56), Ravichandran Ashwin (3/35) and debutant Mohammed Sira (2/40) combined in an impressive display of aggressive bowling to hand their team upper-hand on the first day of the play.
Bumrah drew the first blood having opener Joe Burns out caught-behind in the fifth over. And then Rahane inserted Ashwin early into the attack – 11th over and the offspinner struck in the second over when Matthew Wade decided to hit him out of the attack but ended up being caught for 30.
Ashwin then accounted for Steven Smith, caught at gully for a duck as the first session drew to a close with India on top. Upon resumption, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head built up a partnership and soon began hitting fdours as well.
Bumrah was rewarded for his persistence when he had Head caught at gully by Rahane oon 38. That partnership was worth 86 and after that, Australia crumbled.
From 123/3, they lost their next seven wickets for the addition of just 72 runs.
Labuschagne waged a lone battle but he too fell on the brink of tea, becoming Siraj’s maiden Test wicket on 48.
However, Australia started on a fiery note with Mitchell Starc sending down thunderbolts in the first over and got rid of Mayank Agarwal (0) with the sixth delivery of the innings.
Gill then survived a testing over from Pat Cummins who was left frustrated later when Labuschagne dropped a sitter at third slip. Gill was reprieved and in the company of Cheteshwar Pujara (7*), he settled in and also began hitting boundaries.
He hit five fours and was batting on 28 off 38 when stumps were drawn with India trailing by 159 runs.
Brief Scores: India 36/1 (Shubman Gill 28*; Mitchell Starc 1/14) trail Australia 195-all out (Marnus Labuschagne 48; Jasprit Bumrah 4/56, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/35) by 159 runs