India lose Rohit and Rahul early after Australia’s 474

Rohit Sharma’s return to the top of the order was short-lived as he fell in just the second over of India’s reply to Australia’s 474, getting an unplayable delivery from Pat Cummins just before the break.

Australia regained momentum after an eventful morning session at 454/7 but lost two wickets in no time. Mitchell Starc went out in the first over after Lunch, cleared near the stumps by Ravindra Jadeja after playing the wrong line. In the very next over, India had touch of the green with the wicket of Steve Smith – the centurion danced to a big shot through Akash Deep’s offside position, but the ball bounced off his leg and rolled on to clear a post as he watched.

The final wicket stand between Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon lasted eight overs, with the former successfully checking two lbw calls before Jasprit Bumrah returned to complete the innings with the wicket of Lyon. The wicket came in Bumrah’s 29th over of the innings – he had only bowled more in an innings three times before. The change in batting position did not turn things around for the Indian captain as his dismal run in the BGT 2024-25 continued.

Rohit fell in the second over while trying to pull a ball that wasn’t short enough as the leading edge went to Boland on middle. Rahul arrived early and seemed comfortable in the company of Jaiswal, who also shook off some initial nerves to gain confidence. Just as the end of the session was nearing, Cummins got a ball to straighten a length – he grounded Rahul and pinned his off-stump. India went into the break at 51/2, leaving more ground to the hosts.

The foundation for this lead at the MCG was laid in the morning session when Smith scored his 34th Test hundred – his 11th against India in the format. He overcame a brief battle against Bumrah in the first hour and tormented all the Indian bowlers. India were sloppy on the field and had poor possession, with runs occurring at a reasonable pace throughout. Cummins also joined in the fun, scoring a brisk 49 before getting the better of Jadeja. Mitchell Starc came to keep Smith company while the centurion threw his bat around a bit. Australia managed to add just 20 runs to their total in the second session but the pressure is already on India after two early exits.

Short scores: India 51/2 (Pat Cummins 2-27) are 423 runs behind Australia 474 (Steve Smith 140, Marnus Labuschagne 72; Jasprit Bumrah 4-99).