MELBOURNE:Powerhouse Indian pair Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli built on an impressive76 from debutant Mayank Agarwal to pile pain on Australia in the crunch thirdTest yesterday. On a docile, batsman-friendly Melbourne Cricket Ground wicket,India ground their way to 215 for two at stumps on day one with the rock-likePujara not out 68 and superstar Kohli unbeaten on 47 as the bowlers toiled inhot conditions for little reward.
Pat Cummins wasthe pick of the attack, taking two for 40. India came into the Boxing Day clashwith a new pair of inexperienced openers after the misfiring Murali Vijay andKL Rahul were axed, suggesting a hint of panic as Kohli's men look to win theirfirst-ever series in Australia.
But the excitingAgarwal rose to the challenge in front of 73,500 fans after India won animportant toss and opted to bat on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate asthe match wears on. He stroked 76 -- the highest score by an Indian on debut inAustralia-and was looking impregnable before Cummins had him caught behind byTim Paine as he gloved the last ball before tea down the legside.
It brought Kohlito the crease to a huge roar from the large Indian contingent at the MCG, andhe set about building an unbroken 92-run partnership with the ever-reliablePujara. "I'm happy, I would definitely take a 76 rather than somethingless than that. Saying that, I would have liked to have gone on and be there atthe end of the day," said Agarwal.
"Honestly, Ithought they bowled extremely well and didn't give us many loose balls. Theykept it tight and they were attacking," he added. "We need to now tryand post up a big score. The bigger the score the more pressure we can put on them."The four-Test series is tied 1-1 after India won the opening clash in Adelaideby 31 runs and Australia drew level with a 146-run victory in Perth, makingMelbourne a crunch encounter.
Australia'sTravis Head said today morning would be critical. "It was a tough day atthe office, grinding Test cricket. They batted well and we createdpressure," he said. "We need to make sure we come back tomorrowmorning and bowl the way we did today." "Things can change, momentumcan change and I don't think we're far away," he added. Agarwal, who hasbeen in fine domestic form, scored his first Test runs with a three through thecovers off Josh Hazlewood and had plundered 17 before the more cagey HanumaVihari, promoted to open from number six in Perth, troubled the scorers.
MARSH BOOED
After two livelypitches in Adelaide and Perth produced results, the track in Melbourne was notbowler-friendly and skipper Paine brought on spinner Nathan Lyon in only theseventh over to see if he could weave some magic. But it was Cummins who gotthe breakthrough. Vihari had already taken a nasty blow on the helmet in the12th over, with the physio needed to check he was okay. The right-handercontinued but when he tried to avoid another brutal Cummins bouncer the ball pingedoff his glove. Aaron Finch took an easy catch in the slips and he was gone foreight.
All-rounder MitchMarsh was then brought into the attack only to be met with boos from a sectionof the crowd, having been recalled in place of local boy Peter Handscomb. ButAgarwal was unflappable and glided to his maiden Test 50 off 95 balls byeffortlessly drilling a Lyon delivery past the non-striker for four.
At the other end,the patient Pujara deployed his usual blocking technique, picking off runs fromloose balls. He rarely looked threatened although he got an inside edge on 33that just failed to carry to Usman Khawaja at gully before bringing up his 21stTest 50 from 152 balls. Kohli quickly got into a rhythm when he arrived at thecrease, accelerating the run rate as he rattled off a string of boundaries,with the signs ominous for Australia going into day two. Pujara scored acentury in Adelaide and Kohli matched the feat in Perth. - AFP