India vs Australia Live Score, 2nd Test, Day 2: Can Rishabh Pant cement place in team?

A chance for Pant

Rishabh Pant got a chance to show off his skills in the second Test. He has the opportunity to show why he is rated so highly as Pant comes in when India are looking to take a lead in the first innings.

Pant of the mark

Rishabh Pant has scored his first runs of the Test series as nicked one to take a double

OUT

It is a much-needed wicket for Australia as Hanuma Vihari gloved one off Lyon’s bowling. Vihari is gone for 21. India 116/4

Physio is on the field

The physio is on the field as Rahane is facing some back issues. India hopes rest on Rahane to see them off in this crucial session. He is back to the crease.

FOUR

Rahane plays a beautiful pull shot off Hazlewood to hit a boundary. But Josh bowls an unplayable ball on the very next delivery as Rahane was lucky not to edge it. India 112/3

100 up for India

The ball turned a fair degree as it missed the wicketkeeper and batsman and went off to the boundary. Vihari took a single on the next ball to bring up the hundred for India.

India 93/3

Rahane and Vihari played cautiously before Lunch but it looks they are getting a better hold of the wicket now as they look to score some runs.

Play resumes

Mitchell Starc is bowling the first over after lunch with Vihari facing him.

Rahane-Vihari key for India

It was an intriguing session of cricket as the ball was doing a lot in the morning. The fast bowlers looked threatening as India lost Gill and Pujara. It will be important for Vihari and Rahane to stay on the crease for long for India to wrest the initiative on Day 2.

Lunch

In the last over before lunch, Australia hoped Lyon will get a breakthrough. But it did not happen as Rahane and Vihari played him well. Umpires have called lunch.

Lyon comes in

Josh Hazlewood has been replaced by Nathan Lyon. The off-spinner is bowling for the first time on Day 2.

BOUNDARY!

Rahane edges one but it does not carry to the gully fielder. It falls short and then rushes to the boundary.

Rahane playing cautiously

Rahane has stayed back a little bit today as the lengths have been a little shorter by the Australian bowlers to him.

Starc-Hazlewood in the attack

Rahane and Vihari got three runs off Starc’s over. Australia bring back Josh Hazlewood in place of Green.

FOUR!

Hanuma Vihari hits a beautiful on drive to the boundary off the bowling of Cameron Green. This partnership is crucial for India as two Test specialist batsmen look stabilise the innings. India 77/3 after 29 overs.

Starc is back into the attack

Mitchell Starc has been brought back into the attack by captain Tim Paine to put more pressure on Indian batsmen.

Cummins relentless

Another maiden from the big Australian quick. How goos has he been this morning? Just like Bumrah as for India yesterday. But credit to Ajinkya Rahane too, he looks good straightaway, the feet are going to the line of the ball, the head position is still and he just looks confident even while defending the ball.

Maiden from Green

Cameron Green has been just the ideal support for Pat Cummins. The tall all-rounder is getting a lot of bounce and Vihari did well not to follow any of his deliveries outside the off stump.

Vihari off the mark

A confident push from Hanuma Vihari, not a bad way to get off the mark at all. The ball has been cut off just inches away from the long-off boundary but Vihari collects three runs. India need a partnership here. It’s Rishabh Pant and the all-rounders after this.

Cummins strikes again, Pujara goes

OUT! What one-handed stunner from Tim Paine. Pat Cummins has got the huge wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara. Nothing different this time around, it was a tad fuller from Cummins this time around, Pujara nicks it, it perhaps wouldn’t have carried to the first slip but Paine decided to dive across grab it with one hand. India 64/3

Pat Cummins gets Shubman Gill

OUT! There was an edge, it carried and Tim Paine took the catch – Pat Cummins will be relieved, he has bowled so well without any luck this morning and finally he gets the wicket he deserved. The debutant Shubman Gill, who looked so good till now, plays one away from his body, perhaps the maiden Test fifty was on his mind and edges one to the keeper. India 60 for 2.

Another edge falls short

So near yet so far for Cameron Green. He induced the outside edge of Pujara’s bat with a lovely little outswinger but it once again fell short of the slip cordon. Pujara’s soft hands sure has a lot to do with it, otherwise there is no reason for the edges not carrying, India won’t complain at all. They are at 59/1

Bowling change for Australia

That’s surprise from Tim Paine! Surely everyone was expecting Mitchell Starc to be the first change but it is the young Cameron Green who has been asked to replace Josh Hazlewood. May be Starc will bowl from Cummins’ end.

Cummins to Gill: FOUR

Edged but Gill played it with soft hands, the ball never really was at a catchable height and it goes through the vacant slip cordon and into the boundary. Gill is now on 44, six away from a Test fifty on debut.

Cummins bowls another maiden

Pat Cummins would be really cross the almighty if doesn’t end up with at least one wicket beside his name after this spell. He has been simply outstanding, bowls another maiden, this time to Shubman Gill. India 53/1

Pujara, Gill now look settled

Yes, the rub of the green went their way early on but you perhaps need a bit of that when you play the morning session against bowlers like Cummins and Hazlewood but since then both Pujara and Gill have looked a settled. Gill is ready to pounce on anything which is on his half and Pujara is forcing the Aussies to bowl on his pads.

Another testing over from Cummins

Only one delivery was slightly off the mark and it allowed Pujara to take a couple of runs through the leg side but apart from that every delivery was an examination for Pujara. Top class stuff from Pat Cummins.

First runs for Pujara, 50 up for India

Full and on the pads from Cummins and Pujara flicks it away. The slow outfield at the MCG will mean it won’t race away to the boundary but the size of the ground will allow Pujara and Gill to run three. This is the first runs of the morning for Pujara and it also brings up India’s fifty.

Hazelwood to Gill: FOUR

Inside edge and four! The rub of the green continues to go India’s way. Hazlewood cut Gill in half, the India opener got an inside edge but it was too far from Australia keeper Tim Paine and it races away for a boundary. India 44/1

Pujara edges but survives

India didn’t get any luck in the 2nd innings in Adelaide but they are getting plenty of it today. Pujara was completey squared up by the Pat Cummins out-swinger, got an outside edge but it didn’t carry. Another maiden from Cummins.

Drop and a four

There is always some action when Shubman Gill is on strike. Tim Paine dropped him in the previous delivery when he got an inside edge off Josh Hazlewood and then when the Aussie quick pitched it up on the stumps, Gill flicked it past mid on for a boundary – the first of Day 2. India 40/1

A maiden to start from Cummins

A brut of an over from Pat Cummins to start with. Pat Cummins was on the money and Pujara got an early wake up call. Boy, it will be a tough job for the Indians.

Australia lose a review

Good morning Pujara! A review to start the day but replays confirm that the ball had just brushed Pujara’s back pad before resting on Paine’s gloves. So Australia lose a review. That was a snorter from Pat Cummins. It pitched on good length just around off stump, moved away ever so slightly and just managed to beat Pujara’s outside edge.

What’s in store on Day 2?

Lot of pace, bounce, some turn too and hopefully some resilence from the Indian batsmen. The Australian bowlers will come at them hard and India would be hoping they don’t nick them all like they did in Adelaide. It’s a cloudy day in Melbourne, does that mean anything?

Ravindra Jadeja reflects on India’s performance

“Bowlers were spot on, they were getting wickets in every interval. The wicket was damp, the ball was turning so (Ajinkya) Rahane told me to get ready to bowl a few overs.

“Mohammed Siraj has been playing plenty of first-class cricket back home. he knows how to swing the red ball,” Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the start of Day 2.

How good was Rahane the captain?

Sure Virat Kohli will continue to be the India captain but Ajinkya Rahane showed again that he is more than ready to lead India regularly. His tactics were brilliant – sometimes out of the box. His decision to introduce Ashwin in the 11th over of Day 1 and bowl him a long spell in the first session paid rich dividends. His leg side traps in which three Australian batsmen fell were executed superbly by the Indian bowlers.

India vs Australia live cricket score: Superb Siraj

What a debut it was from Mohammed Siraj. He did not get the ball in the first session but when he did in the post-lunch one, he made it count. The young seamer got rid of the well-set Marnus Labuschagne and then set up the perfect trap for Cameron Green to give Bumrah the ideal support on Day 1.

Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara have a job in hand

The Debutant Shubman Gill was dropped early in the final hour of Day 1 but apart from that he looked good in front of the barrage from Starc and Cummins. He will be up against something similar if not more hostile today on Day 2. Cheteshwar Pujara was solid as ever. India would be hoping this pair can get past the tricky first hour of the morning session on Day 2 at MCG and then make it count.

Ind vs Aus 2nd Test Day 1 recap

It was the perfect Boxing Day for India. They lost the toss alright but boy did their bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin provided the goods to stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, who did a fine job in leading the side in Virat Kohli’s absence. Bumrah picked up four wickets, Ashwin sneered three as India bowled Australia out for 195 on another good pitch. In reply, Mitchell Starc struck in the first over to sent back openeer Mayank Agarwal for a duck but debutant Shubman Gill and the rock solid Cheteshwar Pujara ensured no further damage as India went to stumps at 36 for 1, trailing Australia 159 runs.

India vs Australia 2nd Test live score Day 2

Hello and a warm (our Indian viewers surely need some warmth) welcome! It’s Day 2 of India vs Australia 2nd Test in Melbourne. I can bet there will be a lot more people waking up early to watch India bat against perhaps the best bowling in the attack in the world right now. It promises to be another cracker jack of a day of Test cricket.