Images from Day 2 of the third Test between Australia and India, at the SCG, on Friday.
Steve Smith's gutsy hundred was neutralised by Ravindra Jadeja's four-wicket haul and rookie Shubman Gill's fluent half-century as a resolute India scored 96 for 2, after dismissing Australia for 338, in the first innings on Day 2 of the third Test, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Friday.
India’s bowlers, especially Jadeja (18-3-62-4) and the ever-dependable Jasprit Bumrah (25.4-7-66-2), were brilliant with their length on a flat SCG deck, where Smith (131 off 226 balls) and Marnus Labuschagne (91 off 196 balls) raised visions of a 450-plus total by taking the side to 206 for 2 at one stage.
However, 338 was all the hosts managed in a little less than 106 overs as none of the other batsmen made notable contributions.
It was only fitting that Jadeja's split-second brilliance from the deep found Smith short of his crease.
Then it was all about the calm and collective Gill (50, 101 balls), who was assured during those cover drives off Nathan Lyon and equally breath-taking while presenting his forward defence to Pat Cummins.
He and Rohit Sharma (26 off 77 balls) added 70 in 27 overs, but, more importantly, set the stage for skipper Ajinkya Rahane (5 batting off 40 balls) and Cheteshwar Pujara (9 batting off 53 balls) to cash in on the batting-friendly conditions on the third day.
Despite the cloud cover for the better part of the day, there was no swing on offer and lack of moisture meant that there wasn't any turn or, for that matter, even some movement off the pitch.
The Australian attack looked more insipid than ever and Rohit, playing his first game in nearly two months, did all the hard work for nearly two hours before failing to check an uppish drive that was pouched by the bowler.
But it was a day when India had two openers, who were both ready to pull the fast bowlers during their opening spells and dominate Lyon with precise footwork.
Both frittered away good starts, but, in broader context, provided the launchpad which the team failed to get in the first two Tests.
The first two sessions could be ideally described as fascinating with Australia getting 172 runs in just under 51 overs, largely due to some positive batting by Smith, Labuschagne and down the order Mitchell Starc (24 off 30 balls).
But Jadeja and Bumrah, especially with the second new ball, were on target even as debutant Navdeep Saini (2/65) leaked a few runs due to sheer inexperience.
The Sydney track didn't have much help for the slow bowlers in the first two days but that didn't deter Jadeja from denying Labuschagne a deserving hundred.
Session 1
Ravindra Jadeja denied Marnus Labuschagne a deserving hundred as India’s bowlers reduced Australia to 249 for 5 at lunch.
In a stop-start first session, Labuschagne, who was looking good on 91, got an arm ball from Jadeja, which bounced a bit more, denying him room for a non-existent cut shot. The result was a smart catch by skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who positioned himself a bit wide at first slip.
Jadeja (2/43 in 12 overs) then dismissed a fidgety Matthew Wade (13), who came down the track and scooped a simple skier for Jasprit Bumrah, as India finally had a good session after a rather uneventful first day in which the home team had the upperhand.
At the stroke of lunch, Bumrah (1/37 in 19.5 overs) bowled a beauty to trap Cameron Green leg before. Before the three dismissals, Labuschagne and Smith added 100 runs for the third wicket.
Labuschagne's 196-ball innings was studded with 11 boundaries. No one deserved a three-figure score more than him.
The duo, in a bid to neutralise India's leg-side field, played some eye-catching strokes. Smith (76 batting, 159 balls), in fact, completed his half-century in the next over after Labuschagne's dismissal, off Ravichandran Ashwin (0/74 in 24 overs), who has been well below his best during the four sessions that India have been on field.
Smith and Labuschagne faced little trouble as they blended caution with aggression perfectly during the first hour on a track that's offering slow turn with no visible demons in it.
The Indian bowlers continued bowling in straight lines with a heavy leg-side field that they have been employing since the second Test match. What changed for Australia was the understanding of the opposition strategy better as they showed aggressive intent.
While Jadeja got a couple of wickets, both Ashwin and him erred on the shorter side of the length giving Smith ample opportunity to rock back and play through the vacant spaces in the off-side area.
Once a couple of wickets fell, Smith started attacking even more, prompting Rahane to slightly spread the field as runs started coming at a fair clip. The former Australia captain went into the break with 11 fours in his kitty.
Session 2
Steve Smith roared back to form with a gutsy hundred to guide Australia to a decent 338, but Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja shared the spotlight with him by claiming four wickets during the first two sessions.
At tea, India were 26 for no loss, with Shubman Gill (14 batting) and Rohit Sharma (11 batting) at the crease, having safely negotiated nine overs.
While Smith's 27th hundred (131 off 226 balls) and his 100-run stand with Marnus Labuschagne (91 off 196 balls), laid the foundation of a decent first innings total for the hosts, the Indian bowlers should be lauded for a grand comeback on a flat deck.
There was a point when Australia were cruising along at 206 for 2 but Jadeja (18-3-62-4) and the ever-dependable Jasprit Bumrah (25.4-7-66-2) put India back in the game with controlled bowling on an unresponsive track.
In fact, Jadeja literally got a "five-for" as his brilliant direct throw from the deep ended Smith's knock just when he decided to throw the kitchen sink at the bowlers.
The first two sessions can be ideally described as fascinating with Australia getting 172 runs in just under 51 overs, largely due to some positive batting by Smith, Labuschagne and down the order Mitchell Starc (24 off 30 balls).
But Jadeja and Bumrah, especially with the second new ball, were on target even as debutant Navdeep Saini (2/65) leaked a few runs due to sheer inexperience.
The Sydney track did not offer much help for the slow bowlers in the first two days but that did not deter Jadeja from denying Labuschagne a deserving hundred.
