Boxing Day Test live scores, updates, video, day 1

December 26, 2018 John Cricket 0

India has wrapped up day one with its claws in Australia’s arm after Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara departed to the sheds with a 92-run partnership.

Australia managed just two wickets for the day on the dead MCG pitch, which offered little bounce in the early session, giving debut opener Mayank Agarwal a perfect opportunity to stamp his name on the Test side.

The 27-year-old hit a measured 76 from 161 in a slow start to the day as India tiptoed at a little over two runs per over.

Pat Cummins was the only man to strike gold with the ball, taking both wickets of the day and finishing with figures of 2-40 from his 19 overs.

Lyon troubles his bunny

Nathan Lyon caught Virat Kohli in a spot of bother late in the day, catching the Indian skipper on the pads after getting some purchase off the dead MCG track.

After watching Kohli and partner Cheteshwar Pujara build a 50-run partnership, Australia were desperate enough to throw a review at the half-strength shout.

The DRS revealed the ball pitched far outside off and granted Kohli a life.

Aussies strike back after missed chance

After over 50 overs and claiming just one wicket on the dead MCG pitch, Australia were desperate for a breakthrough as Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal punched the ball around to triple figures.

Pujara edged one into his pads off Mitchell Marsh and popped the ball up towards a diving Usman Khawaja, who missed the grab by millimetres.

But the Aussies struck gold minutes later as Agarwal tickled a bouncer off Pat Cummins through to Tim Paine behind the stumps, falling for 76 off 161 balls.

Indian pair free the hands

Cheteshwar Pujara welcomed Pat Cummins to the afternoon session with a crisp cover drive for four, breaking a serious drought of 50 balls without a boundary.

Partner Mayank Agarwal followed suit, blasting Nathan Lyon over mid-off to come within sniffing distance of his maiden half-century. The ring-in opener wasted no time bringing up the milestone, driving the Aussie offie straight down the ground for his second boundary of the over.

‘Disgraceful’: Aussie star booed

Neither side was able to seize control in the opening session as India made it to lunch at 1/57.

The wicket was slower and lower than expected and the visitors found it tough to score, going at just 2.03 runs per over.

Australia will be happy it has kept India in check but would have been hoping for more scalps after being asked to bowl on a deck full of live grass that initially looked like it would suit the bowlers.

Mayank Agarwarl went to the break unbeaten on 34 while Cheteshwar Pujara was 10 not out.

Mitchell Marsh, recalled to the Australian team at the expense of Peter Handscomb, came into the attack in bowled five overs before the break but was booed by some sections of the MCG crowd.

Former Aussie batsman Mark Waugh blasted the “disgraceful” behaviour from the crowd.

Marsh is a polarising figure who is yet to cement his spot for Australia in any format and it’s clear he has a lot of work to do to win over cricket fans. Part of the reason for the booing was probably because Marsh, a West Australian, took the place of a Victorian in Handscomb.

Marsh conceded just 11 runs from his five overs, impressing former Test opener Ed Cowan.

“It’s been a really great entry back into the series,” Cowan told ABC Grandstand. “He hasn’t bowled a bad delivery, he’s asked a lot of questions of the batsmen.

“It’s been good, lively, brisk medium pace.”

Cummins gets the breakthrough

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.Source:Getty Images

Pat Cummins had already troubled India’s openers with short stuff and he was at it again, this time with the best result of all.

The fast bowler struck Hanuma Vihari on the head earlier and the right-hander couldn’t handle another brute of a bouncer. He took his eyes off the ball as he ducked, putting his hands in front of his face to protect himself.

The Kookaburra smashed him on the gloves and ballooned up in the air, safely taken by Aaron Finch in the slips, sending Vihari on his way for a painstaking eight from 66 balls.

Vihari cops a nasty blow

Hanuma Vihari copped a nasty blow on the head when he tried to duck under a Pat Cummins bouncer.

The Indian opener expected the ball to bounce over him but the ball didn’t get up and the team physio rushed onto the field as play stopped while everyone made sure Vihari was OK.

In his next over Cummins struck again when a short ball cannoned into the back of Mayank Agarwal as he tried to turn out of the way.

Despite the body blows India’s openers did the job asked of them in the first hour as the visitors made it to drinks unscathed at 0/31.

‘I’m in shock’: MCG pitch mystery

Josh Hazlewood wasn’t getting much assistance from the surface.

Josh Hazlewood wasn’t getting much assistance from the surface.Source:News Corp Australia

Despite curator Matt Page leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch in a bid to ensure there’s no repeat of last year’s boring Ashes Boxing Day Test, the early signs suggest there’s not much pace or bounce in the strip.

Wicketkeeper Tim Paine was taking balls around his ankles and occasionally they’d bounce before they reached him when Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood opened up.

“When it’s a third over of the Test match and it’s not carrying through … you just want it to carry through,” an angry Glenn McGrath told Macquarie Sports Radio. “First over you’ve got two bowlers bowling 140km/h plus and it’s not carrying through.

“This pitch here, it’s not overly promising.”

Commentating for Channel 7, Ricky Ponting was surprised at the lack of zip in the track on the opening morning. But given there’s some moisture under the surface in anticipation of hot, dry days for the rest of the Test, the former Aussie skipper said the wicket will likely harden up and get quicker as the match wears on.

Half an hour into play Mayank Agarwal pushed at a wide delivery from Mitchell Starc and his edge flew centimetres wide of Mitchell Marsh’s outstretched hand at gully before there was more drama in the same over.

Starc dug a ball in short of a length and it barely got above ankle height, sliding down the leg side and bumbling along past Paine, who was unable to stop it going for four byes.

“That’s unbelievable, really,” Ponting said. “Look at the lack of bounce there. Worrying signs that, not just for the teams, but for the game.”

Former Aussie coach Darren Lehmann told Macquarie Sports Radio: “I’m in shock, four byes in the first morning.”

The pitch was so slow, spinner Nathan Lyon was brought into the attack in just the eighth over. It’s the earliest a spinner has bowled in a Test match at the MCG since ball-by-ball records began.

Less than an hour into the day’s play the Aussies at one stage had only one slip in place, reflective of how slow the deck is.

India wins the toss

Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. He said although there was plenty of grass on the pitch he thought it was dry underneath, which would make it harder to bat on in the third and fourth innings.

Tim Paine said he wasn’t sure what he would have done if he’d won the toss but wasn’t unhappy to be bowling.

Teams greeted with Boxing Day shock

The MCG was put on notice after last year’s Ashes snooze-fest on a lifeless deck and curator Matt Page has heard the words of warning, leaving 10mm of grass on a pitch that will make bowlers’ eyes light up on day one.

Last summer’s wicket was flat and bare and there was concern it might be a similar tale in 2018, especially after a couple of dull Sheffield Shield matches. But there’s plenty of thick grass on the pitch for this Test match — so much so a couple of former Test stars would be tempted to bowl first.

Ed Cowan told ABC Grandstand batting last might be the best option. “I’ve had a look at the pitch and there is plenty of grass, the best batting conditions might be last,” he said.

Ex-Australian captain Allan Border described the healthy grass covering as “furry” and also said bowling first is a genuine possibility, though admitted it would be a brave call to make.

“It should help the bowlers particularly with the newer ball and it will firm up as the game goes on, particularly with this weather,” Border told Fox Cricket as temperatures are expected to soar during the week.

“The history of this pitch tends to be that it gets better as the game flows on so you’re not so worried about batting last so to try and take the game by the scruff of the neck I would be tempted to bowl first.”

Ex-Test seamer Trent Copeland was a little surprised with the sight that greeted him.

“There’s certainly a bit of live grass there, and patchy grass,” he told Channel 7. “It’s going to be hard work for the batters.”

Former England international Isa Guha, who is commentating for Fox Cricket, said the pitch looked vastly different to anything the MCG had dished up in the past couple of years.

Warne forced into humbling backflip

Tim Paine has won Shane Warne over.

Tim Paine has won Shane Warne over.Source:News Corp Australia

Earlier this year Shane Warne questioned Tim Paine’s leadership credentials, but the legendary leg-spinner has changed his tune after the skipper’s strong start to the summer, endorsing him as the right man for the job.

In May Warne said he didn’t believe a wicketkeeper should be captain and in August he said the leadership position was still open. Then, in October, Warne called for Test rookie Aaron Finch to captain Australia in all three formats

“To me, he (Finch) should be captain. I’d like to see him captain all forms for the game,” Warne said.

But on Wednesday the 49-year-old revealed he had become one of the converted after Paine won plaudits for his strong leadership and refusal to back down in the second Test in Perth. In a video posted to his Facebook account, Warne said: “Now he have an Australian captain in Tim Paine. Well done mate, class act.”

In Fox Cricket’s pre-game coverage, the tweaker said: “We found our Australian captain in Tim Paine in Perth. I think he stood up and he believes he’s the Australian captain.”

Warne also praised the gloveman in a newspaper column for the Herald Sun.

“We have found our Australian captain. In the UAE Tim Paine was good and he got a big tick. But after Perth, his team now sees him as the captain,” Warne wrote.

“I think the public see him as the Australian Test captain. And for himself, I think he now believes he is the Australian Test captain, which is the most important of the lot.”

Kohli reveals Aussie secret

Virat Kohli goes up a gear in Australia.

Virat Kohli goes up a gear in Australia.Source:Getty Images

Virat Kohli reckons the secret to success on Australian soil is all above the shoulders.

Kohli’s supreme record in often unforgiving conditions in Australia, where he averages 58.45 and has scored six centuries, has reinforced his status as a modern-day great.

The Indian skipper’s masterful first-innings century in Perth wasn’t enough to prevent Australia from levelling the series but it was another reminder that for all of his technical ability, Kohli’s greatest asset may be his mental fortitude.

When Kohli strode to the crease at Perth Stadium, India was 2/8 and at risk of falling to pieces against a fearsome Australian attack on a lively deck. By the time he departed, India was 6/251 and back in the game.

“It’s hardly anything technical,” Kohli said on the eve of the Boxing Day Test when asked about his success in Australian conditions.

“If you’re convinced in your mind that you can do it, your body starts reacting accordingly. It’s all about getting into that frame of mind, as a team, as individuals when we prepare our own skill sets.

“I feel it’s 80 per cent mental and 20 per cent technical when you go to any country away from your conditions to play.

“The team that stays in a good zone for long enough, they end up doing special things. We’re definitely working on that aspect, to stay in that zone and keep playing good quality cricket and be competitive on all days of the Test match.”

Kohli is hoping for a livelier MCG pitch than has been produced in recent years but there are early indications it will be another relatively flat deck. Either way, Kohli said it was important for visiting batsmen to steel themselves for conditions similar to the fierce pace and bounce produced in Perth.

“As a batsman, if at any stage you’re hesitating or scared of the bounce, then you’re definitely going to get hit,” he said.

“It’s something you sit in your room and work on. It’s not something you can just arrive and feel on that particular day.

“To get into that frame of mind where you feel like you’re ready enough to get runs anywhere … that takes a constant effort on a daily basis.”

Michael Ramsey, AAP

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*