India blown away by Aussie quicks on heated first day

A day in which India's batting again struggled in the face of Australia's relentless pace bowling ended in angry scenes as the visitors targeted teenage opener Sam Konstas with some verbal hostility in a dramatic final stanza.

After India were bowled out for 185 less than half an hour before stumps on a pitch that became increasingly spicy as the first day played out, Australia's openers were asked to survive a torrid three-over spell from their chief tormentor Jasprit Bumrah.

Angry scenes ensued when Usman Khawaja halted Bumrah in his run-up for the day's penultimate ball, prompting terse words from the visitors' stand-in leader to which Konstas interjected "He's not ready mate".

That triggered an animated response from Bumrah who took several steps towards the 19-year-old, as did fellow quick Prasidh Krishna.

When Khawaja then edged the day's last offering and was snapped up by KL Rahul at second slip, the entire India team charged towards Konstas, who had clearly rattled the side that is 2-1 down in the series and must win this Test to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia resume tomorrow 1-9 and with a chance to take a stranglehold on the match after another record attendance of 47,988 packed the SCG for the biggest day one crowd since 1975-76.

India's 185 represented the lowest first-innings score by a touring team at the SCG since they were rolled for 150 in the first Test of the current millennium, a match they went on to lose by an innings and 141 runs as Australia piled on 5-552 in reply.

Today's tally might have been even fewer than that historic low had Australia held their chances and received a favourable third-umpire verdict on the hotly disputed 'catch' from the first ball Virat Kohli faced, which was ruled to have brushed the grass.

Had that remarkable effort from Steve Smith – who scooped the ball one-handed to teammate Marnus Labuschagne at gully – stood, and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja been dismissed from either of the chances he offered in single figures, Australia's day one dominance would have been complete.

Jadeja survived a straightforward offering to Smith at second slip off Boland (on three) that would have handed the quick a fifth wicket.

And a sliced chance low to the left of gully (on five) would have meant a maiden Test wicket for debutant Beau Webster had Nathan Lyon hung on.

But those couple of blemishes were but a blip amid another comprehensive bowling effort, spearheaded by Boland's remarkable return of 4-31 from 20 overs.

Boland's figures might have been even more impressive but for some last-gasp hitting by Bumrah, who crunched consecutive boundaries off the normally parsimonious paceman and a huge six off Pat Cummins in blazing 22 from 17 balls.

That was his team's third-highest score in an innings where no batter reached 50, but plenty called for medical treatment on a pitch that exhibited no great pace but more exaggerated bounce than seen at the SCG in recent memory.

After Konstas had slapped Bumrah's first ball of the innings dismissively through mid-wicket, his opening partner Khawaja became the latest in a series of batters to wear painful blows when a rising ball smashed into his right hand.

But that was just a preamble for the drama to follow, and when the left-hander edged the ultimate delivery to slip the interim India skipper, and then a majority of his teammates, made a beeline for Konstas in an act of almost-controlled aggression.

India had reshuffled their line-up with skipper Rohit Sharma reputedly deciding to 'rest' himself from the crucial game in the interests of his team, having endured a wretched run with the bat since joining the tour after the first Test.

It was apparent even before Starc sent down the opening delivery of the finale that batting was going to be anything but a straightforward assignment.

The morning's light drizzle had cleared by the time stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah won the toss but low cloud hung over the SCG, and floodlights blazed as reunited opening pair Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul headed to the middle.

The pair had previously opened together in the first three Tests of the series before then-skipper Rohit reclaimed his berth at the top of the order, then opted to sit out the final match following a string of single-figure scores.

The new-old combination didn't provide the fresh start India had hoped as Rahul fell softly, clipping a full ball from Starc at chest height to square leg where Sam Konstas held the first – and what might yet prove the simplest – catch of his Test career.

Despite its green and grassy appearance, the SCG pitch was proving slower than expected and while it offered some seam movement and swing (most often after the ball had passed the batter) the bounce was decidedly tennis-ballish.

After bowling just three overs from the Randwick End, Pat Cummins decided it was the sort of deck that might better suit Boland and within an eventful opening over the skipper was proved unerringly correct.

Having dismissed Gill three times in barely six overs in the previous four innings the pair have crossed paths, India's reinstated number three was understandably keen to escape Boland's crosshairs after facing just three deliveries.

Such was his haste to get to the non-striker's end he was nearly run out when the ball ballooned from his thigh pad to short leg where Travis Head's shy at the stumps (with Gill out of his crease) yielding a leg bye that almost saw Jaiswal run out as well.

Perhaps as a result of that chaos, Jaiswal – who had played and missed at three consecutive Cummins deliveries at day's beginning and been beaten several times more in his 26-ball stay – edged Boland to slip where Webster proved unerring.

Next ball, with the unprecedented crowd at fever pitch, Kohli looked to have landed his first golden duck in Tests since 2021, at least if the magnitude of Smith's celebration proved a meaningful guide.

But the doubt raised by super close-up and hyper slow-mo vision created sufficient doubt for the former skipper to survive, even if Kohli himself looked a little surprised as he continued his innings.

It proved an unrewarding experience for the 36-year-old to end what is almost certain to be his final Test tour of Australia, in the face of some unrelenting seam bowling and Nathan Lyon's spin.

Such was the struggle he and Gill found in establishing any fluency throughout the morning that the latter employed some glaringly unsubtle methods to stall proceedings in Lyon's last over before lunch to ensure Australia could not sneak in another before the break.

With Australia's close catchers calling out the time-wasting tactics, Gill fired back at Smith "you take your time Smithy, no one says anything to you".

But the by-play seemed to snap Gill's concentration and, from what proved the final ball before the adjournment, he charged down the pitch at Lyon in a rush of blood and edged a simple catch into the hands of his delighted tormentor at slip.

Kohli's occupation ended in far more predictable circumstances half an hour after lunch when, for the seventh time in as many completed knocks in this series, he was caught behind the wicket fending outside off stump.

The recurring glitch in Kohli's once formidable game is underscored by the fact it's now 22 times since the start of 2021 he's been dismissed by a rival seamer in that fashion.

And his struggle today is underscored by the reality it was his longest Test innings (in terms of balls faced) during which he's not managed a boundary, with the 69 he endured today easily eclipsing the previous benchmark of 48 against England in Chennai also in 2021.

Kohli's frustration was compounded by batting partner Pant's refusal to entertain a single when Kohli pushed Boland wide of mid-on the ball prior to his demise, and he aimed a displeased glance towards the India keeper as he stalked off.

But Pant was too engrossed in his own battle of attrition to have paid that fleeting exchange much mind.

The left-hander had come in for heavy criticism in the wake of his needless dismissal on the final day at Melbourne, with his attempted heave that brought a catch on the long-on boundary precipitating the seven-wicket collapse that cost India the Test.

His only flash of similar intent today came the ball after Jadeja was missed at gully, when he charged Webster and deposited him beyond the sightscreen where a ladder was needed for ground staff to retrieve the ball from its resting place on the surrounding hoardings.

But ultimately Pant copped more blows than he landed, included a thunderous hit on his left bicep from Starc that instantly caused a huge bruise, and a stinging crack high on his right shoulder near the base of his helmet that caused the Australia quick to show immediate concern.

Eventually, after also receiving treatment for a resounding thud in the groin off Cummins and another painful whack to the inside thigh, Pant chose to fight back and toe-ended an attempted pull shot to mid-on.

Just as happened on that eventful last session at the MCG, his dismissal triggered a clatter of India wickets with fourth Test century maker Nitish Kumar Reddy guiding a regulation catch to Smith from the first ball he faced.

Boland came within a whisker of finding the edge of Washington Sundar's bat with his unsuccessful hat-trick ball, but when Starc pinned Jadeja in front of middle stump, soon after India had surrendered 3-14 in the space of seven overs after Pant's wicket.

The collapse became 4-28 when Washington was adjudged caught down the leg side from a barely-there brush of the glove based on evidence decidedly less conclusive than that which saved Kohli.

It was also a decision that clearly bewildered Washington who became the third India batter in as many successful Australia DRS calls stretching back to the MCG to defiantly stand his ground well after the third umpire's verdict was broadcast.

NRMA Insurance Men's Test Series v India

First Test: India won by 295 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Third Test: Match drawn

Fourth Test: Australia won by 184 runs

Fifth Test: January 3-7: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Travis Head (vc), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal