After putting in a decent shift with the bat, Starc shined with the new ball!
Virat Kohli (Photo: AFP)
Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc got rid of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli in quick succession, with Kl Rahul (47*) the only Indian batsman putting up a fight as the hosts reached a total of 70/3 at lunch, trailing Australia by 190 runs in the 1st Test of the four-match series.
Murali Vijay (10) was the first Indian batsman to fall, caught behind by Mathew Wade off a brilliant Josh Hazelwood delivery in the seventh over to get the visitors a vital breakthrough.
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The ever-dependable Pujara (6) walked in but he didn't last long as Starc’s ripping, short-ball was helped by the unpredictable pitch, bouncing up and taking a slight touch off the batsman’s glove before landing in wicket-keeper Matthew Wade’s hands.
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And the key moment in the session, perhaps even in the match, came just two balls later when Indian skipper Virat Kohli chased a wide delivery but only managed to nick it to first slip for his first duck dismissal after 104 games.
Those two wickets were exactly what Steve Smith wanted and there is no denying the momentum is firmly with the visitors but it remains to be seen if they can go on and build on it.
Rahul seemed unfettered by his teammates inability to preserve their wickets and continued to score runs at a steady rate and is in sight of a half-century. Giving him company is Indian vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane (6*).
Earlier in the day, Starc was dismissed for 61 in the first over of the day’s play itself off Ravichandran Ashwin, to end the Australian first-innings at 260.
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