Australia takes the honors as debutant Sam Konstas sets the tone with a fearless approach at the top of the order. He took on India’s best bowler, Bumrah, and came out on top. Konstas' efforts helped Australia register their first 50+ opening stand of the series, which kept the new ball from posing a threat to the middle order. Khawaja, Labuschagne, and Smith capitalized on the solid start provided by Konstas, each reaching fifty. India mounted a comeback in the final session, claiming 3 wickets for just 9 runs, but a crucial 50+ partnership between Smith and Carey guided Australia close to 300. Akash Deep, after putting in a lot of hard work, dismissed Carey with the second new ball, but Cummins saw Australia safely to stumps.
The pitch has been intriguing, appearing slow as outside edges fell short, but still offering enough for the pacers. We’ll get a better sense of its behavior once India begins their innings, but they’ll need to quickly take the final 4 wickets and prevent Australia from posting a large first-innings total.
