Twitter Reactions: Mayank, Virat and Pujara shepherd India to ascendancy
Pat Cummins was the only successful bowler for the hosts.
This year’s Boxing Day turned out to be India’s best day with the bat in their series against Australia as they lost only a couple of wickets, apart from scoring 215 runs. Barring makeshift opener Hanuma Vihari, the hosts’ batsmen didn’t look in much trouble in the first day of the third Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). On the contrary, the Aussie bowlers had a tough day in the office.
Mayank shines with bat
India won the toss and had no hesitation to bat first on a pitch, which showed some variable bounce in the first day itself. The visiting team went in a new opening pair- Hanuma Vihari and Mayank Agarwal. The duo put their heads down and compiled 40 runs in 18.5 overs. The experiment to send Vihari to open faltered miserably as he fell prey to Pat Cummins after scoring eight from 66 deliveries.
On the other hand, Agarwal looked comfortable in his maiden international appearance. The Karnataka batsman played cautiously and accomplished his maiden half-century and was well on his way to scoring his first Test century. Unfortunately, a brute of a ball from Cummins accounted for his wicket. The 27-year-old racked up 76 runs from 161 balls with the help of eight fours and a six of tweaker Nathan Lyon.
Pujara and Rahane take over
Agarwal perished with the score at 123 in 54.5 overs. Immediately after, Teat was called. Thereafter, skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, two of India’s most in-form batsmen of late, took the onus upon themselves and occupied the crease without playing any shot out of anger. The duo made sure that India play the next 34.5 overs safely and go back to the hut without any further hiccup on the day.
Pujara scored 68 runs from 200 balls with six boundaries. Kohli started in an aggressive manner but buckled down as his innings progressed to stave off the Aussie bowling attack, which tried out haplessly to separate the pair. The 30-year-old from Delhi notched 47 from 107 balls with six fours and would want to convert the knock. Apart from Cummins, the other Australian bowlers returned empty-handed.
Here is how Twitter reacted
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