Australia vs India 2018/19, Third Test, Day 1: 5 Talking Points

Australia hosted India in the Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of a packed crowd. Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first under hot and humid skies. The Indians tinkered with their batting order as Rahul and Vijay were dropped and Hanuma Vihari was promoted to open the batting.

Mayank Agarwal debuted for India in the match and became the 295th player to represent India in Test cricket. Rohit Sharma got one more chance to prove his potential and Jadeja was chosen in place of Umesh Yadav. For Australia, Peter Handscomb was benched after a string of disappointing performances and the all-rounder Mitchell Marsh replaced him.

The Indian openers started their innings with caution and did not play any loose shot against the new ball. Cummins got rid of Vihari but Pujara looked solid right from the moment he arrived at the crease.

The Indian innings progressed slowly but steadily and at the end of the day’s play, India were 215/2. Here are the five talking points of the day:

#1. The nature of the pitch

For the last few years, a lot of criticism has surrounded the MCG wicket. The ground which once produced scintillating encounters between batsmen and bowlers had suddenly become a batting paradise in the last few years resulting in a series of boring draws. After the last year’s Ashes test, the pitch had received a “poor” rating from the ICC.

This had resulted in a lot of curiosity surrounding the drop in pitch with the curator assuring there will be an even contest between bat and ball. But to the disappointment of everyone, the MCG wicket was once again flat and the Aussie bowlers could not extract anything out of it.

Even the balls bowled by Starc and Cummins did not carry well to the keeper and there was no bounce or turn for Nathan Lyon. Unless the pitch opens up under the sun, The MCG is on course to produce yet another draw.