Teenager Sam Konstas recorded the third-fastest half-century by an Australian Test debutant on the first of the fourth Test on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Konstas (60/65) had a heated exchange with Virat Kohli after the two teams clashed shoulders in the 10th over with umpires Michael Gough and Usman Khawaja having to step in to calm the situation before 19. Caught in front of leg by Ravindra Jadeja (1-54).
Khawaja (57), Marnus Labuschagne (72) and Steve Smith (68 not out) all hit half-centuries in front of a crowd of 87,242 after skipper Pat Cummins chose to bat and India reached 311-6 with pacer Jasprit . Bumrah (3-75) is the pick of the bowlers.
Virat Kohli (right) has a heated exchange with Sam Konstas (left) and Usman Khawaja.
India’s Virat Kohli had a heated exchange with Australia’s Sam Konstas in the 10th over of day one.
Umpire Michael Gough intervened after Virat Kohli got into a heated exchange with debutant Sam Konstas on the first day of the Boxing Day Test.
“I think we both feel hurt,” Konstas told Australia’s Channel 7.
“I didn’t really know. I was putting on my gloves and charging my shoulder a bit and that’s what happens in cricket.”
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting added: “Virat walked the entire pitch to his right and encouraged him to do that.”
Khawaja scored his first half-century of the series before Bumrah was 154-2 when he hit a catch to KL Rahul at mid-wicket.
Labuschagne added 83 runs for the third wicket with Smith to take Australia to 237-2, but the hosts lost the momentum when the former was caught at mid-off by spinner Washington Sundar (1-37).
Travis Head, the leading run-scorer of the series, was bowled by Bumrah for a duck, a crucial breakthrough for the tourists after three runs.
Bumrah cheaply removed Mitchell Marsh (4) as Australia suffered a middle-order collapse, losing three wickets for nine runs.
Seamer Akash Deep (1-59) also contributed by removing Alex Carey (31) with the new ball, breaking his 53-run partnership with Smith and leaving Cummins (8no) to provide support.
The five-match series is now 1-1 after a rain-affected draw in Brisbane, with the final Test scheduled to begin at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 3.
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