Australia vs India: Virat Kohli in fiery exchange with debutant Sam Konstas as hosts lead Boxing Day Test | Cricket news
Teenager Sam Konstas hit the third-fastest half-century by an Australian Test debutant on the first day of the fourth Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Konstas (60 off 65) also had a heated exchange with Virat Kohli after the pair touched shoulders at the end of the 10th over with umpire Michael Gough and Usman Khawaja having to step in to calm things down before the youngster from 19 years ago trapped leg in front of Ravindra Jadeja (1-54).
Khawaja (57), Marnus Labuschagne (72) and Steve Smith (68 not out) made half-centuries in front of a crowd of 87,242 after skipper Pat Cummins elected to bat, reaching 311-6 at close, with the pacer of India Jasprit. Bumrah (3-75) is the pick of the bowlers.
Virat Kohli (R) shares a heated exchange with Sam Konstas (L) and Usman Khawaja
India’s Virat Kohli had a heated exchange with Australia’s Sam Konstas in the 10th over of the first day.
Umpire Michael Gough intervenes after Virat Kohli got into a heated exchange with debutant Sam Konstas on the first day of the Boxing Day Test.
Khawaja scored his first half-century of the series before Bumrah hit 154-2 when the left-hander gave KL Rahul a catch at mid-wicket.
Labuschagne then added 83 runs for the third wicket with Smith to take Australia to 237-2, but the hosts lost momentum when the opener was caught at midwicket by spinner Washington Sundar (1-37).
Series top-scorer Travis Head was bowled for a duck by Bumrah in what was a crucial breakthrough for the tourists three runs later.
Bumrah then removed Mitchell Marsh (4) cheaply 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 to break a 53-run partnership with Smith, leaving Cummins (8no) at the crease to provide support.
The five-match series is tied at 1-1 after a rain-soaked draw in Brisbane with the final Test scheduled to start on January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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