India had aimed to wrap up the Australia innings quickly, but Smith\u2019s 34th Test hundred \u2013 a fluent knock laced with 13 fours and three sixes \u2013 along with him getting valuable support from Pat Cummins (49) and Mitchell Starc (15) in stitching stands of 112 and 44 respectively helped the hosts\u2019 made the visitors\u2019 bowling line-up listless.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was also Smith\u2019s fifth ton at the MCG, and second three-figure score coming in as many matches against India in this series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Post lunch, India had some relief as Mitchell Starc was castled by Ravindra Jadeja, who got the ball to straighten in and rattle his off-stump.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Smith was next to fall in a bizarre fashion, as he danced down the pitch to hoick off Akash Deep, but got a bottom edge and the ball rolled onto the stumps to dislodge the off-stump bail. After Scott Boland successfully used the review twice to overturn lbw decisions, Jadeja finally closed Australia\u2019s innings in 122.4 overs by trapping Nathan Lyon plumb lbw.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia\u2019s bowlers will now get a chance to have a crack on a pitch that is still offering a little bit of assistance to seamers and spinners, with India\u2019s batters under immense pressure to step up after the bowlers were made to toil hard in a performance where Bumrah shined yet again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With Rohit Sharma back to opening the batting and KL Rahul, India\u2019s leading run-getter on the tour being, pushed down the order, India have a mountain to climb if they are to save the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia\u2019s bowlers will now get a chance to have a crack on a pitch that is still offering a little bit of assistance to seamers and spinners, with India\u2019s batters under immense pressure to step up after the bowlers were made to toil hard in a performance where Bumrah shined yet again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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