Sam Konstas’ blitz and heated altercations headline first day’s play during MCG Test

Australia ended the first day of the MCG Test on Thursday with the score of 311 for the loss of 6 wickets. Steve Smith was batting at 68 with skipper Pat Cummins keeping him company on 8 runs from 17 balls. Smith has batted 111 balls and hit 5 boundaries, including a huge six off Mohammed Siraj. 

It was Australia who won the toss and chose to bat first, with Sam Konstas making his debut and Scott Boland coming back in. Josh Hazlewood was replaced after suffering a calf injury during the previous Test in Brisbane. For India, there was one change with Shubman Gill making way for Washington Sundar. 

The early morning session belonged to Konstas, who took the aggressive route with the bat. The 19-year-old used the ramp shot against Bumrah for a boundary and followed it up with a reverse scoop for six. MCG crowd began to egg on Konstas, who put great pressure on India’s bowlers. 

Virat Kohli’s shoulder barge takes limelight for wrong reasons 

Massive controversy erupted when former India skipper Virat Kohli shoulder-barged the young debutant. The incident left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans while former players called out and questioned Kohli’s actions. This didn’t deter Konstas, who went on to score his fifty. 

Ravindra Jadeja struck in the 20th over to dismiss Konstas for 60 runs. Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne then added 65 runs for the second wicket. The veteran batter got his first fifty of the series before falling to Jasprit Bumrah thanks to a loose shot. Steve Smith came out and batted with renewed vigour after his ton in the last game. 

His stand for the 3rd wicket with Labuschagne was worth 83 runs, which came in 21 overs. Washington Sundar broke the stand when Labuschagne stepped out and tried to clear the field. The batter didn’t time the ball well as Virat Kohli took an easy catch with Labuschagne departing for 72. 

Bumrah then got the huge wicket of Travis Head for a duck and Mitchell Marsh for 4 in a space of two overs. Alex Carey joined Steve Smith and added 53 runs for the 6th wicket in 13.1 overs before falling to Akash Deep for 31 runs. His knock came off 41 balls with the help of a solitary six off Sundar. 

Brief Scores: Australia 311/6 (M. Labuschagne -72, S. Smith -68*, S Konstas -60, U. Khawaja-57, J Bumrah -3/75)