13 hours ago
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Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 4th Test, time one, Melbourne
Australia 311-6 (Labuschagne 72, Smith 68* Konstas 60, Khawaja 57; Bumrah 3-75)
Teenager Sam Konstas deed a pulsating half-century connected his Australia debut connected a thrilling opening time of the 4th Test against India successful Melbourne.
The 19-year-old opener, Australia men's youngest Test batting debutant since 1953, smashed 60 from 65 balls, featuring six fours and 2 sixes.
Konstas was besides progressive successful a heated confrontation with India's Virat Kohli, clashing shoulders with the India batter astatine the extremity of an over, earlier departing to a lasting ovation aft being trapped lbw by Ravindra Jadeja.
Fellow opener Usman Khawaja rediscovered his form, hitting a archetypal half-century successful 12 innings earlier departing for 57 aft lunch.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith past enactment connected 83 for the 4th wicket arsenic Australia pressed location their vantage successful the evening session.
But Labuschagne's departure for 72 led to Australia losing 3 wickets for conscionable 9 runs, with the lively Bumrah removing Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh successful speedy succession.
Akash Deep past took the precocious wicket of Alex Carey for 31 with the caller ball, earlier the hosts closed retired the time connected 311-6.
A assemblage of much than 87,000 packed into the MCG for the accepted Boxing Day Test, which took spot nether cloudy skies but sweltering temperatures pushing adjacent to 39 degrees.
The five-match bid is level astatine 1-1, with some sides needing to triumph the bid 3-1 to warrant a spot successful the World Test Championship final.
It has been rather the emergence for Konstas, who has lone played 11 first-class matches and made his debut for New South Wales successful 2023, little than 2 months aft his 18th birthday.
Pitched consecutive into the enactment aft skipper Pat Cummins won the flip and chose to bat, Konstas was engaged successful a fascinating aboriginal conflict with Bumrah, with the India gait bowler beating the bat 4 times successful his archetypal over.
Konstas got disconnected the people astatine the commencement of Bumrah's second, earlier attempting a reverse ramp changeable with conscionable the 11th shot helium had faced successful Test cricket, overmuch to the delight of the Melbourne crowd.
The teen continued to amusement nary fear, attempting to complaint Mohammed Siraj, prompting immoderate prime words and a fiery look from the India quick.
He past clashed shoulders with erstwhile India skipper Kohli astatine the extremity of the 10th over, with the players exchanging words earlier Khawaja and the 2 umpires calmed the concern down.
Konstas was unruffled, smashing Bumrah for 18 successful the adjacent implicit and geeing up the assemblage to support up the noise, earlier reaching his 50 with 2 disconnected Siraj.
An eventful 90-minute innings came to an extremity erstwhile helium fell to Jadeja, but near the tract to a rapturous reception.
Australia volition beryllium further encouraged by the instrumentality to signifier of Khawaja and Labuschagne, who some deed their highest scores of the bid truthful far.
Steve Smith besides looks good acceptable connected 68, though Carey's precocious wicket leaves the Australia process exposed and sets up a perchance pivotal archetypal league connected time two.
English (US)