Labuschagne, Pucovski fifties hold Australia in good stead

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Brief Scores: Australia 166/2 (Marnus Labuschagne 67*, Steve Smith 31*, Will Pucovski 62; Navdeep Saini 1-32) vs India

Australia made amends to their flimsy batting efforts earlier in the series to deliver an improved performance that helped them finish on a strong position of 166/2, on a rain-marred opening day of the third Test. Marnus Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 67 with Steve Smith for company at 31. Though debutant Will Pucovski had fortune on his side, his industrious 62 must have relieved a lot of creases in Australia's forehead given their top-order predicament. 

Sydney is known to be a batting paradise and hence, Tim Paine's call to bat first was a no-brainer. It wasn't a hitch for India either as they had an early shot at extracting whatever little juice there was in the otherwise belter of a track. David Warner brought some much-needed urgency to the table as he tapped and ran from the word go but got carried away with the flow and chased a wide tempter from Mohammed Siraj, who shared the new ball alongside Jasprit Bumrah in Umesh Yadav's absence, to perish nicking behind for 5. It was the maiden instance of Warner being dismissed for a score less than 10 in 25 home innings over the past four years. 

India resorted to short balls to exploit the chink in Pucovski's armour and compelled him into some ungainly ducks and sways. He also seemed a sureshot leg-before candidate with an exaggerated shuffle and a pronounced front-foot plonk but managed to safeguard his wicket with a rock-solid defence till persistent downpour, as forecast, proved a buzzkill, forcing umpires to take Lunch after just seven overs of play. The rain showed no signs of relenting and robbed nearly a session's worth of action. 

When the sun finally made its presence felt, Labuschagne and Pucovski joined hands to wear India down on a surface which had little demons in it. Spare for the on-song Ravichandran Ashwin who varied his pace gorgeously to ask a few nagging questions, the young right-handers dealt with each ball on its merit to unfurl an array of eye-pleasing strokes. A couple of catching opportunities tumbled in India's basket but Rishabh Pant made a hash of them to reprieve Pucovski, first off an attempted slash to Ashwin and then off a glove brush to Saini. His charmed life also saw him evade a run-out after having committed to a third run only to witness his partner hold his ground firm. 

Pucovski's urge to capitalize on the heap of luck and Ashwin's sudden dip in control and consistency gave Australia a boost in terms of the scoring rate. Labuschagne sensed the shift in dynamic and hit the gas pedal too as Australia entered Tea on 91/1, with him remaining unbeaten on 34 and Pucovski on 54. Saini, who bowled just the one over before the break since morning, was creamed for 9 runs, with his first ball in Test cricket yielding a boundary. 

Though Pucovski had been rather dexterous off his pads, the haphazard movements across to the off-stump led to India maintaining the ramrod straight channels in the belief of an error at some point. And it eventually reaped dividends as he got into a tangle against Saini's shooter, rapped on the knee roll dead as a duck for 62 to bring the first 100-run partnership of the series for Australia to a close. 

Smith and Ashwin were at loggerheads once again but the batting maestro came well prepared for a battle of wits. He didn't allow the off-spinner to dictate terms this time around, leaving his crease often to upset the rhythm while keeping a vigilant eye on the slider. He didn't shy away from taking the aerial route either as he breezed his way back to form on the pillars of calculated intent and aggression. Labuschagne grew in confidence at the other end and raked up his fifty with a scenic drive through covers as India veered from the wheels of discipline. Runs came thick and fast as skipper Rahane brought on the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja to halt the ominous partnership. But the diligent duo kept their nose to the grind and escorted Australia to Stumps unscathed as the happier contingent.

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