Jasprit Bumrah counters Sam's stunning debut with a stellar performance

However, one of the most accurate indicators of greatness lies in how one reacts during challenging times. Despite his exceptional skill, Bumrah's resilience and determination are what truly allow him to come back stronger.

In the presence of 87,242 fans – the highest attendance for a day of Test cricket between Australia and India in Australia –cricket delivered it all — a teenager taking on one of the modern greats, some aggression, a shoulder bump, partnerships that saw the hosts gain a position of strength and a fightback led by the indomitable Bumrah. This was theatre that only Test cricket can deliver. If you hung around long enough, you would be rewarded.

At close of play, Australia were a respectable 311/6. Respectable… only because at 237/2 they looked on course for so much more. But India’s fightback saw them get four wickets for 62 and end the day feeling a lot better than they would have after the first hour. At the crease for the hosts were Steve Smith on 68 and skipper Pat Cummins on 8.

The first hour, though, was something the rest of day had a hard time living up to. It was cricket on the edge with each ball brimming with promise. Sam Konstas was brought into the team to take Bumrah on and he did more than just that. He set the tone for the game with an innings that will see expectations on the teenager rapidly rise.

The Australia opener had a torrid time for a few overs before he decided to take the game on. The runs came in a flurry of fours, sixes, reverse ramps and scoops and the huge Boxing Day crowd took every opportunity to roar its approval. After the first hour, Australia had clearly thrown the first punches.

“He’s a legend of the game obviously, so I was trying to put a bit of pressure on him and it paid off today but he took three wickets and he changed the momentum of the game later,” said Konstas after the day’s play. “I always think of challenging myself… trying to bring the best out of myself. So, I was trying to just get into that contest with him and trying to take his lines away.”

On the day, it worked. There was some luck involved for sure but there was enough bravado too to show that Konstas had earned it. What shone through was his attitude; his willingness to assert his dominance and the smarts to play intelligently once the field was spread.

Konstas’s early aggression helped Usman Khawaja. The left-hander had struggled against Bumrah but with Konstas hogging the strike against the pacer, the older pro was left to find his rhythm in a far more relaxed manner.

When Konstas was finally trapped by Ravindra Jadeja on 60 (off 65 balls), it seemed like the door might open for India. But Marnus Labuschagne put on a 65-run stand with Khawaja.

The batting conditions were good but the visitors gamely stuck to their task. Australia might regret how none of their top three batters capitalised on their starts — after Konstas, Khawaja made 57 and Labuschagne 72.

At lunch, they were 112/1 after 25 overs. But the second session saw India tighten the screws with some disciplined bowling. Khawaja’s wicket to Bumrah, off a half-tracker, was greeted with a fair bit of relief by the bowler but the control skipper Rohit Sharma’s side showed too went a long way. At tea, Australia were 176/2 after 53 overs.

“It wasn’t the easiest conditions to bowl,” said India assistant-coach Abhishek Nayar. “We felt the conditions are good to bat on, and at times like that, sometimes it’s important to stick to your guns, stick to the plans. I felt post-lunch, we came back really strong, bowling those maidens, you know, putting the pressure on the opposition.

On Konstas, Nayar said: “At times, you are taken by surprise when someone plays a knock like that, but I felt we responded really well, and then through the day, sort of kept at it, and towards the end, reaped the rewards of everything we did through the day.”

But Labuschagne and Steve Smith got together and after tea, the runs began to flow again. Six overs into the final session, they had put the pressure back on India by scoring 41 runs. With the bowlers tiring, going through the day’s last session can be challenging but the visitors found enough wickets to keep up their spirits.

Washington Sundar, who only came into the attack in the 52nd over, got a gift when Labuschagne hit one straight to Virat Kohli at mid-off. This was the moment when the wheels started turning in India’s favour.

Soon after, a beauty from Bumrah nipped back just slightly to take the off bail and send dangerman Travis Head back for a duck. Mitch Marsh didn’t last much longer and Australia were reduced to 246/5.

Had India got a couple more wickets at this juncture, it might even have become their day. But Alex Carey scored a vital 31 in the company of Smith to get Australia to a safe zone. The 53 runs put on by the duo allowed Australia to close in on 300 and given that India are a batter short, that may be another challenge for them.

The match hangs in the balance. Australia have runs on the board but these were good conditions for batting. Like the weather in Melbourne, who knows how quickly that could change.

Stay informed with the... .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }