86 runs by Australia on Day 1 set The tone

Australian openers came to bat on day 1 after INDIA scored 180 in first innings. It was humid, natural light was weak, and ground lights were on. Opening pair consisting of Usman Khawaja and Nathan Mcsweeney looked focussed and determined but at the same time probably  had flashbacks from similar scenario in Perth during First test. It was a perfect time for Team INDIA and Bumrah to unleash. You could not have asked for a better time for Bumrah spell and fans expected few wickets in short succession.

Nathan Mcsweeney and Usman Khawaja tried to get their eyes in and left lot of balls. To Bumra’s credit he bowled brilliantly , well supported by Siraj , except they were slightly on the shorter side in their line and lengths. Bumrah managed an edge of Mcsweeney that was dropped of deflection by Rishab Pant gloves and Rohit Sharm’s wrist. Later , he eventually got Usman Khawaja out for an outside edge on well fought 13 off 35 balls.

In came Marnus Labuschange , who looked twitchy but focussed , absorbed lot of deliveries, but most importantly hung in there despite intimidation from Bumrah. The duo strived really hard, did not lose focus on disappearing stadium lights on couple of occasions, and walked off the field with Australia 86 on the board for 1 wicket. They knew it could have been much worse and were very happy the way day 1 went at the end.

In my opinion, the grit shown by Top 3 Aussie batsmen on day 3 set the tone for a probable big first innings score.