|| India Correspondent ||
After having won the first Test and lost the second one and a rain delay on Day 1 of the third Test, Australian batsmen finally provide something at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday t cheer for. While as many as 35 overs were lost owing to the rain, debutant Will Pucovski showed his class and smashed his maiden half-century. His partner Marnus Labuschagne has also scored an unbeaten 67, to take Australia to 166-2 at stumps on Day 1 as well.
Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat first on a flat SCG track and his decision soon became fruitful as the swashbuckling opener David Warner was seen in good touch before Mohammad Siraj sent him in for mere 5. However, that certainly didn't change the pace of the game.
However, his dismissal brought Labuschagne in the middle. He joined Pucovski and didn't take much time to set his eyes in. They started hitting boundaries quite often and stitched a 100-run partnership in no time as well. The situation would have been different if the Team India wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant wouldn't miss two chances.
At first he missed on the bowling of R Ashwin, and then Mohammad Siraj. However, after getting two lives, debutant Navdeep Saini end Pucovski's innings for 62 as a fuller-length delivery trapped him before the stumps.
With the score 106-2 on the board, India were hoping to claim a few more wickets, but their plans were foiled by none other than Steve Smith, who had looked rusty so far in the Test series. He smashed a few boundaries against Saini, and then R Ashwin as well. Having supported well with Smith, Labushagne too brought up his ninth half-century.
However, the Day 2 of the third Test will begin from 166/2 on the board.