Australia vs India 3rd Test: Virat Kohli and co in control as hosts trail by 435 runs

Melbourne: Another memorable day for India as Aussies trial by 435 runs on the second day of the third Test match in Melbourne. Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara dominated the headlines in the first session and despite their dismissals before lunch Rohit Sharma shared two vital partnerships with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant before bringing up his first half-century of the series.

Although the visitors declared at 443-7, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma put the Aussie openers under pressure and it will give them a huge boost heading into the third day. The pitch is expected to slow down and if the pacers can capitalize on that, India will be back in this series.

So that's all from today. Thanks for tuning in!

Australia 5-0 after 4 overs:

BANG! Marcus Harris is struck on the helmet after ripper from Bumrah. The southpaw is being attended by the physio in the middle.

India 443-7 after 159.4 overs:

So Virat Kohli has decided to call his men back as India declare at 443-7 in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test. The Aussies will played a few overs before stumps with Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris in the middle.

India 443-7 after 169.4 overs:

CAUGHT! Rishabh Pant perishes as he tries to pull Starc over deep square leg but miscues his shot. Usman Khawaja makes no mistake as India lose their 6th wicket.

India 409-5 after 164 overs:

FIFTY! Rohit Sharma brings up his first half-century of the series and it couldn't have come at a better time.

India 403-5 after 62 overs:

FOUR! Rohit Sharma steers India past 400 with a strong pull shot towards deep mid-wicket.

India 394-5 after 160 overs:

DROPPED AGAIN! Rishabh Pant dances down the track against Lyon and holes it out to long on only for Cummins to drop it. Buttery fingers.

India 361-5 after 149 overs:

WICKET! Nathan Lyon gets Australia's first LBW of the series. Rahane drifted onto the back foot to tickle it away but was undone by the bounce and turn.

India 359-4 after 148 overs:

DROPPED! Rohit Sharma is deceived by Nathan Lyon's flighted delivery as he tries to sweep across. Siddle settles under the top edge at square leg but it pops out.

India 349-4 after 145 overs:

EDGE! Rohit Sharma slices it between the slip cordon as the ball races towards third man for a boundary. Also brings up the fifty partnership with Rahane.

Tea:

Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have pegged things back in India's favour at the tea break following the dismissals of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. Though scoring runs have not come easy, the duo is slowly building on a vital partnership in Melbourne.

Lunch:

Australia snapped up the key wickets of dogged Cheteshwar Pujara and dangerman Virat Kohli in quick succession Thursday to hand them a sliver of hope in the third Test against India.

The pair both fell soon after lunch in a major breakthrough for the home team on what had until then been a lifeless Melbourne pitch offering little for the bowlers.

At tea on day two, India were 346 for four with Ajinkya Rahane not out 30 and Rohit Sharma, returning from injury, on 13.

Pujara and Kohli had built an intimidating 170-run partnership after openers Hanuma Vihari and Mayank Agarwal fell on day one, and looked set to take the match out of Australia's reach.

But Kohli, who had earlier seen the physio after appearing to hurt his back, was finally undone by pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.

The Indian run-machine had hit a four and was attempting another the next ball when he upper cut it to third man Aaron Finch who took an easy catch to dismiss him for a patient 82 off 204 balls.

It deprived Kohli of a 26th Test century and the chance to surpass boyhood hero Sachin Tendulkar by making a seventh hundred in Australia. They remain tied on six each.

A stoic Pujara had been unflappable in his 319-ball innings until Pat Cummins sent down a rocket that stayed low, breaching his defence and clattering into the stumps.

He had been smashed on the hand not long before and needed attention.

Pujara, who has scored more runs and faced more balls than any other batsman in the series, added only three to his lunch score of 103, but it was another tremendous knock by a man who has now scored 17 Test tons and two in this series.

The pair have been their team's best batsmen by far during the series and until their wickets fell, it had been an arduous day for Australia's bowlers in hot conditions.

They have further work ahead with the experienced Rahane and Sharma both looking in good touch.

The flat track in Melbourne follows much livelier pitches in Adelaide and Perth which produced results.

Last year's Boxing Day Test saw a dull Ashes draw with England that prompted the match referee to grade the pitch "poor" and there was hope for more life in it this time round.

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said the pitch would only be fully judged after the Test finishes, but conceded it needed a revamp.

"We need a sense of urgency in the regeneration of this wicket square," he said.

The four-Test series is tied 1-1 after India won the opening clash in Adelaide by 31 runs and Australia drew level with a 146-run victory in Perth. (With agency inputs)