MELBOURNE:
Powerhouse Indian pair Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli built on an impressive
76 from debutant Mayank Agarwal to pile pain on Australia in the crunch third
Test yesterday. On a docile, batsman-friendly Melbourne Cricket Ground wicket,
India ground their way to 215 for two at stumps on day one with the rock-like
Pujara not out 68 and superstar Kohli unbeaten on 47 as the bowlers toiled in
hot conditions for little reward.

Pat Cummins was
the pick of the attack, taking two for 40. India came into the Boxing Day clash
with a new pair of inexperienced openers after the misfiring Murali Vijay and
KL Rahul were axed, suggesting a hint of panic as Kohli's men look to win their
first-ever series in Australia.

But the exciting
Agarwal rose to the challenge in front of 73,500 fans after India won an
important toss and opted to bat on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate as
the match wears on. He stroked 76 -- the highest score by an Indian on debut in
Australia-and was looking impregnable before Cummins had him caught behind by
Tim Paine as he gloved the last ball before tea down the legside.

It brought Kohli
to the crease to a huge roar from the large Indian contingent at the MCG, and
he set about building an unbroken 92-run partnership with the ever-reliable
Pujara. "I'm happy, I would definitely take a 76 rather than something
less than that. Saying that, I would have liked to have gone on and be there at
the end of the day," said Agarwal.

"Honestly, I
thought they bowled extremely well and didn't give us many loose balls. They
kept it tight and they were attacking," he added. "We need to now try
and post up a big score. The bigger the score the more pressure we can put on them."
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, making
Melbourne a crunch encounter.

Australia's
Travis Head said today morning would be critical. "It was a tough day at
the office, grinding Test cricket. They batted well and we created
pressure," he said. "We need to make sure we come back tomorrow
morning and bowl the way we did today." "Things can change, momentum
can change and I don't think we're far away," he added. Agarwal, who has
been in fine domestic form, scored his first Test runs with a three through the
covers off Josh Hazlewood and had plundered 17 before the more cagey Hanuma
Vihari, promoted to open from number six in Perth, troubled the scorers.

MARSH BOOED

After two lively
pitches in Adelaide and Perth produced results, the track in Melbourne was not
bowler-friendly and skipper Paine brought on spinner Nathan Lyon in only the
seventh over to see if he could weave some magic. But it was Cummins who got
the breakthrough. Vihari had already taken a nasty blow on the helmet in the
12th over, with the physio needed to check he was okay. The right-hander
continued but when he tried to avoid another brutal Cummins bouncer the ball pinged
off his glove. Aaron Finch took an easy catch in the slips and he was gone for
eight.

All-rounder Mitch
Marsh was then brought into the attack only to be met with boos from a section
of the crowd, having been recalled in place of local boy Peter Handscomb. But
Agarwal was unflappable and glided to his maiden Test 50 off 95 balls by
effortlessly drilling a Lyon delivery past the non-striker for four.

At the other end,
the patient Pujara deployed his usual blocking technique, picking off runs from
loose balls. He rarely looked threatened although he got an inside edge on 33
that just failed to carry to Usman Khawaja at gully before bringing up his 21st
Test 50 from 152 balls. Kohli quickly got into a rhythm when he arrived at the
crease, accelerating the run rate as he rattled off a string of boundaries,
with the signs ominous for Australia going into day two. Pujara scored a
century in Adelaide and Kohli matched the feat in Perth. - AFP