As it happened - Cummins bags five to make it 1-1

I'll leave you with the teaser from the report, which will be up shortly. Thanks for tuning in

Pat Cummins’ five-wicket haul capped Australia’s dominance in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval as they levelled the series on the third afternoon with a statement win. The end was nigh for India when Mitchell Starc struck in the first over of the day with a perfectly pitched delivery to have Rishabh Pant nicking behind for his overnight score of 28. India folded for 175, a little over an hour into the first session. Needing 19, Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney knocked off the runs within four overs.

When Cummins was banging one bouncer after another, India were in danger of conceding an innings win. R Ashwin, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy were all bounced out by the Australia captain. Much to the delight of the Adelaide crowd, their hero Travis Head pulled off a tumbling catch to dismiss No.11 Mohammed Siraj, who had become public enemy no.1 after giving Head a send-off on day two.

Australia, though, didn’t need Head with the bat in their second innings as Khawaja and McSweeney applied the finishing touches for them.

The boos soon turn into cheers as Siraj holes out, with Head (who else?) taking the catch. The Adelaide Oval loves it. Australia are now 19 runs away from 1-1.

After being hooked for six, Cummins drags a short ball away from the reach of Reddy and has him holing out to fine third for 42 off 47 balls.

Siraj walks out to massive boos. Head is under the lid at short leg.

"With it being a bit of a break, Bumrah's able to have a little chat with Siraj as he practices a very serviceable forward defensive," Al Muthu says from the Adelaide Oval.

The boos ring out once again as Siraj gets off the mark.

Here's Al Muthu from the Adelaide Oval

"I'm faster than you, Harshit"

There was a little bit of needle in Perth as well. Boy, doesn't that feel so long ago. Possibly also because that bit of bantz was actually good natured. Harshit smiled when Starc engaged him.

"And I have a long memory"

He really does. Here, more than week later, getting Rana to bowl at, Starc goes 145 kph bouncer and Rana fends it off and is lucky that there was a short leg and not a silly point lying in wait.

This whole series is gonna rumble on and on about what is said as much as what is done.

Soon after, Cummins takes Rana out with a sharp lifter of his own from round the wicket, with Rana popping up a catch to gully. India are still 4 runs behind.

Ashwin looked fairly comfortable when he rode Starc's bounce and hooked a single to long leg. But in the next over, Cummins bangs a throat-high bouncer that slants down the leg side, cramping Ashwin. Cummins also hits 139kph and gets it to skid on at Ashwin who attempts another hook but can only tickle it behind off the glove to the keeper. The ball swerves away from the reach of Carey but he is alert to it and leaps to collect the ball. Cummins also greets Rana with a lifter.

Australia could have also had Reddy had Smith not dropped a catch offered by him at second slip. However, this could still end early for India.

Here's what Mohammed Siraj told Star Sports Hindi before the day's play about his battle with Travis Head yesterday: “It was a great battle going on (with Head) and he batted really well. When you get hit for a six on a good ball, it fires you up differently. And when I got him bowled, I only celebrated and he abused me and you saw that on TV too. I only celebrated at the start, I didn’t say anything to him. What he said in the press conference wasn’t right, it’s a lie that he only said ‘well bowled’ to me. It’s there for everyone to see that that’s not what he said to me. We respect everyone, it’s not like we disrespect other players. I respect everybody because cricket is a gentleman’s game, but what he did wasn’t right. I didn’t like it at all.”

Pant goes and with it India's hopes? The end could be nigh for India. After having a night's rest, Starc hits the perfect line and length in the first over on the third afternoon. Good length on middle from left-arm over, but it nips away just enough to brush the outside edge. It pitched on middle, so Pant certainly had to play at it. He is caught on the crease as he has a little prod at it and nicks it behind, with Smith stretching to his right from second slip to grab the ball in front of first slip. India slump further to 128 for 6. They are still 29 adrift of Australia's first-innings total.

After Travis Head hit a hundred off 111 balls, Australia's quicks had a night out at the Adelaide Oval. India collapsed under lights, losing five wickets, and are still 29 runs adrift of Australia's first-innings 337. The pink ball tends to be at its most potent during the twilight, and India's batters failed once again. Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy, though, started positively on day two, but India still have plenty of work to do if they are to turn the tables on Australia. A fresh Australia attack will have a crack at them this afternoon.

Some reading material for you before the action begins on day three.

Al Muthu on India's pink-ball blues.

Andrew McGlashan on Travis Head and India - the one-sided love story.

I'll leave you with a teaser from the report. Be back tomorrow for more action and drama from the Adelaide Test.

A whirlwind century from hometown hero Travis Head blew India’s attack away and thrilled the Adelaide crowd on day two of the pink-ball Test. Head’s 140 off 141 balls swelled Australia’s first-innings lead to 157 and left India facing a challenging two-hour mini-session under the floodlights. The visitors fell further behind when they lost half of their side during that period when the pink ball is at its most potent. At stumps, India were 128 for 5, still 29 runs behind.

Head had walked out to generous applause from his home crowd and into a bit of trouble in the middle after Jasprit Bumrah had taken out both Nathan McSweeney and Steven Smith in a space of 13 balls. While McSweeney nicked a Bumrah special behind to Rishabh Pant, after managing to add just one to his overnight tally of 38, Steven Smith was caught down the leg side for 2.

After the floodlights had blacked out twice on the opening day, Australia’s batting threatened to black out on the second afternoon. Head, however, had other ideas and torched the innings with his no-holds-barred approach. He played and missed four of his first nine balls, but that certainly didn’t stop him from playing his shots. He stayed true to his method of staying leg-side of the ball and cracking it away into the shorter pockets of the ground square on the off side.

He also cleared the longer straight boundary when he crashed R Ashwin over mid-off and then over his head for sixes, including a 110-metre monster hit.

Head scored his first fifty off 63 balls and took only 48 more balls to convert it into a hundred. He celebrated the landmark by rocking his bat like a baby in tribute to his family’s new arrival, with his wife among the crowd of over 51,642. A hug from fellow South Australian Alex Carey was also part of the revelry.

If Starc doesn't get you (because of a no-ball), Cummins will.

The Australia captain bowls a perfectly-pitched delivery that slants in towards off and straightens away so very late to kiss the top of off stump.

Rohit has managed 3 and 6 at No.6 on his return to the side. India are 105 for 5 in the 21st over.

The big, bad left-arm quick is at it again with the shiny, pink ball. He storms through the defences of Gill with a full, hooping inswinger, which knocks out the middle stump. It might be normal routine for Starc, but it still leaves batters gasping in disbelief.

Starc then switches his length and hits Rohit on the grille first ball with a lifter. It's a no-ball.

The next ball thuds into Rohit's pad and umpire Gaffney raises his finger. But hold on, the placing of Starc's heel is wrong once again. A no-ball reprieve for Rohit. Replays detect an inside edge as well. More drama at the Adelaide Oval.

After having tested Kohli outside off with near-perfect lengths, Boland has him nicking behind for 11 off 21 balls. Boland puts it on a fourth-stump line and has a crease-bound Kohli prod at it, leaving India at 66 for 3 under the twilight. It's the second time that Boland has dismissed Kohli in four Test innings.

Pant comes in at No.5 and responds with a down-the-track biff over mid-off first ball. Australia could have also had Gill on 20 had Smith held onto a tough chance at second slip.

Andrew McGlashan from Adelaide Oval: Scott Boland has made amends for his first-ball no-ball on the opening day which denied him the wicket of KL Rahul by striking with the first ball of his first over in the second innings to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal. He then beat Virat Kohli with his first delivery. The Adelaide Oval crowd, which could be in record territory, is very much into things.

Barring an expensive over when Nitish Kumar Reddy was playing his shots on the opening day (and the errant front foot), Boland has slotted seamlessly back into the Test side. It could raise an interesting question when it comes to selection for Brisbane especially if he bags a few more in this innings.

Josh Hazlewood is hopeful of being fit after missing this Test with a mild side strain. He was bowling on the practice days, at around three-quarters of full pace according to Pat Cummins, and when he spoke to Channel 7 earlier today was feeling confident about his prospects. If fit, he will surely come straight back in, which would be hard luck on Boland. But the selectors will also feel confidence that they don’t have to push Hazlewood.

After bagging a golden duck in the first innings, Jaiswal got off to a brisk start in the second. But Boland cuts his innings short on 24 off 31 balls. It's a typical Boland delivery. On a length and seams away just enough to graze the outside edge. A front-foot no-ball denied him a first-ball wicket on day one. Boland won't be denied today as he gets Jaiswal with his first ball. His second ball misses the outside edge of Kohli. His third kisses the outside edge, but Kohli threads the slip cordon for a fortunate four.

After having started well with an on-driven four off a Starc inswinger, Rahul gets cramped by a 142kph short ball from Cummins that skids into his upper body and rushes him into a hook. Rahul can only tickle it behind to Carey as India fall further behind

In the first innings, Jaiswal was done in first ball by Starc. When Starc angled a full, fast delivery in and threatened to swing it down the leg side, it seamed late in the other direction and thudded into his pad. He stood on leg, shuffled and fell over outside the line of the ball and was pinned lbw for a golden duck. Jaiswal has now changed his guard to leg stump to avoid falling over.

After having yorked Head and given him a send-off, Siraj comes back after tea to bowl Australia out for 337. He gets rid of Starc and No.11 Boland in successive overs to end with 4 for 98. Australia are 157 runs ahead. The floodlights are coming on and Australia will have two hours to bowl under it.

Al Muthu from Adelaide Oval: "Rohit hung back on the outfield as Siraj was making his way in and patted him on the back before they all went back into the dressing room. India really rallying around him. The boos had kinda sorted stopped after tea. There were only a few mild ones."

Bumrah storms through the defences of Cummins as the ball brushes the pad and hits the stumps at the stroke of tea. But Australia's lead had passed 150 by then. Starc, meanwhile, has rattled away to an unbeaten 18 off 14 balls. Will we see him with the pink ball under twilight?

After mowing Siraj for four and six, Head gets yorked by Siraj who releases his pent-up emotions and gives Head a send-off. The Adelaide crowd doesn't like it one bit. "Huge boos ring around the ground, aimed at Siraj, as replays of the send-off are shown," says Andrew McGlashan from the Adelaide Oval. Head has fallen for 140 off 141 balls. An incredible innings, which has put Australia well and truly on top as the lead nears 150.

The boos turn into cheers when Starc takes Siraj for a four first ball.

Siraj was a bit erratic under twilight on day one, but has tightened up today. He thought he had Labuschagne lbw in the afternoon, but an inside edge denied him the wicket. Siraj finally has one when he draws an outside edge from Carey, which is held by Pant.

Kicks up from a back of a length and kisses the outside edge near the shoulder of the bat as Carey has a defensive jab at it. Gone for 15 off 32 balls. The second new ball is due in three overs.

Al Muthu writes from Adelaide Oval: It felt like a huge wicket when it happened in Perth. It deviated 1.36 degrees after pitching (twice the average movement on that day) to take out off stump. It sometimes feels like it needs that kind of ball for India to get past Travis Head. Harshit Rana provided it. How quickly things change. In Adelaide, Head has targeted Rana, and it hasn't really mattered what comes down. Short. Full. On the stumps. Outside off stump. This head-to-head is 41 runs off 29 balls and that includes eight of the 16 boundaries the Australian has hit in this phenomenal innings.

Head knocks it to square leg for a single, pumps his fist and does the rock-the-baby celebration, having become a new dad last month. The Adelaide crowd loves it. Over 50,000 fans celebrate with the hometown hero whose hundred off 111 balls has turned the game Australia’s way. Head's family is also in attendance at the Adelaide Oval. A hug from his South Australia mate Alex Carey is also part of the celebrations. India must be sick of the sight of him. He continues to punish them in red, white and pink-ball cricket.

Andrew McGlashan from the Adelaide Oval: Travis Head is doing what he’s done so often for Australia, and pretty often against India: taking the game away. He has already pushed the lead above 50 against the old ball with India desperate to maintain a hold on the scoring rate until that becomes available. However, he’s lived on the edge. It’s the nature of the way Head plays that he will offer chances, but the opposition has to take them. Shortly after depositing R Ashwin straight down the ground for six he attempted a repeat and Mohammed Siraj couldn’t haul what would have been an excellent catch running back to mid-on.

Then in the next over he edged Harshit Rana between the keeper and a wide first slip. Rishabh Pant’s weight appeared to be on his right foot and he couldn’t spring into a dive that may have given a chance of grabbing the edge.

Head loves batting at his home ground and his average here has currently ticked over 80. He could be playing the decisive hand of the Test.

Head had smashed Ashwin over mid-off for six before the dinner break. It was a blameless tossed-up ball on off stump, Head collapsed his back knee, manufactured swinging room and a six.

After the break, Head has stepped out and pumped Ashwin over his head for six more. Head tries to launch the next ball from Ashwin over mid-on, but toe-ends it. Siraj runs back from mid-on, gets into an awkward position, and shells a difficult chance. Head then rumbles into the 90s with a rasping cut off Rana.

R Ashwin thought he had Marsh lbw just before the dinner break. He was certain it was pad first and convinced Rohit into a review of the on-field not-out decision. Replays, too, suggested that it was pad first but TV umpire said there was no conclusive evidence of the ball striking the pad first. Ball-tracking returned umpire's call on impact - whether it was with bat or pad - which means it would've stayed not out even if Kettleborough had deemed it to have struck the pad first.

After the dinner break, Ashwin finally has his man. Ashwin dangles up an offbreak outside off, but it doesn't turn and simply slides on outside off with a hint of extra bounce. Marsh tries to defend but can only nick it behind to Pant. He walks off even before umpire Illingworth raises his finger. Australia are 208 for 5, with Carey joining Head in the middle now. However, there's nothing on the Snicko, with the ball missing the outside edge. India will take them whichever way they come.

Head, fittingly, gets to the landmark with a rasping slap between point and cover, off only 63 balls. Whenever India's quicks have offered him with, he's latched onto it, peppering the shorter pockets square on the off side. Adelaide gives its hometown hero another rousing reception. He has put Australia in the lead with his attacking enterprise. Australia are 11 runs ahead at the dinner break despite having lost three wickets in the afternoon.

Al Muthu from Adelaide Oval: "Prasidh Krishna just came out to have a chat with Rohit, gesturing around at spots on the field in between overs. India digging deep into the bag for plan M, N, O, P...."

The plan is to have Nitish Kumar Reddy bowl...short and wide of off. Labuschagne reaches out, slashes and Jaiswal holds onto a sharp chance at gully. Labuschagne rode the bounce against the quicker, taller Rana and kept it down. But can't quite do the same against the shorter medium-pacer. A bit of loose shot from Labuschagne, which has brought India back into the contest.

Australia were in trouble when Bumrah produced a double-strike earlier in the afternoon to dismiss both McSweeney and Smith. Labuschagne and Head, though, have combined well to pull Australia out of trouble.

Labuschagne came into this game, facing serious questions around his form. Before the Adelaide Test, he had managed only 123 runs in his last ten innings, of which 90 came in one knock against NZ. He has responded to those questions with a steady half-century. After having left well outside off, Labuschagne picked India’s seamers away off straighter lines this morning.

Labuschagne endured a nervy moment when Siraj launched into a celebrappeal for lbw, but the batter had squeezed an inside edge onto the pad. He got to his half-century off 114 balls and celebrated it with a sequence of 4,4,4 against the chirpy Harshit Rana, who has been wildly erratic on day two so far.

As for Head, the local boy, he has stayed true to his method of staying leg-side of the ball and hitting into the short square pockets on the off side. When Ashwin tossed one up outside off, he took him on and crunched him over mid-off for six. Australia are already close to parity and look good to make more progress on day two.

Al Muthu paints a picture of the Adelaide Oval: Bright sunshine. Packed crowd. Grass banks teeming. The Adelaide Oval is a picture even without the added allure of the sunset and all its colours. Sometimes the cricket takes second place to days like these. Test matches here are like festivals. The walk into the ground through Rundle mall and across the bridge over the river Torrens is lovely. There are people busking. There are tourists documenting their trip. Christmas decorations are up, big trees, swings to ride, bells to toll, all of which the kids really seem to like. Who cares if Marnus Labuschagne thought he could do an all-run five this morning or Jasprit Bumrah snagged Steven Smith down leg?

Andrew McGlashan's thoughts on Smith's dismissal from the Adelaide Oval: When Steven Smith was caught at leg gully in the final innings of his prolific 2019 Ashes, there was a bit of a joke made of it that England’s plan had finally come together after 774 runs.

"They've had that position a bit for me and I've always felt if you hit one there it's kind of unlucky in a way and it just takes a catcher out of somewhere else, so go for your life,” Smith said at the time.

It’s difficult to believe that it was India’s plan to have Smith caught down the leg side in Adelaide, but they will happily take them whichever way they come. Often you hear bad luck associated with being 'strangled' in the manner Smith was, but it continues a trend of dismissals this year that you would not expect to see from Smith at his very best.

It was the second time this summer that he has been caught down the leg side after the first innings of the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the MCG. There have also been a number of lbw dismissals this year that, when Smith was at his peak, bowlers would constantly try aim for given his shuffle across the crease, only to see the ball pinging through the leg side.

After having had McSweeney nicking off outside off, Bumrah has Smith caught down the leg side for 2 off 11 balls. India's leg-side trap worked well for them in 2020-21, but this dismissal might not have been a result of that bodyline plan. There's no leg slip or leg gully in place. It's a loosener slanting down the leg side. Smith does not get enough bat on ball and nicks it to Pant down the leg side. Smith is livid with himself.

India didn't have luck go their way in the pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval in 2020, but four years on their fortunes have changed at this venue. Australia are 103 for 3. Local boy Travis Head receives a rousing reception. The onus is on him to repair this innings along with Labuschagne.

McSweeney showed that he belonged to this level when he weathered Bumrah's spell under the floodlights on the opening day, but he falls to India's spearhead on the second afternoon under natural light.

This is a Bumrah special. Back of a length and angling into off, making McSweeney play, and seaming away late to kiss the outside edge. McSweeney tries to defend but it's too good for him. Too good for any batter. After having done all the hard work under twilight, McSweeney has to go for 39 off 109 balls. Having dropped him yesterday off a similar ball, Pant makes no mistake this time.

Conditions seemed ideal for batting on the second afternoon, but Bumrah excels in all conditions and gives India the kind of early lift they needed on day two.

Andrew McGlashan from the Adelaide Oval: After his difficult debut in Perth where he was twice undone by Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan McSweeney could be highly satisfied with having got through the final session on the opening day in Adelaide. He needed some luck, dropped by Rishabh Pant on 1 when he edged Bumrah, but opening batters in night-time conditions against the pink deserve a helping hand at times.

By the time he walked off shortly after 10pm to the appreciative cheers of his adopted home crowd, he was unbeaten on 38 and now has the prospect of being able to build on that in conditions that look ideal for batting on the second afternoon.

Harshit Rana, India’s feisty fast bowler, tried to get under his skin with some chat while McSweeney was seeing off the early shine and it nearly worked when he went for an expansive pull and bottom edged into his pads. But McSweeney regained his composure, leaving well outside off, and waited for the bowlers to come to him.

Late in the day there were a brace of crisp boundaries off Nitesh Kumar Reddy and in the closing moments he connected with a crisp pull against Rana who by this stage had become a little less talkative. In a role that remains very new to him, there were promising signs.

The first day of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide was packed with drama and action. Mitch Starc started it with the first-ball wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal and went onto scythe through the India batting line-up. That India ultimately managed 180 was down to Nitish Kumar Reddy’s boisterous counterattack. His reverse-lapped six off Scott Boland for six was among the plays of the day.

Japsrit Bumrah then dismissed Usman Khawaja under the twilight, but India’s seamers didn’t attack the stumps enough, allowing Labuschagne and McSweeney some easy leaves. There was a floodlight malfunction – or two – at the fag end of day one, but Labuschagne and McSeeney continued to bat with composure. India could be in for another grueling day at the Adelaide Oval unless they tighten up with the ball.

I'll leave up with a teaser from the report, which will be up shortly. Al Muthu and Gnasher will have every other angle covered from the Adelaide Oval. Same place same time tomorrow. Ciao

Mitchell Starc’s sizzling spell with the pink ball headlined the opening day of the day-night Test in Adelaide as Australia responded to their 295-run drubbing in Perth by dismissing India for 180. Jasprit Bumrah then got rid of Usman Khawaja in the twilight but the under-pressure Marnus Labuschagne and local boy Nathan McSweeney navigated a tricky passage of play to guide Australia to stumps without any further damage. Their unbroken 62-run partnership helped Australia cut their deficit to under 100 and ensured that the first day in Adelaide belonged to them.

The first ball from Starc was a portent for what was to follow. He struck in the first over of each of his three spells, asserting his supremacy in pink-ball Tests. He came away with career-best Test figures of 6 for 48, which extended his pink-ball tally in Australia to 72. It is twice as many as Pat Cummins (36) has taken and 29 more than what Nathan Lyon, Starc's closest contender in pink-ball Test cricket in the country, has managed.

Shiva Jayaraman: There have been nine catches dropped off Jasprit Bumrah by wicketkeepers in international cricket and eight of them have been by Rishabh Pant. Against Bumrah, Pant seems to follow the angle of the ball more than he does against other pacers. Therefore, when there’s a catching chance, he usually starts farther away from the line of the ball against Bumrah than against other bowlers. Not surprisingly then, the eight catches he has dropped off Bumrah are his most off any India pacer in international cricket. Against all other pacers combined, Pant has dropped just 10 catches and held 122 - a drop percentage of just 7.22 as opposed to 19.05 percent against Bumrah.

Labuschagne needed 19 balls to get off the mark and McSweeney 18, but both batters have dug in under the twilight to stabilise Australia's reply after they had lost Khawaja to Bumrah. After having seen off the new-ball spells of Bumrah and Siraj, McSweeney picks off Reddy for back-to-back fours.

As for India, R Ashwin is back on the field but hasn't bowled yet. He copped a blow on his foot when Starc yorked him. Matt Howard said on the TV commentary that it was an external injury, but no signs of Ashwin with the ball yet. The Australia batters, meanwhile, build on the gains made by Starc and co. earlier in the day. India's quicks found big seam movement under lights but they didn't attack the stumps enough, allowing McSweeney and Labuschagne comfortable leaves.

While collectively Australia's top order is underperforming, Labuschagne is the one squarely in the spotlight after two ugly innings at Optus Stadium. On the first day he laboured to 2 off 52 balls before missing a straight delivery from Mohammed Siraj and on the third evening left a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah that would have smashed the stumps.

The twin failures left Labuschagne with 123 runs from his last 10 innings of which 90 came in one knock against New Zealand in March. Overall this year he is averaging 24.50 in Tests to follow a 2023 where that figure was 34.91 having been above 60 in three of the previous four years.

Andrew McGlashan spoke to Labuschagne's batting mentor ahead of this Test.

After switching the angle to around the wicket, Bumrah gets a length ball to angle in, kick up and seam away from Khawaja. He can only waft at it and edge it behind, with Rohit holding onto a more straightforward catch this time. Khawaja falls for 13 off 35 balls, with the pink ball doing a bit more under lights. This could be a fun, little session under the twilight.

Namooh Shah, our statsman, notes that this is Bumrah's 50th Test wicket in 2024, the most by any bowler this year.

The under-pressure Labuschagne joins rookie McSweeney in the middle. Rana is also getting the ball to seam around and bounce at the other end. He is also engaging in some verbal volleys with the Australia batters. These Indian youngsters won't back down from any challenge. McSweeney responds by firmly pulling a short ball over midwicket.

Al Muthu from Adelaide Oval: A lot has been made of the adjustments India's batters have to make against the pink ball. The challenge the bowlers would face hasn't really been discussed. It's been too much of a good thing actually, in the first few overs. The movement and the bounce have been so substantial that Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney have been able to leave 18 of the first 30 balls they faced.

India usually start on about fifth stump and then go closer and closer to off stump. Here, when they start on fifth stump, and the ball decks away after pitching, it seems too wide. Bumrah tried to go straighter and gave away four byes. Australia's lbws and bowleds came off really pitched up balls. India haven't explored that length yet because what they've discovered is the ball responds better when you hit a length. Which it does, just that it hasn't been to their benefit yet.

With the twilight approaching, Bumrah angles one into McSweeney and then it leaves the batter later. Bumrah squares up McSweeney and catches the outside edge. It seems like it’s Rohit’s catch at first slip, but Pant throws himself to his right and goes for it only to shell it. Rohit can’t grab it on the rebound either as the ball swerves away, hits his wrist and goes down. McSweeney was on 3 at that point. Can he make India pay for the drop?

Reddy gave India hope of getting to 200 with his six-hitting, but they eventually fall 20 short of the mark, being dismissed for 180. It's that man Mitch Starc once again. He had the first say in this innings by trapping Jaiswal lbw with the old ball. He has the final say in this innings by having Reddy holing out with the old ball. Starc comes away with 6 for 48, his new career-best figures. A stiff challenge under twilight, though, awaits Australia's batters. Can they solve the Bumrah problem?

Despite wickets falling at the other end, Nitish Kumar Reddy continues to counterattack. When Starc fires a full, fast one outside off, Reddy lines it up and smokes it over extra-cover for six. He then lines up Boland for a sequence of 6,4,6 in the next over, bowled by Boland.

The first six was an outrageous reverse-swat. Boland had bowled a blameless length delivery that was destined to hit the stumps until Reddy's reverse-swat intervened. He brought his fast hands into play and nonchalantly lifted it over the third-man boundary, one of the bigger pockets of the ground. I needed some time to pick my jaw up from the floor. No wonder Mitch Marsh is his fan. Bumrah exchanges smiles with Reddy. He certainly enjoyed it from the other end. Reddy is pushing India towards 200.

Reddy had top-scored in his debut innings in Perth and has top-scored for India once again in this pink-ball Test.

There’s no stopping Mitchell Starc with the pink ball in Australia. Ashwin had played some eye-catching strokes off Marsh and Cummins, but Starc blasts him out with an inch-perfect inswinging yorker. It thuds into Ashwin’s front boot even before he could bring his bat down. Full, fast and plumb once again. Another Starc special. Not sure why Ashwin had reviewed this.

He then cranks it up to 144.5kph and storms through the defences of Harshit Rana with another inswinger. Starc holds the ball aloft and celebrates his five-wicket haul. It's his first five-for against India in Test cricket and fourth in pink-ball Test cricket. Adelaide loves it

Al Muthu reports from Adelaide: "Twilight is approaching. That is the period where the new pink ball is at its most potent. Most people seem to agree on that. It is perhaps with that in mind that Australia brought back Mitchell Starc. If his simple, tried, tested, deadly full and straight stuff could topple India's top-scorer in Perth, they should do for their lower order.

"Exposing two new batters to Jasprit Bumrah in twilight might not exactly be ideal, even though Australia have India pinned in terms of runs on the board. So maybe if they can go bang-bang now, and allow their under-pressure top order some time at the crease before the sun sets, maybe they'd be able to deal with the chaos that is soon to come a little bit better.

"And guess what, it's working.

"A reason why the ball's misbehaved even during the day time might be because it's been a bit humid and cloudy out there."

Shiva Jayaraman puts numbers to Rohit's defence

Rohit Sharma doesn't have the tightest of defence in Tests. Even during his best phase as an opener, from the time he began to open in October 2019 to the end of the 2023 season, his control while playing defensive shots was 83.27%. Among 45 batters to face at least 1000 deliveries during that period, only Zak Crawley had lower control while defending. However, perhaps because Rohit had faster reflexes that allowed him to adjust at the last moment, he got away with low control. Out of the 1823 balls he defended during that phase, Rohit was dismissed only 12 times. That’s one dismissal every 152 balls.

But Rohit’s defensive technique seems to have been thrown off since he began attacking more in white-ball cricket with the ODI World Cup in 2023. In Tests post that World Cup, Rohit has been dismissed an equal 12 times defending from just 414 balls. So, a dismissal every 34.50 balls down from one every 152 balls. Among 70 batters who’ve defended at least 200 balls, only Tom Blundell and R Ashwin have a lower balls-per-dismissal rate. Interestingly, Rohit's control percentage hasn't come down noticeably - by less than one percentage point to 82.85% from earlier.

However, something else suggests that this weakness of Rohit’s might have something to do with slowing reflexes, given his feet movements have always been minimal. Against spinners, Rohit’s control has been 87.68 percent post the World Cup; he has been dismissed four times in 203 balls. Against pacers his control comes down to 78.19 percent. He has been dismissed 8 times in 211 balls.

Cummins leaves India six down and sinking. He gets a back-of-a-length delivery to rise up to the ribs and has Pant flapping this prancing delivery to gully. How do you even play this?

McSweeney dropped Pant on 5. Pant adds 16 to his tally before Labuschagne catches him. India slump further to 109 for 6.

Cummins had looked underdone in Perth. He didn't threaten the stumps enough with the new ball today, but blasts one of India's key batters out with the old one. He celebrates it with a roar. Adelaide roars with him.

In his next over, Cummins digs in another bouncer to almost rip out Nitish Reddy's glove.

Post-dinner musings Al Muthu: "For a player who is known for finding loopholes in the laws for physics all to but a piece of wood on leather, Rishabh Pant's defensive skill is top notch. The same hand-eye coordination that enables him to pull off those fall-away scoops and sweeps probably play a part here as well because he doesn't really move his feet. It was very obvious at the nets two days out from the Adelaide Test, where his quick judgment of length, and minimal footwork, meant it almost looked like he was waiting in position with a dead bat for the ball to come and hit it.

"Some of the top-order batters weren't able to pick up which balls to defend and which to attack - Kohli and Rahul for example fell trying to play shots to balls they then realised could be left. Pant, on the other hand, is batting right now with 88% control. That, of course, is mitigated by the fact that the ball is getting older and softer."

Andrew McGlashan from the Adelaide Oval: "Scott Boland has produced a reminder of what made him such a threat when he burst into Test cricket three seasons ago against England. It’s remarkable to think it’s his first home Test since late 2022 but as Pat Cummins said yesterday, no one fell over last summer. It was his own error that prevented a first-ball wicket yet even that, the late nip away off the seam, was trademark except for the placing of his heel. Striking the pads of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma has been route one from him – on a good length, or just back of it, and nipping the ball around. When he claimed Rohit, it took his average in Australia back under 20."

Before Friday, the last time Rohit batted at No.6 in Test cricket was back in 2018 at the MCG, where he scored a first-innings 63 to help set up India’s victory. It helped India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Six years on, Rohit has pushed himself down the order even though he’s the captain now to let Rahul slot in at the top as India aim to keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Rahul started well but couldn’t quite convert it into a substantial score. The onus was on Rohit to repair the innings at No.6, but he, too, falls for 3 after the dinner break. Boland skids a full one into Rohit’s pads to catch him on the crease and trap him lbw. It’s so plumb that Rohit does not even bother about a review. India could’ve been six down had McSweeney held onto a catch offered by Pant when he was on 5.

Boland might have not played this Test had Hazlewood been fit. His last Test match was in July 2023.

He came back and could've struck first ball but the luck went Rahul's way. Boland, however, marks his return by darting one into Gill's pads and having him lbw for 31 off 51 balls. Boland and Starc have ensured that this is indeed Australia's session. Chaotic passage of play for India just before lunch as they lose three wickets for just 12 runs. They are 82 for 4 at the dinner break. No.6 Rohit and Pant have plenty of work to do in the middle session.

"There's some rain lurking just to the south of the ground at the moment," Andrew McGlashan says from the Adelaide Oval. "The groundstaff bring out the hessian cover which is currently parked near the pitch."

...and out goes Kohli for 7 off 8 balls as Starc makes him look silly as well with extra bounce.

Here's Al Muthu from the Adelaide Oval: "There's been some noise leading into this Test match about how the public has been indifferent to the way this Australian team has reacted to the loss in Perth - in that they hadn't really reacted at all. I was on a cab in Canberra where the driver - in addition to reeling off deets about the Indian team with ease - had pretty much written off every member of this aging side. Cut to Adelaide, the atmosphere is very different. Mitchell Starc getting that first-ball wicket must have helped. There was a roar when it happened, and another when they saw Yashasvi Jaiswal was so plumb he couldn't even look to DRS to save himself. Virat Kohli's entry didn't produce any sound possibly because it was between overs; once the stadium announcer said who had made his way out, the noise went up, but it rivalled the applause for Starc again as he got rid of Kohli.

"The crowd has really vibed with the big bad left-arm quick. They clap him on when he's running in. They've gone 'oooooh' as he beats the bat. Australia going to him to close out the session was a desperation move, because until then India were moving along quite nicely. Soon as he came in, the game changed."

Rahul walked off when he thought he had nicked Boland’s first ball behind though there was nothing on Snicko and though it was a no-ball.

In the same over, when Rahul actually nicked one behind, Khawaja dropped him at first slip.

Rahul’s luck eventually runs out when Starc has him nicking behind a prancing delivery, with McSweeney snagging a smart, low catch at gully. Rahul has to go for 37 off 64 balls.

In comes Kohli with India at 69 for 2 in the 19th over.

Gill and Rahul have settled India after that first-ball strike from Starc. They have latched onto anything that was remotely full and wide of off. Whenever Australia’s quicks veered away from the stumps, the pair has looked to take advantage of it. Like when Gill caressed Starc through the covers in the early exchanges. And like when Rahul stroked Boland through the same region later in the 14th over.

Gill, in particular, has been positive and has showed no signs of ring rust. He missed the Perth Test with a fractured thumb, but recovered in time for the pink-ball tour game in Canberra and worked his way back with an unbeaten 50.

As for Rahul, he continues to do his thing at the top. After having blunted the new ball, and after having some luck going his way, he is opening up against the older ball and playing more shots.

Shubman Gill isn’t a big leaver of the ball. Against pacers, Gill has left alone 16.90% of the balls he’s faced. Since his Test debut, 47 batters in the top three have faced 500 or more balls from pacers in Test cricket. Among them, Gill’s leave percentage ranks the seventh lowest. He’s more circumspect against left-armers though. Against them, his leave percentage goes up to 21.72%. Gill predominantly stays legside when playing the ball, and perhaps because of that, the angle from left-armers bowling from over the wicket makes it easier for him to not offer a shot: unless the ball is coming in, it quickly moves outside the line of his head and Gill is able to judge his leaves better.

The difference in how much he leaves left-arm pace as against right-arm pace is stark early in his innings. In the first-20 balls of his innings, his leave percentage against left-arm pacers is higher at 32.80. Against right-arm pacers this halves down to just 16.00.

This could be one reason why Gill is more successful against left-arm pacers than he’s against right-armers. Coming into this match, Gill averaged 46.25 against the left variety as opposed to 30.00 against right-armers. Perhaps this also explains why he’s been so successful against Mitchell Starc, scoring 134 off 144 balls without getting dismissed by the bowler even once. Before this Test, he had not offered shot to 28 of 144 balls from Starc – most he’s left any other pacer in his career. In the first hour, Gill didn’t offer shot to 10 out of 24 balls he faced from Starc in the first hour, but managed just two leaves from 17 balls from the right-armers.

Al Muthu from the Adelaide Oval: "The last time India were here, every mistake they made led to a wicket. Three years later, their luck seems to have changed. To the extent that KL Rahul has got two lives in the space of an over. He was walking without nicking one - there was no spike on Snicko - and was brought back because of a no-ball call. Then he did nick one to first slip but Usman Khawaja wasn't able to collect the catch.

"The idea of having Rahul up the order is because he can see off these good balls, absorb the pressure when Australia are bowling tight, and then hit back. But it looks like the conditions might be asking him to make a slight change. The good length and just back of a good length ball are moving off the seam quite sharply. But the full ones aren't really doing a whole lot. Rahul is on the lookout for the full one. He got it from Starc soon after getting those two lives from Boland and he lashed him backward of point for four. India are going to have to be alert to run-scoring opportunities here as well because pink-ball Tests are decided by batting first and batting big."

Scott Boland finds the outside edge and Carey pouches it...but it's off a front-foot no-ball. Rahul was walking off, though there was nothing on Snicko.

Rahul was on 0 off 18 balls. Cummins had bowled three maidens to him. Rahul showed patience outside off until he fended at Boland's first ball - a length delivery that seamed away and reared up to threaten the shoulder of the bat.

Everyone thought Rahul was also out for a duck - even he was walking off - but he has a reprieve. Five balls later, Rahul gets another reprieve with Khawaja dropping him at slip. No dearth of drama at the Adelaide Oval.

Andrew McGlashan's thoughts from the Adelaide Oval: "Mitchell Starc loves an early wicket. He’s not shy in celebrating, either, but there was something extra visceral as he roared at Yashasvi Jaiswal’s wicket. It was matched by the sound that went around Adelaide Oval which had yet to completely filled with fans still coming into the ground. It was the third time Starc had struck with the first ball of the Test, the previous one being the memorable start to the 2021-22 when he uprooted Rory Burns’ leg stump at the Gabba. Australia have faced considerable heat in the days between Tests and it was the perfect start. But now they need to keep it up. As an aside, Jaiswal is averaging 53.67 in the series from three knocks, two of which have been first-innings ducks."

It's not for nothing that Mitch Starc is the most successful bowler in pink-ball Tests in Australia. On cue, Starc strikes with the very first ball of this Adelaide Test to pin Yashasvi Jaiswal.

This first-ball had Starc written all over it. Perfectly-pitched full ball. Fast. Right on the money. Angling in and swinging back in late from left-arm over the wicket to have Jaiswal falling over and crashing into his front pad. It was always threatening leg stump and Jaiswal has to go for a duck. What a start for Australia. It elicits a huge roar from the Adelaide crowd.

In the lead-up to the Perth Test, Australia seemed a bit undercooked and questions were raised around the limited prep of some players, but they have certainly hit the ground running here in Adelaide.

Starc also challenges the outside edge of new man Shubman Gill and hits it as he wafts one past gully for four.

Here's Sampath Bandarupalli with a stat nugget: Mitchell Starc is second bowler after Pedro Collins to take a wicket on first ball of a men's Test on three occasions. All the three instances of Collins have come against Hannan Sarkar.

Rohit wins the toss and elects to bat first as has been the trend in pink-ball Tests. "Batting in the middle order, which is different, but ready for the challenge," he says. He has been listed to bat at No.6. India bring back R Ashwin for Washington Sundar. No Jadeja. Padikkal and Jurel, meanwhile, make way for Rohit and Gill.

Cummins had confirmed Australia's only change on the eve of this Test: Boland in for Hazlewood, who is nursing a side strain.

Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Nathan McSweeney, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith,5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey(wk), 8 Pat Cummins(capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant(wk), 6 Rohit Sharma (capt), 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Andrew McGlashan reports: "It’s an overcast, muggy day so far although the sun has tried to emerge. Temperature down a little on yesterday’s sweltering 40 degrees. The threat of rain and storms has receded somewhat although there’s still a chance we get one or two. Mitchell Marsh has had a brief bowl in the warm-ups and there’s confidence he will be able to play a role with the ball. The pitch has a good tinge of green on it – the groundsman said he was leaving 6mm of grass. Generally you bat first here in day-night Tests. Australia have spoken of their surprise at some of the criticism that has come their way after one loss, but make no mistake this is a massive game for them."