NEW DELHI: India skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday hailed the performance of the visitors on the first day of the ongoing second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Kohli's remarks came as the first day of the ongoing second Test saw the visitors bundle out Tim Paine's Australia for just 195.
India was asked to bowl first on the first day of the second Test and the visitors displayed a spirited bowling performance. "Top day 1 for us. A great display from the bowlers and a solid finish too," tweeted Kohli.
Kohli returned back home after the first Test against Australia. BCCI had granted the India skipper paternity leave as he and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting the birth of their first child.
With the Indian bowlers once again stealing the show, it was a test of facing 11 overs of quality pace bowling for the batsmen in the closing stages of the opening day of the Boxing Day Test. While Shubman Gill came out with flying colours, having hit an unbeaten 38-ball 28, Mayank Agarwal failed to stand up and get counted as he fell for a duck.
At stumps, India's score read 36/1 with Gill batting on 28 and Cheteshwar Pujara giving him company on 7. The visitors trail by 159 runs with nine wickets in the bag. For Australia, it was Mitchell Starc who picked the lone wicket to finish the day with figures of 1/14 from four overs.
Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah scalped four wickets while Ravichandran Ashwin took three to sent the hosts packing for 195. For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with a knock of 48.