Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah curtailed Australia’s early first innings dominance as the hosts were bundled out for 338, with Shubman Gill starring in the visitors’ response of 96 for the loss of two wickets at the end of day two in the ongoing third Test in Sydney on Friday. 

Jadeja was the pick of the India bowlers, returning figures of 4/62 from 18 overs and effected centurion Steve Smith’s (131) run out with a direct hit from the deep as India reduced Australia to a competitive total after being 206/2 at one point. 

Smith and his understudy Marnus Labuschagne (91) forged a 100-run partnership and threatened to take the hosts beyond the 400-run mark before Jadeja induced an outside edge, caught sharply at first slip by skipper Ajinkya Rahane, to dismiss the latter. 

Smith completed his fifty in the very next over as he smacked an underwhelming Ravichandran Ashwin (0/74) straight down the ground for a boundary.

Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Cameron Green (0) and skipper Tim Paine (1) to register impressive figures of 2/66 while debutant Navdeep Saini got rid of a flourishing Mitchell Starc (24) to double his overnight wickets tally.

With wickets falling at the other end, Smith reminded the world of his class with a determined showing as he reached his 27th Test ton. His 226-ball, 131-run innings featured 16 boundaries. 

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In response, Rohit Sharma (26) and Shubman Gill (50) were in complete control during the opening exchanges as they build a platform for the rest of the batsmen to eat into Australia’s lead. 

Sharma, playing for the first time in two almost months, was dismissed as he sent the ball straight back to Josh Hazlewood for a caught-and-bowled after bracing the Aussie attack for nearly two hours. 

Meanwhile, Gill was unflappable right up until his dismissal, edging a jaffer from Pat Cummins to Cameron Green at gully, exuding confidence as he drove and pulled away to fifty runs. 

The duo scored 70 runs, India’s first 50+ opening stand in 14 innings, with India ending the day 242 runs behind Australia’s first innings total.