In an evenly poised match, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at stake, the feisty Australian pace trio – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will take on a sturdy Indian line-up on the third day of the SCG Test. Cheteshwar Pujara (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (5) will look to exploit the deadness of the pitch on Day 3 – a period that could decide the course of the match.

On the second day, it was Steve Smith who made 226 balls count– scoring a phenomenal 131. His protege, Marnus Labuschagne also made an impact, being a part of two century partnerships and scoring 91 runs himself. For India, it was Ravindra Jadeja who topped the charts claiming his best figures on Australian soil- 4/62. The Baroda based all-rounder’s rocket arm throw finished the proceedings in the first innings. Coming out to bat, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stitched a 70 run partnership, occupying the crease for 26 overs, which is the highest by an Indian opening pair in the last decade. Gill went on to score his maiden half-century as Rohit Sharma was dismissed on 26 runs.