Australia vs. India 2014, 3rd Test, Day 1: Highlights, Scorecard, Report

Australia finished Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test on 259-5 against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, once again indebted to the composed batting of Steven Smith to guide them to the close.

The stand-in skipper's 72 not out was crucial after the hosts were stifled on a tricky drop-in pitch. It was a tough day's cricket for both teams, with scoring tricky for the batsmen. Indeed, there were opportunities available for MS Dhoni's patient tourists, who had lost the toss.

If Australia can arguably claim the advantage going into the second day, India know that the quick removals of Smith and Brad Haddin could easily tip the scales back their way.

Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Mins	Balls
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
Rogers	c Dhoni	b Shami	57	154	126
Warner	c Dhawan	b U Yadav	0	8	6
Watson	lbw	b Ashwin	52	152	89
Smith	not out		72	201	158
S Marsh	c Dhoni	b Shami	32	84	83
Burns	c Dhoni	b U Yadav	13	33	27
Haddin	not out		23	75	53
Extras	2nb 1w 1b 6lb	10
Total	for 5 (90.0 ovs)	259
I Sharma	21.0	6	54	0
U Yadav	20.0	2	69	2
Shami	17.0	4	55	2
Ashwin	27.0	7	60	1
Vijay	5.0	0	14	0

It was a debatable call at the toss from Australia, with assistance on offer for the India bowlers from the moment Ishant Sharma found it in his first over. 

Umesh Yadav claimed the wicket of David Warner for a duck—the ball moved across the left-hander and Shikhar Dhawan at third slip held the catch.

Chris Rogers and Shane Watson were then united in the middle, with neither man in any great form. They scratched around under pressure, the former drawing on his experience of batting here for Victoria and the latter relying on a combination of soft hands and good luck when edging behind to make sure he didn't offer chances.

Together, they took Australia to 92-1 at lunch.

With the shine of the new ball dulled, it would have been easy to think that Australia had done the hard work. When both batsmen ticked over to half-centuries, it would have been easier still. 

However, that was undone when both men fell in successive overs.

Rogers (57) nibbled at a length delivery from the returning Mohammed Shami, and he was caught behind. Watson (52) then tried a sweep from a straight delivery from Ravi Ashwin, but he missed, the ball hitting him plumb in front of the wicket.

It was Ashwin's only wicket of the day, but he found enough on Day 1 to wheel through 27 probing overs for just 60 runs.

Smith and Shaun Marsh steadied the innings, though the latter's contribution of 32 runs may eventually be forgotten against Smith's relentless run-scoring. Marsh took Australia through to tea, but he could not add to his score in the final session before becoming Shami's second scalp.

It brought debutant Joe Burns to the middle, though his debut was a brief one, bottom-edging an attempted pull against Yadav through to the wicketkeeper.

With the second new ball coming, India might have scented blood, but Haddin and Smith saw off the last overs of the old ball and the first eight overs of the new ball without incident.

If they can see out another session together tomorrow, they might find their lead is a commanding one, even if on paper it remains nip and tuck.