Australia v India Boxing Day Test: India win Third Test in Melbourne

Day five report

India needed just 27 balls to wrap up their first Test win in Melbourne since 1981.

The tourists were on the cusp of victory after the fourth day at the MCG but Pat Cummins provided stubborn resistance as Australia had two wickets in hand.

They were chasing an unlikely target of 399 but were helped when rain began to fall in Victoria on Sunday morning.

After an early lunch, Cummins resumed on 63 and Nathan Lyon on seven, needing to see through 71 overs to draw the Test, or score 141 runs to chalk up an unlikely victory.

Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma were on bowling duties and had a maiden and wicket each.

The key wicket of Cummins came off the bowling of Bumrah, the Australian edging to Cheteshwar Pujara at first slip without adding to his overnight score.

Seven balls later and Australia's fate was confirmed as Lyon tried a pull off Sharma and was caught behind for seven as India won by 137 runs after the home side fell to 261 all out.

The win means India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy ahead of the final Test in Sydney in the New Year.

Day four report

Australia's Pat Cummins made India wait for what appears a certain victory in the third Test in Melbourne.

Cummins ended day four unbeaten on 61 as Australia reached 258 for eight, still 141 runs adrift of their target of 399 as they seek to avoid falling 2-1 behind in the series.

At the start of the day India resumed their second innings on 54 for five and moved to 106 for eight before declaring midway through the morning session.

The tourists then made early breakthroughs, with Aaron Finch making just three before an ill-advised shot found Virat Kohli off Jasprit Bumrah, while Marcus Harris soon followed for 13 - the first of Ravindra Jadeja's three victims.

The middle order fared a little better, at least managing to get themselves set as Shaun Marsh made 44, Travis Head 34 and Usman Khawaja 33, but India continued to pick off wickets to restrict Australia to 138 for five by tea.

Cummins came to the crease early in the final session of the day and began an innings of dogged resistance, refusing to chase shots in a display of the sort of defensive discipline Australia needed earlier in the day.

He was slow to score at first, waiting 41 balls before his first boundary, but then began to open up and a powerful shot through extra cover off Bumrah brought him his fifty shortly after the new ball was taken.

Nathan Lyon was unbeaten on six, and with only Josh Hazlewood left to bat it remains to be seen how long Australia can stave off defeat on Sunday.

Earlier, India had padded their lead with another 52 runs in a little over 10 overs, with Australia once again indebted to Cummins for ensuring it was no worse as he took six for 27.

Mayank Agarwal resumed on 28 but got no further than 42 before being bowled by a ball that stayed low from Cummins.

Rishabh Pant was the only other India player to reach double figures on the day, and when he fell to Hazlewood for 33 Kohli called his players in.

Day three report

Jasprit Bumrah produced a career-best bowling performance to leave India in a strong position after day three of the third Test against Australia in Melbourne.

A total of 15 wickets fell on a day dominated by Bumrah and Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins.

Australia, replying to India's first-innings total of 443 for seven declared, were dismissed for just 151, with seamer Bumrah taking six for 33.

Opener Marcus Harris and captain Tim Paine were Australia's joint top scorers with 22 as a combination of Bumrah's skill and some poor shots meant India forged a first-innings lead of 292.

Bumrah's figures were the best by a visiting bowler in Australia since West Indies star Curtly Ambrose took seven for 25 in Perth during a 1992-93 series.

India's attempts to push on, though, were hit by a blistering spell from Cummins, who took four for 10 as India ended an eventful day on 54 for five.

Skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, who compiled a 170-run first innings partnership, both went for ducks as India lost five wickets for 26 runs during a hectic finish to the day's action.

Cummins took four wickets in eight balls and only narrowly missed out on a hat-trick as he gave his team something to cheer on an otherwise demoralising day.

With two days left India's lead is 346, leaving Australia facing a Herculean task to avoid defeat as India chase a 2-1 series lead with one Test left.

The highest successful fourth innings run chase at the MCG is 332, which underlines the size of Australia's challenge.

Day two report

Cheteshwar Pujara scored his 17th Test century as India's batsmen continued to make Australia toil before declaring on 443 for seven on day two of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Pujara made 106 and there were also half-centuries from captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - his first fifty outside Asia since 2015 - as the tourists built on their good base from day one at the MCG.

Kohli's attacking declaration gave India's bowlers six overs at Australia before the close but openers Marcus Harris (five) and Aaron Finch (three) survived as the hosts reached stumps on eight without loss, trailing by 435 runs.

India started the second day of the third Test on 215 for two and looking to hammer home their fine start with Pujara and Kohli well-set on 68 and 47 respectively.

Pujara brought up three figures in the morning session and the pair extended their third-wicket partnership to 170 before Kohli, 18 runs short of his 26th Test ton, picked out Finch at third man off the bowling of Mitchell Starc.

The in-form Pujara was bowled by Pat Cummins (three for 72) shortly afterwards - having taken his series tally to 328 from five innings - but Australia were unable to capitalise on the double breakthrough as India continued to make the hosts suffer in the field.

Sharma (63 not out), Rishabh Pant (39) and Ajinkya Rahane (34) all made contributions before Kohli opted to give his bowlers a chance at the Australian top order.

Harris and Finch had a few scares, with the former being struck on the helmet by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery, but managed to see out the session with their wickets intact.

The four-match series is 1-1 after the opening two Tests.

Day one report

Agarwal made 76 while Cheteshwar Pujara was unbeaten on 68 at the close as Australia toiled on what appeared to be another flat MCG pitch.

Pat Cummins was able to cause problems with short deliveries and took two for 40, but some strong bowling from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood went unrewarded.

India won the toss and elected to bat. Agarwal settled in quickly and had done most of the heavy lifting in moving the score on to 40 before Hanuma Vihari fell cheaply, out for eight.

Agarwal scored well, striking nine boundaries including a six off Nathan Lyon, but did look vulnerable to Cummins' short balls on occasion and would eventually be out to one that he gloved behind just before tea.

There were no further breakthroughs for Australia in the evening session, with Pujara pushing on to 68 and Virat Kohli surviving a strong chance which was put down by Tim Paine in the slips off Starc while on 47.