INDIA bounced back brilliantly to beat Australia by eight wickets in second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The four-Test series is now level at 1-1. Australia had won the first Test in Adelaide, also by eight wickets. Set a target of 70 after Australia were dismissed for 200 in their second innings on Tuesday, the Indians got to the target for the loss of opener Mayank Agarwal (5) and No 3 Cheteshwar Pujara (3). Shubman Gill, who hit seven fours in a delightful innings, was unbeaten on 35 and skipper Ajinkya Rahane on 27.

 

Earlier, the Aussies, who resumed on 133 for six, added 67 more runs before getting bowled out at the stroke of lunch in the extended first session. Mohammed Siraj picked two of the four wickets to fall on the day to take his innings tally to three for 37 while Jasprit Bumrah (2-54) and R Ashwin (2-71) picked a wicket each on the fourth day.

 

Cameron Green (45) and Pat Cummins added 23 more and took their seventh-wicket partnership to 57 in the morning before Cummins was dismissed by a short delivery from Bumrah as the seventh wicket. Green was out to a pull shot off Siraj while Lyon fell to the same bowler caught behind down the leg-side. All the three Aussie wickets to India pace bowlers were off short deliveries on a wicket that afforded no help to either the pace bowlers or spinners. R Ashwin took the last wicket of Josh Hazlewood.