India ended the first day of the third Test against Australia at Melbourne at 215 runs for two wickets, with skipper Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara at the crease.
The duo had put on a partnership of 92 runs, with Kohli remaining unbeaten on 47 and Pujara making 68 runs off 200 balls. It was the second straight partnership worth over 50 runs in the innings after Pujara and debutant Mayank Agarwal added 83 runs in 36 overs.
Agarwal, who made 76 runs off 161 balls in his first Test innings, was the most fluent Indian batsman on the first day, hitting eight fours and a six.
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Agarwal opened with Hanuma Vihari, who had batted in the lower middle order till this innings. While Vihari only scored eight runs, he faced 66 balls and wore out the Australian new ball attack.
Pat Cummins took both wickets that fell in the day, with Vihari being caught by Aaron Finch, while Australian captain Tim Paine caught an edge off Agarwal.
While he didn't pick any wickets, Mitchell Starc troubled the Indian batsmen with his pace and used the variable bounce on the Melbourne pitch. Spinner Nathan Lyon, who was player of the match in the Perth Test, wasn't as effective, conceding nearly three runs per over.
