Sydney, Jan 3: Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja joined forces for an unbroken 35-run stand to keep India steady as the visitors’ reached 107/4 in 50 overs at tea on day one of fifth Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

It was a slow-moving session where India lost Virat Kohli early, and were made to work hard for their runs by a relentless Australia bowling line-up. Pant took multiple blows to his body and helmet, to be not out on 32 off 80 balls.

Jadeja has also been watchful at the other end to be 11 not out off 50 balls, and was given a reprieve on three when Steve Smith dropped his catch at slip. The post-lunch session began on a bad note for India as Scott Boland got to seam away sharply Kohli jabbed at the delivery on a fifth-sixth stump line to give a catch to debutant Beau Webster in the slips and fall for 17 off 69 balls.

Starc also turned up his pace and left Pant with a bruise on his bicep, as well as hitting him on the helmet, leaving the left-handed batter circumspect. Starc’s pace was too hot to handle for Jadeja as he looked to duck his rapid bouncers.

After cutting Starc past backward point for four, Pant danced down the pitch to smack Webster over the sightscreen for six, despite taking in a blow to his body again. Jadeja got his first boundary of the match by driving Lyon past non-striker for four, before being dropped by the off-spinner at five against Webster. Pant rocked back to cut Lyon in the gap between backward point and cover point to end a slow scoring session for India.

Brief Scores: India 107/4 in 50 overs (Rishabh Pant 32 not out, Shubman Gill 20; Scott Boland 2-15, Nathan Lyon 1-13) against Australia.

(IANS)

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