India’s support bowlers, though, stepped up admirably on the second day, with Prasidh Krishna and Reddy sharing five wickets among them. India’s non-Bumrah seamers came away with combined figures of 8 for 132 – their best in any innings on this tour.

Reddy picked up two wickets in two balls while Prasidh marked his Test comeback with the scalps of Steven Smith, Alex Carey and debutant Beau Webster, who top-scored for Australia with 57 off 105 balls.

Webster continued his excellent debut, becoming the first Australian since Adam Voges in 2015 to score a half-century on Test debut.

The day had dawned with Bumrah snaring Marnus Labuschagne for 2 and throwing a stare at non-striker Sam Konstas. Bumrah surpassed Bishen Singh Bedi’s tally for the most wickets taken by an India bowler on a tour of Australia.

The 19-year-old responded strongly with the bat when he advanced at Bumrah and shanked him down the ground for four. Then, after Bumrah reinforced the slip cordon by bringing deep third in, Konstas unfurled another audacious reverse-ramp, prompting Bumrah to post a fielder at deep third.

In the next over, however, Mohammed Siraj had Konstas edging to gully for 23 off 57 balls with an outswinger. Three balls later, he had Travis Head caught at second slip for 4. Where Bumrah and Australia’s quicks hit the deck, the source of Siraj’s menace was swing. So, he kept exploring a fuller length to maximise that swing.

Smith and Webster steadied Australia with a 57-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Smith fell to Prasidh at the stroke of lunch. Smith seemed destined to reach 10,000 Test runs but moments before the break Prasidh shifted his stock length to an even more fuller one to dismiss him five short of the landmark.

Then, in the afternoon, he stormed through the defences of Alex Carey with a similar length. Reddy rocked Australia even further with the wickets of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Australia lost their last four wickets for just 19 runs to be bowled out for 181.

Yashasvi Jaiswal then launched India’s second innings in grand style, scything Starc for four fours in the first over. KL Rahul, too, showed some attacking intent at the other end until Boland (who else?) intervened and curtailed India’s rapid start.

He struck in his second over when he had Rahul chopping an inducker onto his stumps and in his next over, he knocked Jaiswal over with a beauty that angled in towards middle from around the wicket and seamed away late to beat the outside edge and smash the top of off stump. Boland proceeded to dismiss Virat Kohli in familiar fashion, for 6. It was the eighth time that Kohli was out edging behind to the keeper or the slip cordon in nine trips to the crease in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He was so angry that he yelled at himself and punched himself in the leg.

Webster earned his maiden Test wicket when he had Shubman Gill caught behind off the inside edge.

After having spent nearly 150 minutes being someone else with the bat on the first day, managing 40 off 98 balls, the real Pant stood up on the second. He charged at his first ball from Boland, who had just snared Kohli, and violently clubbed him over mid-on for six. He then ventured a reverse-ramp off his third ball, and though he failed to connect, he didn’t curb his natural instincts in this innings.

Pant then lined up Webster for three successive fours, including a trademark falling sweep-pull. He notched up his fifty with a helicoptered six off Starc and celebrated the milestone with a six next ball.

Pant’s assault forced Australia into bowling T20 lines and lengths. When Cummins went short and wide of off and hid the ball away from Pant’s swinging arc, he chased it and ended up feeding an edge to the keeper. Boland had Reddy holing out for 4 to cap a 15-wicket day in Sydney.

Brief scores:
India 141 for 6 in 32 overs (Rishabh Pant 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 22; Scott Boland 4-42) and185 in 72.2 overs lead  Australia 181 in 51 overs  (Sam Konstas 23, Beau Webster 57, Steven Smith 33, Alex Carey 21;  Prasidh Krishna 3-42, Mohaamed Siraj 3-51), Jasprit Bumrah 2-33 , Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-32 ) by 145 runs

[Cricinfo]