Jasprit Bumrah experienced an unusual morning on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, but he ultimately found success by dismissing Usman Khawaja for the fifth time in this Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Khawaja's dismissal was peculiar, as he inadvertently toe-ended a pull shot off Bumrah's first delivery in his new spell during the middle session, resulting in a straightforward catch for KL Rahul at short mid-wicket. Having established himself well with a score of 57 and achieving his first half-century of the series, Khawaja appeared to be caught off guard by a sudden decrease in the pitch's pace, leading to a complete misjudgment of his shot.

Bumrah, still in pursuit of his first wicket of the match, was astonished that one of his less threatening deliveries of the day, a harmless hip-high ball, resulted in the crucial wicket of the left-handed opener.

Bumrah can be seen reacting with a wry grin, almost breaking out into laughter over the manner in which he had succeeded in taking this wicket. Khawaja had done well to stay away from facing Bumrah, only having to play three balls against India's lead seamer in the first session against the new ball, but ended up losing his wicket to him yet again in this series against the older ball in a soft nothing dismissal.

Sam Konstas throws off Bumrah's rhythm

Earlier in the day, Bumrah appeared to begin strongly with the new ball, demonstrating his prowess against debutant Sam Konstas during his initial two or three overs. Konstas struggled to connect, frequently playing and missing as Bumrah unleashed his skill, generating significant seam movement from the Melbourne pitch.

Despite Bumrah's promising start and seeming inevitability of a wicket, Konstas turned the tide in his fourth over. He successfully executed three scoop shots within a single over, scoring two boundaries and a six off Bumrah. Konstas made a memorable debut, amassing 60 runs from just 65 balls in the first session, applying considerable pressure on India with his bold stroke play.

Ultimately, Konstas was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja, yet India found themselves under considerable pressure during the first two sessions of play. As the teams headed into the tea break, Australia stood at 176-2, with Marnus Labuschagne also contributing an unbeaten 44 runs.

Read Also: Bumrah on the Back Foot: Konstas' Explosive Start at MCG

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