India v Australia: third one-day international – live!

Smith registers his fifty with a boundary to third man. Not his most convincing shot, but a boundary nonetheless. Smith’s 25th ODI fifty consumed 63 balls. Now to capitalise and cash in, especially after his role in Finch’s run-out. Labuschagne gets involved later in the over, clipping Saini past square for four.

23rd over: Australia 126-2 (Smith 54, Labuschagne 34)

22nd over: Australia 117-2 (Smith 49, Labuschagne 30) Jadeja’s doing a nice job at limiting the run-rate. He’s straight and neither full nor short, meaning both batsmen are finding it hard to get the spinner away.

21st over: Australia 114-2 (Smith 48, Labuschagne 28) Saini returns to the attack as Kuldeep is given a breather. Tandem spin worked OK for India, but didn’t bring a breakthrough. And that is what they need now. Three runs from the over, including a hurriedly run single. These two, thankfully for Australia, are on the same page between the uprights.

20th over: Australia 111-2 (Smith 46, Labuschagne 27) Some good turn for Jadeja, who succeeds in finding Smith’s outside edge. The result, however, isn’t to India’s liking, with slip beaten and the ball rolling away for four. Another edge ends the over but Labuschagne has enough downward pressure on the shot as Rohit collects the ball on the bounce at slip.

19th over: Australia 104-2 (Smith 40, Labuschagne 26) Kuldeep again, a lot straighter this time. Smith shuffles across his crease and is lucky – or just extremely good – that he gets bat on ball. Miss that and he is plumb.

18th over: Australia 100-2 (Smith 38, Labuschagne 24) Four runs from Jadeja’s second over – a good start from him – with a single taking Australia into triple figures. Smith and his mate are starting to look rather comfortable out there.

17th over: Australia 96-2 (Smith 36, Labuschagne 22) You don’t need pace on the ball when you get a delectable half-volley, and Smith fills his boots by driving Kuldeep down the ground for four. Shreyas made good ground to get his body to the ball, but it was travelling so fast that it ricochets off his thigh and to the fence. Labuschagne then gets involved, sweeping with intent for four. That’s the fifty partnership for these two.

16th over: Australia 85-2 (Smith 31, Labuschagne 17) Possibly spin from both ends now as Jadeja replaces Bumrah. Both batsmen are watchful and can do little with the pace off the ball, adding just two runs to the total. It’s frightfully hard to say who’s on top here: another wicket and it’s India, 20 more runs for these two and it’s Australia.

15th over: Australia 83-2 (Smith 30, Labuschagne 16) Kuldeep keeps it tight, enticing an edge onto the pads of Smith before Pandey fields brilliantly at extra cover to deny Smith a boundary and cap a good over for India.

14th over: Australia 80-2 (Smith 29, Labuschagne 14) Bumrah returns to the fray and to good effect at that, keeping Australia to two singles and Labuschagne in two minds angling into the right hander off a good length. Smith looks in good touch. He’ll be set for a big one after running out Finch.

13th over: Australia 78-2 (Smith 28, Labuschagne 13) Labuschagne does little more than nudge Kuldeep through the covers, but this outfield is like ice and the shot somehow has enough on it to find the rope. A wide follows – shrouded by a laughable appeal for caught behind – and this is another good over for the tourists.

12th over: Australia 69-2 (Smith 26, Labuschagne 7) Saini continues, straying ever so slightly onto Smith’s pads and being clipped backward of square for four. The paceman’s line doesn’t improve much, ending the over with more leg-side drivel that is glanced for four more.

11th over: Australia 61-2 (Smith 18, Labuschagne 7) India go for spin. Kuldeep makes a solid start with a slip in place, restricting Australia to ones and twos.

10th over: Australia 56-2 (Smith 14, Labuschagne 6) A good over from Saini is spoiled on the last delivery by Labuschagne, who punches a half volley through the covers for four. The first power play is over. Advantage India.

Here’s that run-out. Doesn’t look good for Australia, no matter which way you look at it.

DRS Review! Saini traps Labushchagne on his crease, right in front, but the appeal falls on deaf ears. India like this one and send the decision upstairs. Yes, the ball is clipping the top of middle, but it’s the umpire’s call that matters in this instance. Not out!

Oh. My. Lord. Mass confusion between the wickets – well, at first glace it looks like Smith has run out his skipper – as Smith nurdles one to backward point, Finch calls yes, Smith doesn’t want a bar of it, Finch keeps running, Smith dives back in his crease … all of which leaves Finch to make the long, inevitably futile, rush back to the non-striker’s end. He’s out by metres. And he is not happy.

9th over: Australia 50-2 (Smith 14, Labuschagne 0)

7th over: Australia 39-1 (Finch 18, Smith 5) Speaking of Shami, as we have been, he returns to the attack in place of Bumrah. Smith shuffles across his crease, as is his wont, giving himself more room for a leg glance, and is struck on the pads. A fair shout for leg before follows but is turned down. India consider reviewing it, but think better, likely thinking the ball was going over. The first six of the game follows, Finch clearing the long-off fence with what can only be described as a full-blooded whack. Good over for Australia.

5th over: Australia 27-1 (Finch 8, Smith 5) Shikhar is nursing his left shoulder after diving to save a run in the covers. And it’s bad enough for him to go off and have it looked at. Watch this space. A better over from Bumrah – and importantly no wides.

Here’s Nuggehalli Nigam: “I think Kumble had a longer run up than Bumrah. Bumrah is a freak of nature, but a damn effective one.”

He sure is. And so was Kumble. He would’ve been a nightmare to face. Basically a leg-spinning medium pacer.

4th over: Australia 26-1 (Finch 7, Smith 5) Precisely the breakthrough, and the scalp, India wanted. But enter Smith, who opens his account with a pulled boundary and enter more errant bowling, with Shami delivering another wide.

Yep, there’s something in the air tonight – well, movement in the air at least – and Warner is livid with himself after offering his willow to Shami and edging behind. In truth, it was a great delivery and Warner’s shot was tepid, unsure and his footwork non-existent.

3rd over: Australia 18-0 (Warner 3, Finch 6) OK, did I miss the memo about starting overs with leg-side wides? Bumrah does precisely that, again, meaning each over has commenced this way. That triviality aside, Bumrah is having a torrid time controlling his line this over: that initial wide was followed immediately by another down the off-side and then another, back down leg, two balls later that raced all the way to the fence.

2nd over: Australia 10-0 (Warner 2, Finch 6) Not to be outdone, Shami also begins his spell with a leg-side wide. Next ball he overpitches to Finch and pays the price, the right hander driving exquisitely past mid-on for four. Singles follow, underlining how good these two are at rotating the strike. And ones and ones means fewer dot balls. Heard a lot about dot balls in the build-up to this game.

1st over: Australia 3-0 (Warner 1, Finch 1) Bumrah, off that wonderfully short run-up, starts with a leg-side wide. But thereafter there is no shortage of movement in the air and both batsmen struggle to find the middle, or indeed adapt to the pace of the pitch in the early stages. The pick of the over is a jaffer that beats the outside edge of Finch’s bat. Good start from the India quick.

India will be brimming with confidence after their triumph is the second ODI, but Australia will not be wanting for self-belief. They have won nine of their past 10 ODIs in Asia and hold a slender edge against India in India in this format. And that is not to be sneezed at. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Finch and Warner will be looking for a big opening stand. And, yes, the sky is blue.

The pitch, as predicted, does look an absolute belter.

And here are the teams in full.

“It looks like a bloody good wicket. We feel like we can put a good total on the board. We feel it will play well for 100 overs,” said Australia captain Aaron Finch.

Another lost toss for Virat Kohli! Whatever happened to the law of averages?

Kohli doesn’t sound fussed, however, and is predicting dew to be a factor later on. In fact, he sounds almost happy to be batting second.

Team news: For Australia Josh Hazlewood comes in for Kane Richardson, who according to Finch is a bit sore. India are unchanged.