Paine's 'elite sledging' divides cricket fans

Aussie captain Tim Paine has divided cricket fans with a series of sledges against notoriously chatty Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Paine didn’t have too much to chirp about on a horror day three for the hosts in the third Test at the MCG.

The Aussies were rolled for 151 after a record-breaking display of bowling from Jasprit Bumrah.

However, Paine’s spirits were lifted by a mesmerising spell of bowling from Pat Cummins, who ripped through India’s top order with four second innings wickets.

The skipper was obviously keen to get to India’s tail as quickly as possible and decided to ramp up the trash talk to try and unsettle Pant.

Paine brought a smile to the keeper’s face after telling him to come and join him at the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash when the Test series finishes.

The captain was talking up the beauty of the Tasmanian capital, before he changed tack with a hilarious question.

“Do you babysit?” Paine asked Pant amid laughter from the commentary box.

He then proceeded to tell Pant that he can look after his kids while he went to the movies with his wife.

The light-hearted exchange saw two contrasting sets of reactions from fans on social media.

Cummins the saviour for hapless Aussies

Pat Cummins is daring to dream after snagging 4-0 in eight consecutive deliveries at the MCG, where Australia already face a record-breaking chase in the third Test against India.

The tourists will resume with an imposing 346-run lead on Saturday.

India rolled Australia for 151, opted against enforcing the follow-on and then reached 5-54 at stumps on day three.

The much-maligned MCG pitch erupted to life on what is traditionally moving day of any Test, with 15 wickets falling as Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah both preyed on strokemakers.

India remain well placed to snatch a 2-1 series lead that will put them in the box seat for a maiden Test series win in Australia.

But an exhausted Cummins, bending his back for a third consecutive day, gave the 33,447-strong crowd hope of a miraculous turnaround by obliterating India’s top order.

“If we knock them over in the morning, you just never know,” Cummins told reporters.

“The wicket is still pretty good.

“We saw last year we batted really well day four and five (at the MCG), you dare to dream.”

The right-armer bounced out Hanuma Vihari then dismissed Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara for ducks, both caught by Marcus Harris at leg gully.

Ajinkya Rahane was caught behind down the leg side then Cummins went within a whisker of completing a hat-trick when Rohit Sharma steered the next ball dangerously close to Harris.

Sharma later fell for five, out edging to Josh Hazlewood as India crashed to 5-44.

History and a horrible first innings show how imposing Australia’s challenge already is.

The highest successful run-chase in an MCG Test came in 1928, when England finished on 7-332.

Australia’s top six, unable to fill the immense void left by the absence of suspended superstars Steve Smith and David Warner, surrendered in collapses of 3-29 and 3-13 on Friday.

Bumrah grabbed a career-best haul of 6-33 amid the carnage.

“We lost a few more wickets than we wanted to, we tried to add as many runs (as possible),” he said.

“We back our bowling unit to defend any total.”

Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head and Mitch Marsh all got in, and got out.

Paine, who faced 85 balls, spent longer at the crease than any member of Australia’s top six but couldn’t manufacture any miracles with the tail.

Australia’s first innings spanned just 66.5 overs.

To put that number in perspective, Pujara and Kohli’s record 170-run partnership in the same match lasted longer.

“Obviously not ideal,” Cummins said.

“It’s still a young batting group … they’re trying their best.”

Harris, having copped a thunderous bouncer blow to the helmet from Bumrah on Thursday, was out hooking another short ball from the same paceman.

Bumrah trapped Shaun Marsh lbw with a textbook slower ball to end Friday’s morning session then made a mess of Head’s stumps.

The 25-year-old fired out Paine, Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon to clean up the tail shortly after tea.

With AAP