Kohli, Rahane take fight to Aussies
Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have survived chances and scored centuries during a fiery second session of the third Test at the MCG.
Nathan Lyon and Shane Watson both dropped catches, another skied hook shot fell agonisingly short of Brad Haddin, while there was an angry confrontation between Kohli and Mitchell Johnson after the bowler hit the batsman in the leg when taking a shy at the stumps.
Rahane and Kohli have attacked the Australian bowlers all day. Rahane needed just 127 balls to bring up his century after scoring 13 boundaries.
Kohli took longer, with 166 balls, for his third century of the summer. The pair combined for a 189-run partnership to give India the chance to chase down Australia's first innings total of 530. India are 3-336 at tea with Rahane on 111 and Kohli on 104.
Mitchell Johnson and Virat Kohli exchange words. Pic: Getty Images
But both men should have been dismissed earlier after being dropped by the Australians.
Lyon dropped one of the easiest catches of his career in the final over before the new ball. Rahane mistimed a drive and the ball floated back to him.
Lyon had plenty of time to prepare for the catch, got both hands to the ball as it returned at head height, but it went straight through his fingers.
Rahane was in superb form with 70 runs and had been part of a 128 run partnership with Kohli, so Australia could ill afford to give him a life.
Rahane had been lucky earlier in his innings after a thin edge from Lyon's bowling went between Haddin and Watson.
More drama followed as tensions rose in the 82nd over after Johnson struck Kohli while shying at the stumps. Kohli blocked a Johnson delivery back to Johnson and the Australian threw it back at the stumps because the Indian was out of his crease.
The ball struck Kohli and Johnson quickly apologised. At first it appeared Kohli had no problem with him, but it soon became apparent that the batsman was rattled.
He flayed at a wide delivery the next ball, nudged another just short of Joe Burns before edging the ball through a gap in the slips on the final ball of the over.
That prompted Kohli to approach Johnson and angry words followed.
Kohli reaches three figures with a skip and a jump as Australia captain Steve Smith looks on. Pic: Getty Images
Johnson then took the edge of Kohli's bat from the first ball of the next over and it flew low to Watson's left at first slip. Watson only got his left hand to the ball after Haddin didn't dive and dropped Kohli on 88.
Kohli could have been dismissed on 88 again during Johnson's next over. He top edged an attempted hook shot and Haddin sprinted forward and to his left in an attempt to make the ground. But the ball landed just in front of the scampering wicketkeeper as he dived forward.
Earlier, India attacked the bowlers to go to lunch at 3-224.
The home team took only two balls to strike a blow when Haddin took a sensational catch to dismiss Cheteshwar Pujara from the bowling of Ryan Harris.
Haddin dropped an easy catch late on day two to give Pujara a life when he had scored just 12 but he made up for it by throwing himself high to his right to secure his 250th test dismissal.
He joined Rod Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist as Australians to have achieved 250 Test dismissals.
Johnson hit Murali Vijay in the head in the eighth over of the day when the Indian was on 63 but he wasn't hurt.
Watson then dismissed Vijay with a delivery which gained extra bounce just before drinks. Vijay got a top edge which flew to Shaun Marsh at first slip and was out for 68.
Brad Haddin fails to catch a mis-timed hook from Kohli. Pic: Getty Images
