Australia in a strong position heading into the big break on day two here.

Travis Head has looked somewhere near his best form, and he’s set to make hay in the sun after the break. India will want to remove him quickly.

Australia lost three wickets, but they’ve also made solid progress, scoring 105 runs in the session.

For India it’s been Bumrah and not much else really. Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up the other wicket to fall.

Bumrah has 3-23 off 15 overs, but every other Indian bowler has gone for over three runs an over, with Harshit Rana especially disappointing.

Rohit Sharma’s bowling changes leave a little bit to be desired.

Bumrah picked up two wickets in an excellent four-over spell first up, but then has not returned to the bowling crease.

Reddy picked up the wicket and then was hooked straight away for Siraj, who looked a little gassed after a marathon first spell.

I’m off for a feed, Simon will be with you after the break.

Siraj in at Marsh’s pads from over the wicket and it’s a loose drive into the on side for a single.

FOUR! Around the wicket to Head, and he brings up his half century with a glorious swat through the off-side again. He’s looking very dangerous.

A better line from Siraj that time, right on off stump and Head defends on the back foot.

BEATEN! Siraj goes a tad wider and Head plays and misses on another agricultural swat.

Siraj follows it up with another good delivery on off stump and Head defends it onto the off-side.

BEATEN! Siraj finishes with a short one and Head plays and misses on an attempted uppercut.

Ashwin over the wicket to Mitch Marsh. When will the big shot come out?

Ashwin is full and Marsh is forward and defending the first two balls of the over.

Marsh walks down and he’s hit on the pad first on off stump and there’s a loud appeal. It’s given not out. Rohit reviews. Ashwin is convinced this is plumb.

The TV umpire isn’t convinced whether it’s pad or bat first, the contact seems to come instantaneously upon first look, but another replay shows it’s pad first!

Ball tracking shows that contact would have been umpire’s call anyway.

The problem in that is that India loses one of its reviews now. They’ve only got one left.

Marsh walks down and defends awkwardly again to end the over.

Harsh on Nitish, he’s been hooked after providing the breakthrough!

Mohammed Siraj back into the attack for his second spell of the day.

FOUR! Head’s timed this brilliantly, it’s too straight from Siraj and Head clips it off his legs to put Australia ahead for the first time in the series.

Fuller from Siraj and Head clears that front leg and tries to flay it through the off side but mistimes it.

Better from Siraj, he’s straighter and Head can’t do anything but defend.

A fuller one from Siraj is CRUNCHED on the front foot by Head but a loving diving stop from Shubman Gill saves four.

Too much width from Siraj and Head picks up another couple of runs with a swat through the off side.

Too straight from Ashwin that time and Head works it to fine leg for a couple.

A shorter one on the off-side and Head mistimes a cut shot.

Another one floated into that off stump and Head punches it on the back foot.

More air from Ashwin, but it’s wide this time and Head is able to flay it through the off side for two.

SIX! Floated on middle and leg and Head unfurls a glorious slog sweep, and that’s gone miles!

On middle and leg and Head whips it through the leg side for one.

Nitish starts with a good line to Marnus on off stump and he’s defended down the pitch. A little too short.

Fuller from Nitish and Marnus defends it into the off side.

Nitish is right at Mitch Marsh with the perfect line and Marsh defends it.

Fuller from Nitish and Marsh drives it to the man at extra cover. That wicket has given India a little bit of a boost you sense.

Another one back of a length from Nitish to finish and Marsh is back and defending.

Replays show Virat Kohli silencing the crowd after that Marnus wicket. It doesn’t take much to fire up Virat does it?

Just as I’d typed ‘India needs a wicket’ in another blog post, Marnus throws it away.

It’s not an amazing delivery by any means from Nitish Kumar Reddy.

It’s short and wide and Marnus tries to dab it away again as he did off Rana, but hits it in the air and it’s taken beautifully by Jaiswal in the gully region.

Marnus has to go for a very, very well-made 64. He’s left a century on the table there.

Mitch Marsh strides to the wicket with the first-innings deficit 12.

What a bonus wicket that is for India. Bumrah has to be around the corner surely.

Ashwin continues at Head on that nagging off-stump line, but Head punches through the off-side for a single. Well played.

Back over the wicket to Marnus.

Floats one on off stump and Marnus awkwardly drives it through the off side. Shouts of encouragement from Pant behind the stumps.

Ashwin gets a little too straight and Marnus works it through the leg side for a single.

Fuller and floated up from Ashwin and Head is forward and defending for no run.

Straighter and full again, Head works it onto the leg side but it’s another dot. Ashwin keeping things tight.

Harshit Rana has been hooked after that poor over where he was hit for four boundaries.

Interesting that we’ve not seen Bumrah after that four-over spell.

Nitish a bit too straight and Marnus works it off his pads to the man in the deep for a single.

He comes around the wicket to Head.

Full and Head pounds it down the ground and Nitish gets in the way and saves a boundary in his follow through. Shakes his hand in pain after being hit on the wrist.

Nitish angles one in at Head’s pad and draws a leading edge after squaring Head up.

Too straight from Nitish as this one flies down the leg side.

Shorter from Nitish and Head is on the back foot and punching through the covers for a couple.

This one is fuller and Head once again flays it through the off side and picks up three this time. Runs flowing a little too easily for India’s liking here.

Ashwin angles one into Head’s off-stump, and he is back and defending.

Another one floated into the same region and Head leaves it, Ashwin with his head in his hands.

Gets the third one a bit too straight and Head works it away on the leg side for no run.

A little bit of turn away from Head as he’s drawn forward into defending into the off side.

BEATEN! Lovely flight from Ashwin to finish the over, as he deceives Head who prods at it unconvincingly.

FOUR! Vintage Travis Head this. Short and too much width from Rana and he’s slashed through backward point.

Rana responds with another short one but it’s worked off the hips by Head for a single.

FOUR! Lovely touch from Marnus. It’s shorter with a tiny bit of width, and he leans back and glides it past backward point. That’s the sign of a man who’s got his eye in now.

FOUR MORE! This one is fuller, but it’s the same result as Marnus dabs it again past a diving Jaiswal in gully.

Better delivery from Rana as he finally gets one into the stumps and forces a defensive shot from Marnus.

FOUR! Rana goes short and Marnus is back and pulling away for another boundary. He’s been poor this morning Rana, just releasing any pressure that was built up.

Ashwin just working Head over from around the wicket on that nagging off-stump line to start his second over of the day.

Head gets on the back foot and punches through covers for a single to the sweeper on the boundary.

Ashwin floats one up and gets some drift away from Marnus, who is forward and defending.

Tidy from India’s veteran spinner.

Back of a length just outside off stump from Rana and Marnus whips it away for a single. He’s done that really well today.

Rana this time over the wicket to Head, but it’s too straight and Head works it onto the on side for one.

Better line that time from Rana on off stump as he draws Marnus forward into defending.

BEATEN! Lovely delivery from Rana, that’s a much better line. This one pitches and leaves Marnus slightly. That’s the area.

Shorter and wider from Rana and Marnus looks to just dab it past point on the back foot, but can’t beat the fielder.

Full from Rana and Marnus drives him through the covers for two to bring up a much-needed half-century! Well played!

He’s batted for three hours and 55 minutes already. Truly doing the hard yakka.

Here we go. Spin for the first time today as Rohit Sharma calls Ravichandran Ashwin’s number.

He’s got 536 Test wickets, and has gobbled up left-handers for a living.

A muted appeal as Marnus looks to whip one on the leg side but misses it. Going down leg.

A full toss from Ashwin, and Marnus drives it to long on for a single.

Ashwin around the wicket to the left-handed Head.

Drifts one into middle and leg and Head is back and defending. This breeze will be handy for Ashwin.

SIX! BANG! Ashwin floats one up on off-stump and Head thumps it straight over his head for a maximum. What a shot!

Flatter and quicker from Ashwin and there’s a big appeal as he strikes Head on the pads, but it’s given not out. Probably going down leg again.

Better from Ashwin, draws Head forward into defending onto the off side with the final ball of the over.

Rana is around the wicket on middle and off and Head is back and awkwardly defending.

A little bit too straight from Rana, and Head works it through midwicket for a couple.

Too straight again from Rana and Head whips it onto the leg side for another couple of runs. That one was at 138.3 kph from the Indian paceman.

BEATEN! Wider outside off stump from Rana and Head goes for a wild back foot slash and misses it.

A good bouncer from Rana at 138.5 kph to end the over, but Head ducks under it quite comfortably.

Thanks to Simon for blogging through the first hour of day two.

India will be happy to have picked up two wickets, but they’ll want Marnus, who is looking the best he’s looked in a long time.

It’s been a hard graft for Australia’s No.3, but he’s looking better with every ball that he faces. He’s been in control in 86 per cent of his shots.

India needs one of its other bowlers to stand up and support Jasprit Bumrah.

I suspect we’ll get a big dose of Ravichandran Ashwin shortly, particularly with the left-handed Travis Head at the crease.

For now though, it’s Harshit Rana to continue after the break.

This will be the last one before drinks.

BEATEN! Siraj bowls tight outside off, Head looks like he wants to cut but it’s good that he decided against it…

Now he gets a single.

Marnus gets a bit caught up with the ball bouncing up, it falls slightly down the pitch and Siraj, following up, kicks it back towards Marnus’s stumps.

Outside off, left alone.

FOUR! Brilliant from Marnus, driving through the covers like the Marnus of old. BUmrah gave chase but he couldn’t catch up to it. Brilliant stroke.

Marnus leaves the last.

That’s drinks, time for Chris De Silva to come in to take you through to the first break.

Travis Head averages 71.42 in Test matches at Adelaide Oval.

In his last two Tests in Adelaide, he has two centuries, including 175 in 2022 against the WIndies.

Marnus Labuschagne averages 77 in six Tests at the Adelaide Oval, and scored a century in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Head drives and the ball bounces up nicely to cover.

Bouncer, Head certainly considers ramping that over the slips but he leaves it alone.

Head clips off the pads and gets a single to backward square leg.

Marnus drives to cover but can’t beat the field.

Now he does, that’s a sumptuous cover drive from the Queenslander. He sprints through for three runs and moves to 42.

Head slashes that one to deep point for a single to end the over.