Steve Smith’s first outing as captain of Australia was not quite a baptism of fire, but it could not have been much hotter. Temperatures at the Gabba on the first day of the second Test against India edged towards 40C (104F), hot enough to fry an egg and certainly hot enough to leave Smith frazzled, especially after three of his bowlers broke down because of injury or exhaustion.
Murali Vijay was the main beneficiary in Brisbane, scoring 144 before being caught behind off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. Having won the toss, India closed on 311 for four, a score that might have looked very different had Shaun Marsh not dropped Vijay on 36, then again on 102.
The India opener is a man in