THE MANY PLOT TWISTS OF THE CLASSIC BOXING DAY TEST:

DAY ONE

* Australia win the toss and bat. After playing and missing four times in Jasprit Bumrah's first over, 19-year-old Australian debutant Sam Konstas audaciously plays a succession of ramp shots off the India great.

* The Indians are none too pleased by the youngster and Virat Kohli bumps shoulders with him, which incurs an International Cricket Council fine of 20 percent of his match fee.

* Half-centuries from Konstas, fellow opener Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne give Australia an ideal start, but Bumrah's cheap dismissals of Travis Head and Mitch Marsh leave the home side in sudden trouble at 5-246.

* Steve Smith and Pat Cummins guide Australia to 6-311 at stumps.

DAY TWO

* Smith brings up his 34th Test ton, top-scoring with 140 and quashing any talk about his form. Cummins contributes 49 as Australia reach 474.

* Bumrah takes four wickets, but goes within one run of a "reverse ton" - the first time he has conceded more than 90 runs in a Test innings.

* After captain Rohit Sharma returns to opening and is dismissed for three, continuing his poor form, India steady and are 2-153 at 5.35pm. By 6pm and stumps, they are in disarray at 5-164. First, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal attempts a rash single within sight of his ton and Kohli wants nothing to do with it. One run later, Kohli is also dismissed.

DAY THREE

* Rishahbh Pant's bizarre dismissal, playing exactly the same unorthodox shot that had him hit in the midriff the previous delivery, earned a rebuke of "stupid, stupid, stupid" from furious Indian great Sunil Gavasakar.

* That wicket brings together Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, who stop the rot with an outstanding eighth-wicket stand of 127. With his father weeping in the crowd, Reddy brings up his first Test ton. Rain stops play early and India are back in the game at 9-358.

* Days two and three feature record crowds for Boxing Day Tests.

DAY FOUR

* India are dismissed for 369 as Reddy top-scores with 114. Bumrah wins round two against Konstas, bowling him with a gem of a delivery, and that signals bad times for the Australian top order.

* Australia are reduced to 6-91 before Labuschagne combines with Cummins for a crucial, steadying stand of 57. With every run at a premium, Labuschagne scores another half-century (72 and 70) and Cummins makes 41. Cummins' dismissal leaves the hosts 9-173, bringing together Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland. As the Indians fumble in the field, Australia reach 9-228 at stumps.

* Bumrah's last over of the day features Lyon being caught in the slips, but he's reprieved by a no-ball, and 14 crucial runs come off the over, including a final-ball boundary.

DAY FIVE

* Bumrah bowls Lyon for his overnight 41 (Boland 15 not out) and Australia reach 234. That gives Bumrah another five-wicket haul and nine for the Test.

* India's target of 340 would be the highest successful Test run chase at the MCG and their third-highest.

* But they slump to 3-33 at lunch - Kohli out to a poor shot with the last ball of the session - before Jaiswal and Pant bat through to tea.

* Enter Travis Head, whose part-time spin entices Pant to belt him to deep mid-wicket, where Mitch Marsh takes a great catch and ends their 88-run stand.

* After he receives a life on 31 when the video review strongly suggests he should have been out lbw, Jaiswal is given out caught behind for 84 on review and is not happy, arguing with the umpires before he leaves the field. India are 7-140 and it's the last twist in an epic MCG clash.

* India lose their last three wickets for five runs as Australia seal a 184-run win to go 2-1 up in the series with one match to play. India need to win in Sydney to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while a draw would be enough to ensure it goes to Australia.