Virat Kohli was at the centre of an Indian calamity in the final half-hour on day two that has rocked their hopes of winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Indian megastar, already the face of controversy a tempestuous Boxing Day Test, was involved in a run out that sent young star Yashasvi Jaiswal packing on 82 moments before he was dismissed himself.

And a record Melbourne crowd saw the wicket of their dreams. Chief antagonist Kohli, dismissed by hometown hero Scott Boland.

The Victorian also snared nightwatchman Akash Deep in the second-last over of the day.

The run-out sent shockwaves through India’s comeback and they finished the day 5-164, having been 2-153 moments earlier, with Rishabh Pant (6) and Ravindra Jadeja (4) to resume on day three.

The tourists also face a monumental call over whether or not they drop standing captain Rohit Sharma for the series-deciding final Test in Sydney next week.

Jaiswal was mounting a comeback, hours after Steve Smith’s second century of the series batted Australia to 474.

Then he struck a ball to mid-on and took off for a single on 82. Kohli had backed up own the wicket, but then turned his back on his partner and returned to safety.

Just overs later Kohli was caught-behind off Boland, who took the next step in his love affair with his home crowd and its patrons.

Jaiswal wasn’t going to let Sam Konstas be the MCG’s only wonder boy this week.

While Konstas whipped bay 13 into a frenzy on the second afternoon, India’s own prodigy pulled them back into the contest with elegant stroke play and flashes of timing and power.

Teenager Konstas, who set the match up for Australia with his radical 60 on Thursday had the Melbourne crowd bowing down to him, clapping along with him and begging for him to field in front them. But it was all happening as the same two culprits that batted Australia out of the first Test threatened to do it again.

Sharma was dismissed for three off just six balls opening the batting in India’s first innings at the MCG.

And it was a soft dismissal too, with Sharma skying a pull shot off a chest-high bumper he should have see coming because opposition skipper Pat Cummins had a short-leg in place.

He leant on one nice drive off Cummins but was otherwise uninspiring in his brief stay.

The spotlight is on Sharma, who is likely on his last tour of Australia, after India dropped Shubman Gill to accommodate the captain’s move from the middle order back to the opening role.

Cummins rattled through the defence of KL Rahul with one of the balls of the summer — a rocket that seamed back into his stumps — to take his wicket for 24

West Australian Mitch Marsh did little to quash conjecture over his spot in the team, bowling three overs for 15 after failing with the bat again.

Jaiswal launched Marsh down the ground for the first six of the Indian innings and then survived a decision-review for lbw the very next ball.

The all-rounder’s speeds hovered around the 120km/h mark and wicket-keeper Alex Carey stood up to the stumps. His impact with the ball is not justifying a tough run with the bat.

Smith began the day on 68 and went on to score his second century in the same series for the first time since the 2019 Ashes.

Cummins made 49 and Mitchell Starc made a valuable 15-run cameo as Australia bullied and embarrassed India. They piled on 143 runs for the loss of just one wicket before lunch.

Australia hadn’t had three batters all score half-centuries in the same match in more than two years, but had Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Smith all reach the mark.

Smith reached the milestone, which comes after he scored a breakthrough ton during the third Test in Brisbane, off 167 balls and celebrated with a defiant nod towards his teammates.

He was also tapped on the back by legendary compatriot Kohli in what could be their final series against each other.

Smith fell for 140 when a ball he defended from Akash Deep rolled back on to his stumps.

The veteran won a heavyweight battle with Bumrah and the second new ball on Friday morning. The Indian destroyer had him playing and missing three times in one over, including a big shout for caught-behind, but Smith lived to see the end of his first spell of the day.

In one final blow, he lifted a Bumrah bouncer over fine leg for six. The imperious quick went on to have his most expensive innings in Test cricket, finishing with 4-99.

The morning of day three will be a serious probe of India’s batting depth, with Jadeja elevated to bat six as part of their reshuffle for this match.