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Rahkeem Cornwall makes it to West Indies Test squad
He is an all-rounder from the islands of Antigua and is perhaps the heaviest cricketer ever. He stands at a towering height of 6’6” and weighs around 140 kg.

Cornwall made his first-class debut in 2014 and has since become a regular for Leewards Islands, even captaining them earlier this year. He has 260 wickets from 55 first-class matches and finished as the leading bowler in the most recent regional four-day tournament.

So Ashwin resumes after lunch with Siraj as his partner...

I guess he had to be introduced sooner or later (and he has been tidy enough in his first couple of overs , and quite sharp) but there is that thing about always starting a session with your main threat bowlers so I think I'd have had a couple first up from Bumrah , before these two had a chance to settle back in.

Siraj is certainly a gentle and inoffensive bowler.

50 partnership up now as Australia get closer to a position of stability and control.

Looking a lot more settled since the break , yes. Only takes one mistake though and they wouldn't be too secure if four down under a hundred so India need to keep pressing. Labuschagne has ridden his luck and Head has had to really scrap for his runs so I wouldn't call them exactly comfortable yet.
Yadav back which seems a sensible move. Nearly had Marnus then but has to settle for a dented helmet...

Runs have started to flow a bit now ...up to 107 off 39.

Bumrah back now. Only bowled eight overs so far , which surprises me a little as I'd have thought it might have been worth letting him have a few more at the batsmen while the ball was relatively new. I would certainly have started with him after lunch , as breaking this pair up was likely the key to the day.

As it is , Head has just played a couple of lovely boundary shots off that Bumrah over , and is looking a far happier batsman than he was in the earlier session.

Australia a good deal more comfortable at drinks , 117/3 off forty...slow over rate given a fair bit of spin. Guess the helmet change delay contributed to that.

The wicket of Head came just in time for India...Aussies were threatening to break away. Was a fine catch too.

Subsequently the pressure has come back on :Marnus still not really looking in command though he is still battling away , and young Green understandably still trying to get set in this level of combat. Novice to novice as Siraj entrusted with attacking the youngster...

131/4 off 48 ...innings could yet go either way.

And Siraj gets the break...but it's Labuschagne not Green . Might have two now ?

No...Paine survives on Umpire's Call by a micron ! That is as close as you can get ...did look out , live.

134/5 hosts are in some trouble anyway. Losing Paine would really have them in strife....plenty of pressure on young Green close to tea...

Oh dear...Indian fans won't be happy with the TV umpire on that run out decision. Very close yes , but I think it was pretty clear the bails were dislodged before Paine's bat actually crossed the line.
Think the skipper has got away with that on a sort of "benefit of doubt to the batsman" deal.
I suppose if we are going down to such tiny margins there is a case for calling "not out" on very close run outs. But with the zoomed image fairly clear that the bat was essentially on the line rather than over it with the bail clearly off I think even if you were to suggest a fraction of bat crossed the line it could not have done so (in between frames) before the bail moved.

Moving on : 144/5 and Ashwin still controlling things well.

Paine seems to have "inherited" some of Labuschagne's luck...now collecting a boundary from an edge through slips...
India are still on top at present but will be wary of seeing Paine reprise his Adelside efforts here. Green still shackled but grinding it out (9 off 55 balls)
152/5 off 60. Tight stuff.

Siraj strikes again ! Green calls for a review but he's stone dead out... Yes , three reds and he's gone for a battling 12 and the hosts are 155/6 and in deep mud...

Siraj is proving a lot more effective than Duty suggested above

Paine the third victim for Ashwin and at 155/7 Australia are looking down the barrel...

Of course their attack is well capable of fighting back with the ball but Starc and Cummins might be needing to do a bit of work with the bat first. Both on nought still. Not easy , this batting today.

And NZ close a slow day at 222/3 off 87...sounds made for Richie Benaud jokes

Williamson 94 unconquered and surely on the way to another century. As vital to his team as Smith and Kohli to theirs...

Bumrah successfully bounces out Starc... 164/8 and the innings seems to be sinking fast.

No doubt Bumrah might get a bouncer or two back tomorrow but his team will hope their proper batters can make enough runs before he is called on to bat.

Action packed over sees Lyon savage Bumrah for 2 6 and 4 to see the score to 191... But ends with him being trapped - narrowly - lbw.
Four wickets for Bumrah and Cummins might hit out now ?

Were some very useful tail end runs from those two. Nearly as many as the whole Indian second innings from Adelaide

And that's it ...Cummins holes out to long on...All out 195.

India's day ...unless they suffer damage in the fifty minutes they will have to bat. Staying tuned...

Starc on the money from the off ! Superb first over ends by pinning the hapless Agarwal for a duck. Umpires call but good enough live to get the nod and the worst possible start for India ...great bowling

Awesome first four overs from Starc and Cummins ! Pujara and Gill somehow still there but it's taken to the 21st delivery for even a hint of a run...and in fact a lovely drive for four by Gill to break the drought.
But the menace in the bowling is something to behold

And indeed the over ends with Gill dropped by Labuschagne at slip. All happening ...

Getting near the close :

35/1 with Hazlewood to bowl the last over... And nearly a run out ! Pujara saved by an errant throw and in fact gets an overthrow.

Action all day...never less than gripping stuff. Two balls left...

And that's where it is...end of day , India will be happy to get through with 36 and just the one man out...definitely their day after losing the toss

Gill 28 not out . OK , he did give one chance against some awesome early bowling : but after watching him bat even for a few overs it boggles my brain that anyone could have selected Agarwal and Shaw ahead of him for the Adelside Test. He's a mile better ; not even close.

Watch out for an Aussie counter attack tomorrow but India can be rightly delighted with Boxing Day at the 'G...

Just as well India picked that 5th bowler

Can we go back to calling smith overated now?

alfie wrote:Siraj strikes again !  Green calls for a review but he's stone dead out... Yes , three reds and he's gone for a battling 12 and the hosts are 155/6 and in deep mud...

Siraj is proving a lot more effective than Duty suggested above

Yeah stump to stump....indippers at a brisk pace touching 140kph and occasional ones that go away or hold the line.
will get / does get reverse also when ball gets scruffed up......LBW and clean bowled are in play as his main mode of dimissals against RHB

A lively start at Centurion : Sri Lanka 45/1 after just seven overs...

Quite the contrast to the NZ game .

Well so much for sensing a big score for Australia! After India got Head out, they bowled intelligently at Labuschagne, tying him down until he was also dismissed. Then the innings crumbled without too much fuss. Aussies still well in the test, of course, as India can collapse without too much invitation, and their batting looks unbalanced without Kohli in the side.

Enormous credit due to Williamson, Nicholls and Taylor in the other game, batting in a proper test match way against tough bowling and in difficult conditions. Don't see enough of it.

Admittedly I’ve only seen him play in a few games, but surely South Africa have a better bowler coming through than Sipamla. He’s not accurate, not fast, and seemingly has no control either.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Admittedly I’ve only seen him play in a few games, but surely South Africa have a better bowler coming through than Sipamla. He’s not accurate, not fast, and seemingly has no control either.

If he was at my old club, I would guess his mum or girlfriend did a good cricket tea.

Pakistan teetering here. Williamson looking imperious early on day 2

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Pakistan teetering here. Williamson looking imperious early on day 2

But gone now. Good low catch though it took the TV umpire to confirm it. NZ still well placed at 285/5

alfie wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Pakistan teetering here. Williamson looking imperious early on day 2

But gone now.  Good low catch though it took the TV umpire to confirm it. NZ still well placed at 285/5

Yep they’ve really come out of the drinks break firing. Chance to keep NZ down here

First ball of the day at MCG and Paine demands a drs for caught behind...not sure why he was so keen ?
He is a pretty good keeper and a gutsy batsman but I reckon he is generally a rotten judge of when to call a referral ...as seen at times last Ashes

Paine is up there with Broad in the useless DRS stakes.

And now Paine drops Gill off Hazlewood ! Not easy , inside edge low to his left ...but the Aussie skipper having a rough ten minutes .

Gill living dangerously but celebrates his survival with a lovely clip for four...plenty of early action this morning !

Cummins pressuring Pujara ...edge not carrying to slip. Tough for the batsmen ...good viewing for the fans. And Hazlewood nearly cutting Gill in half though it costs him a boundary...
This MCG pitch has the sort of life we used to see often years ago : nice to see it back

I do like the look of Gill. Had a bit of luck with the dropped chances, and does look like he wants to get bat and ball plenty - but so much more compact than Shaw looked in his brief stays.

Another one drops short of Wade! Green still getting them through at 140, so nothing should really be dropping short - even with the soft hands of Pujara.

JDizzle wrote:I do like the look of Gill. Had a bit of luck with the dropped chances, and does look like he wants to get bat and ball plenty - but so much more compact than Shaw looked in his brief stays.

Good jinx, as Gill fires a bit of a loose drive at one that wasn’t really there. Touch of inexperience as you sense Cummins was coming towards the end of his spell.

JDizzle wrote:I do like the look of Gill. Had a bit of luck with the dropped chances, and does look like he wants to get bat and ball plenty - but so much more compact than Shaw looked in his brief stays.

Stays pretty legside of it from what I’ve watched. Fine for subcontinental conditions, but not surprised he’s been edging a fair few here with a bit of nip about...

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

JDizzle wrote:I do like the look of Gill. Had a bit of luck with the dropped chances, and does look like he wants to get bat and ball plenty - but so much more compact than Shaw looked in his brief stays.

Stays pretty legside of it from what I’ve watched. Fine for subcontinental conditions, but not surprised he’s been edging a fair few here with a bit of nip about...

Yep, fair. Definitely to one that was just back of a length, he got opened up a few times staying leg side. Didn’t really let the bat get outside the eyeline and massively away from the body from what I saw though - till the dismissal. Compare and contrast to the shot Shaw played to get bowled by Starc.

JDizzle wrote:I do like the look of Gill. Had a bit of luck with the dropped chances, and does look like he wants to get bat and ball plenty - but so much more compact than Shaw looked in his brief stays.

Nice jinx , JD

But I agree with you ..In fact was just typing a reply as his wicket fell.

So I guess dropped twice and out for 44 is a bit "Adelaide Labuschagne" : but in the context of this lively pitch and some excellent bowling it ain't too bad. And perhaps more to the point you can see the talent in the strokes he played. He will probably need to tighten up his defence a bit to succeed regularly in bowler friendly conditions ; but he's young enough to do just that and if he does I can see him becoming a real all conditions opener.
In any case I reckon he will make a bunch of runs on the flatter pitches. Which is nothing to be sneezed at.

Expecting to see a lot more of him.

Pat Cummins just bowls seeds.

Big break ! Cummins snares Pujara and at 64/3 India have a lot of work to do...

Aussie bowling has been excellent this morning and India really need a partnership now. Can't see their tail lasting long if this is the way the top bats are struggling on this.

Rahane and Vihari both on nought : can look forward to a testing next mini-session

JDizzle wrote:

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:

JDizzle wrote:I do like the look of Gill. Had a bit of luck with the dropped chances, and does look like he wants to get bat and ball plenty - but so much more compact than Shaw looked in his brief stays.

Stays pretty legside of it from what I’ve watched. Fine for subcontinental conditions, but not surprised he’s been edging a fair few here with a bit of nip about...

Yep, fair. Definitely to one that was just back of a length, he got opened up a few times staying leg side. Didn’t really let the bat get outside the eyeline and massively away from the body from what I saw though - till the dismissal. Compare and contrast to the shot Shaw played to get bowled by Starc.

For sure - and he’ll likely score roughly 2,000 runs in the upcoming series against England, only a few overs but thought he looked imperious against Lyon. Just something to note for future development, especially if he makes a tour to these shores

Things could get a bit messy now if India aren’t careful. Vihari remains unconvincing and then Pant is Pant - anything could happen. Of course that does then bring the Indian top order to the crease...

Didn’t see him last night vs Lyon, so I will take you word for it. And at risk of sounding a crotchety old man, he opened in the IPL this year and his scoring was a bit slow... So I guess it is what he ends up prioritising as to whether he tightens up sufficiently.

Anyone else slightly surprised we have had Green on for several overs and no Starc yet ?

Ah here he is now. Must have wanted Cummins' end.

Fun for the batsmen. Get rid of Pat and Starc comes on

At least the ball is 27 overs old now so if they can get through the next ten...big if.

It did seem an odd move, especially with Cummins making the breakthroughs to keep Green going before Starc. Think it might be time for some Lyon too, as Green bowled a couple of gentle half volleys in that over.

Australia's morning , but India at least made it to lunch without losing more than two.
Resuming at 90/3 and I suspect we are in for a slightly different afternoon...a lot more Lyon - and he's started with some good tight stuff so won't be easy.
Pace men no doubt to rotate at the other end - and with four of them they can all remain fairly fresh. So batting unlikely to be any picnic...though at least a ball nearly forty over old is a little less threatening.
India will really be hoping for a solid partnership now : if they could manage to wear the bowling down the likes of Pant and Jadeja might well produce some batting fireworks later in the day.
But so far in this match no one has ever seemed really "in" for long.

Ha...just to echo my last comment...

Just as Vihari and Rahane seemed to be getting on top ...fifty stand raised and Warne praising how well they were playing Lyon's spin...Vihari got overexcited and gloved a sweep to slip.

Nice jinx , Shane

116/4 and match very nicely balanced.

I see NZ are now in danger of being bowled out for less than 600

394/8 , though Watling is still in. Run rate of under 2.7 so I have to say I rather hope this doesn't get them a win ...can't blame them for a method that works , at home - but I don't think this approach is great for the game as a whole. Knowing Pakistan they will probably collapse in response so it will keep the Kiwi's in the hunt for the World Test Championship final anyway...

Pant producing some shots against Cummins...might be a key battle , this. All right hanging in ; but India need to keep the scoreboard ticking over if they're to get in front of Australia and put plenty of pressure on the hosts. Bit of a balancing act , of course.

Twelve off that over : he just needs to not get carried away...as I think Rahane just wandered down to tell him.

148/4 off 52...

Going after Lyon too.

Cummins comes back (round the wicket) with a maiden to Pant

Intriguing battle , this. Only forty runs behind now ; but the Australian innings folded up from something not too dissimilar yesterday.

And Cummins nearly strikes ! Pant uppish wide of gully and Green gets his left hand to it but can't hang on...

161/4. Green replacing Lyon now and will be keen to make up for the miss...

Fifty stand for these two in good time

Just 29 off the Aussie total now ...but a word of warning :

I have to go out for about an hour shortly. And every time I left the TV in Adelaide , Indian wickets crashed (I think I only saw three of their wickets fall live in the whole match)

So Indian fans may want to Look Away Now