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KP_fan wrote:

msp83 wrote:So India is getting back on the field tonight, kicking off their WTC campaign. Rohit has already confirmed Jaiswal will open, and Gill drop down to 3. When all the talk of Yashasvi taking over from Pujara at 3 was going on, I felt he should open, particularly since the team views Gill as the eventual successor to Virat Kohli at 4. Going forward, I see a top 4 of Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran/Devdutt Padikkal/Rohan Kunnummal, Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Eswaran has been hard done by......Jaiswal was jumped over him
Mayank Agarwal should not be ruled out...he has batted very well in FC and has a decent test match showing also.

And don't forget the favorite boy of seniors and BCCI in KL Rahul...as soon as he is fit he will walk back into the 11

Its been tough on Easwaran. Think Mayank and KL might find it difficult to now fight their way back in. Particularly if Yashasvi has a good start to his career. KL might still make a comeback when Rohit leaves, but I hope Easwaran, Rohan and even Padikkal will make better cases for themselves.
As for Yashasvi jumping over Abhimanyu, though its tough on the latter, think is the right call. Jaiswal scored hundreds on his Ranji, Duleep and Irani trophy debuts. He's versatile and has shown adaptability as indicated by his IPL success. And, its not much noted these days, but he's a handy parttimer with the ball, he very much was for the U-19s, hope he'll get a few chances right away to work on that secondary skill of his...

India forced to leave out Jadeja for a last minute back /neck spasm and bring in Ashwin...that would surely weaken batting.
Should have brought a specialist batter ...pitch is grassy, bouncy, not fast , ball stops a bit but seaming a lot...won't have anything for spinner.

Rohit gives his wicket to a half pull

Jaiswal has give a good account of himself so far
Leaves what's outside and scores often when he gets bat on ball

Ball doing a bit , eh , KP_fan ?  This first session could be very important. Jaiswal has made the most of his scoring opportunities so far...probably a good plan on this.

Edit : Oops , we hexed him

23/2

Rohit's wicket notwithstanding ....SA has wasted thr new ball.by not bowling in the stumps ....too wide and a bit short of right length

My online cast is running a few deliveries late....SA bowl in stumps and jinxed jaiswal gone

Can't watch now...but India in real trouble at 24/3 as Gill falls to Burger - who is having a pretty good start to his career !

A 50 partnership capitalizing in both dropped on 4 each
I would say SA has not bowled enuf on off or 4th/5th stump and fullish good length
Not a single edge induced other than caught behind of jaiswal

So India 91-3 at lunch with both Kohli and Shreyas moving on into their 30s after being dropped in successive overs early in their innings. Could have been a lot worse... South African bowlers haven't put the ball in the right place often enough. bowled a bit too much at the stumps for Kohli and have generally been inconsistent with both line and length. Indian batters doing well to make best use of scoring opportunities.
Additional blow for South Africa as skipper Temba Bavuma seemed to have done that dodgy hamstring of his, yet again!

Massive blow it is for India to miss Jadeja. Won't lose much on the bowling front with Ashwin coming in, though that may not be that significant with spin not likely to play a decisive role in these conditions. In any case, it simply isn't a question of Ashwin or Jadeja really. Jadeja almost picks himself as a batter alone these days, over the last 3 years, besides the absent Rishabh Pant and perhaps the skipper himself to an extend, Jadeja has been the most reassuring of India's test batters. Ashwin rediscovered his batting touch from the time of the England tour a couple of years since, but it is nowhere near the kind of quality that Jadeja is offering these days, or for that matter Ashwin's own earlier version who looked like he could bat 6 even, on a pinch. Shardul Thakur is batting a position too high at 8, and then he's followed by 3 number 11s, the least worst of whom is Bumrah who is nobody's idea of a number 9!

Soon after lunch, KG Rabada steams through Shreyas Iyer's defense! India gasping again, down to the last recognized batters...

Rabada bowling much better after lunch. Getting the ball to talk, and asking questions with good lines and lengths.

India sinking now! Kohli goes edging behind, of Rabada who is looking more and more threatening as he's getting some miles in the legs! R Ash at 7. Big challenge for him to deliver some runs here. India badly need him to.

Was surprised at Pakistan bowling first. Bit of juice in the Melbourne pitch, yes, but they're signing up for facing Lyon in the fourth innings which isn't a wise move.

187/3 is a nicely balanced score, though slightly tipped in Australia's favour. Smith not making runs at Melbourne is quite unusual.

Rabada putting his side back in control after lunch, although 200 will probably be competitive on this.

SA need a change from the other end, new man Burger hasn't quite got it right after lunch. Time for Jansen I would say...

SA have pulled their line correctly to off and 4/5 stumps
India needed to play an extra batter for Ashwin
And use jaiswal for part time spin.

Even SA have left out Maharaj

Ashwin standing leg side of thr ball and hitting thru the line without moving feet much
Matter of time before he nicks one

India will struggle to get to 150.

Hmm. India staged a bit of a recovery while I wasn't watching. Drops helped , eh ?

But Rabada has made a bit of a mess of them in this session. Rahul battling well and Thakur will play shots.

147/6 so 200 still possible. Lose one of these , though ...

msp83 wrote:India will struggle to get to 150.

They crossed 150 thru thr courage of Thakur
That blow to temple was nasty....and there is a bit of swelling .....he should have gone off snd come.back at fall.of next wicket

Double whammy for Thakur...cops the blow on the arm and then picks out Elgar to give Rabada his Michelle...
164/7 : How many can Rahul muster with the tail ?

200 would be a nice barrier to cross
Pitch should have good support for Indian seamers also
SA have one extra batter and their tail is more capable with the bat
India really needed to be smart and play an additional batsman for Ashwin
Except that officially the only spare batter is Eswaran the opener

So after looking like getting blown away in that session, India survives to Tea at 176-7. KL Rahul, on wicketkeeping debut, unbeaten on 39. KG Rebard, like in the last series, the wrecker-in-chief. Last time too, he started not so well, but then had a few words from Elgar and then went on to really damage the Indian batting. This time round, we don't know whether there were words, but it didn't take him as much time to get fully switched on...
He has lacked support though it has to be said. Rabada's brilliance has meant it has not been very damaging for SA, but they are missing the experience of Nortje or Ngidi. Jansen and Coetzee both not quite on the mark, and the debutant Burger, while picking up 2 wickets, has again, not been consistent enough.

Agree with KPF India should have had a batter in place of Jadeja. More than his left-arm spin, its Jadeja's batting that India would miss more. Ashwin isn't a good enough cover for that. Should have had a batter in. Perhaps they should have had a proper middle order back bat in the side. Surya or Sarfaraz or even Rinku who has a very fine FC record as well. Should have got one of them in when Ruturaj got injured.

Sarfaraz is in SA and in any case they needed ro have an additional middle order reserve batter
KL meanwhile gets a 50 and continues to be our best batsmen is seaming, bouncy overseas conditions
The pitch is bouncing unevenly by mid of D1 and that's not a good sign

Good resistance from Bumrah, giving KL crucial support. But KG isn't very pleased and gets him on the gloves. India wouldn't want Bumrah to pick up an injury in these conditions for sure. Wish KL can farm more of the strike...

Rabada had Bumrah softened up, for Marco Jansen to get him to play on, for his first wicket in the match. End of the stubborn 8th wicket partnership. The end has to be near...

For a certified bunny, Siraj has done well to survive a few by leaving smartly. But not very smart decision making from KL, who rather unwisely exposed Bumrah to the returning Jansen by taking a first ball single. Then he hasn't been able to manage the strike well either, and is exposing Siraj...

Bumrah tried to hit and that was a mistake
Needed to just keep balls out.
One additional batsman might have seen India get past 250 and that would have been a very good total.

Indian bowlers need to bowl good length and off stump line ..not get carries away too much.
There is a storm round the corner so not much play expected today

As I heard Polock and Mbangwa talk the pitch quickened half an hour after lunch 2 hours or so under the sun....
And started to get uneven many balls jumping and kicking off a length.
And that's what makes this score 208-8 probably OK

So its rain/bad light time! Was expected to be a bad day weatherwise. Turned out to be alright so far. But nearly half-way into the last session, this might just be it for the day. KL managing to drag India pass 200. At 208-8 being put into bat, think India would not be very disappointed by that.

Weather tricky everywhere , eh ? India might have scrambled a decent score here if the pitch continues to aid the seamers in coming days. Lot of credit to Rahul

Here in Melbourne, early messy conditions fined up nicely for the game (actually quite sunny right now - makes a change ). Pitch still gave support to the pace men though , and Pakistan did well - aided by some good catching also - to clean up the Australian innings for 318 . Which was ten more than it should have been , with one blemish - a drop at slip - which saved Hazlewood from a quick
duck.. No matter : they'd have settled for this from 187/3 overnight. Lots of Aussie bats got set ; but none really went on . Marnus with 63 the only one past fifty. Oh , and also extras . Seriously , 52 in wides and unstoppable byes etc really was a blemish on the Pakistan effort. May cost them in the long term as their bats will face some real pressure from the Aussie pace trio after lunch...

Pakistan survived the first hour ...no real alarms but not a lot of scoring either. Few close calls on lbw but the umpires have been on the ball with correct rejections - and Australia have wasted one review. The height is regularly proving the reason why commentators are too easily excited , umpires judging better . Worth noting that all ten Aussie bats were out caught...

Lyon on already and in the groove quickly , Shafique defending grimly. Now 33/0 after 15 overs.

But now Lyon has his man ! Though it is Imam who is gone , edging a half defensive push to Marnus at second slip... 34/1

48/1 now and I am surprised to see Lyon taken off. He was bowling really well and constantly threatening . But it seems Cummins wants to give Hazlewood an early go at Masood.

Vaughan going on about Pakistan not scoring fast enough : bit overdone I think. Ground is slow after all the rain so boundaries hard to come by ; and the bowling has been tight. I do think they need to be a bit more pro-active against Lyon : but it is essential for them to get a solid start so I can understand them playing fairly carefully so far. Stay there long enough the runs will come - and this pitch not ideal for blazing stroke play. 56/1 from 20.

The Hazlewood ploy nearly works , as an edge falls just short of third slip. Masood wants to get on with things , has played and run with intent . But now cops a knock on the helmet so we have a short break...

Tea at 68/1. And after an over from Starc , Lyon back on immediately on resumption...and greeted by Masood advancing down the pitch and smashing him back over his head for four. Positive intent indeed ! Ten from the over , with both batsmen prepared to take the Aussie spinner on. Interesting.

Masood continues to attack Lyon : dances down and hoists it straight for six... Aussies have retained the close catchers (slip , short leg and leg slip ) so far : but how long will that last if runs flow ?

89/1 from 28. Masood on 28 from 38.

And fifty for Shafique with a nice cover driven boundary

Promising partnership building for Pakistan as the hundred comes up in an expensive Starc over...

Lyon continues - still two slips in to Masood but mid off has gone back. Great contest at the moment with both sides attacking... 105/1 off 30.

For now , at least , Pakistan have won the mini-battle. Lyon taken out of the attack , with Marsh into the action. And he's gone for eight in his first over , bowling far too short ; so the session continues very much in contrast to the earlier one. 123/1 from 34 so 55 runs from the last ten overs.

Cummins strikes ! Well taken c&b and Shafique has to go after an very good 62... Didn't quite get to the pitch of that drive and a wicket out of nowhere...end of a lively partnership at 90 from 19 overs. Home team needed that.

Now Marsh very excited over an lbw appeal but they aren't wasting a review here - that was going well over the top. 130/2.

And Cummins strikes again ! In off the seam and removes the off stump to send Babar on his way for just one run

Sudden change in the game and Pakistan needing to regroup from 131/3 with a lot of responsibility on the skipper as he knows his team has a bit of a tail.... The Aussie skipper in the midst of an excellent spell with those two big wickets.

Lyon back after drinks , with the two left handers together. Two slips again : will be interesting to see if Masood attacks him again , now that three wickets are down.Shakeel prepared to sweep anyway.

Cummins taking a breather after that important spell. 2/10 from five overs to turn the situation around. Top effort.

Hazlewood back at 144/3. Masood has his fifty , but perhaps has to be a little careful - at least until Shakeel gets settled in.

Ah...Masood does indeed launch at Lyon : but this time he's miscued and sent it high for Marsh to settle under the catch : last laugh for Lyon. Pakistan in trouble at 147/4 ...has all fallen apart with those three wickets.
Was a fine enterprising knock of 54 from 75 : but he'll be kicking himself for getting out then. Can't see the tourists getting near that 318 now.

151/5 as Hazlewood clean bowls Shakeel with an inducker... After a good few hours for Pakistan , things are once again reverting to their usual fortunes in Australia. This is only going one way from here...

Need some exercise before the action resumes in SA so a temporary pause to Alfie's Test Match Commentary... Anyone desperate for info will have to resort to the offerings of the crew at Cricinfo

alfie wrote:Need some exercise before the action resumes in SA so a temporary pause to Alfie's Test Match Commentary... Anyone desperate for info will have to resort to the offerings of the crew at Cricinfo

Good precise summaries
The look of scorecard, your and CI commentaries indicate this test match has ebbed & flowed.
Firstly it was a good effort to get Aus 318 a.o & then Pak collapsed from 124-1 to 170-6
They have Rizwan who shepherds the lower order well......Aamer is listed as a bowling allrounder on CI and both Ali & Afridi that follow can be counted on to deliver 10 to 15 odd.
Pak need to eek out another 100 or so to compete .....but we have seeen in last test they fought and then flattered to deceive.

Aus are super-strong in their backyard

Rahul with a fantastic century for India, one of his best with no one else reaching 40, and that put his side at 245ao. I think that's a very decent score, but Elgar and de Zorzi have guided SA to an encouraging platform of 49/1.

Though this is the type of pitch where 49/1 can easily become 80/5.

Bit of work for Australia to do, I see, but they're still in a strong position. Just not an insurmountable one. Will be a big relief for Labuschagne to have got something on the board, he's only averaged 36 this year.

Thought India did rather well to get up to 245 , considering the difficulties presented by Rabada in particular , and the ball doing plenty. But it seems SA are going after it with a fair bit of confidence now ? I didn't see the earlier part of the SA innings ; but Elgar and de Zorzi seem to be in charge at present and the new lad Prasidh is offering too many loose balls...

Elgar doubtless would like to finish his Test career on a high and he's making a good start with fifty here

I see we have Bumrah back in the attack now. Presume Rohit didn't want to overwork him or Siraj ; but I am a devotee of the theory that you should open after an interval with your best bowlers ... Runs have flowed rather quickly since the resumption with the second string pacers in action. Fair to say they're missing Shami...

Very much needed wicket for India , that. Batting much harder with Bumrah and Siraj in action. At 110/2 SA still have plenty to do - presume Bavuma won't be able to bat ?