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wisden wrote:Another hundred for Kamindu Mendis! Averages 83 now in tests, 922 runs in 8 test matches!

amazing

Hi KP_fan . Apparently Cummins was in two minds about what to do had he won the toss. The commentators actually thought India had made a good choice in batting first...and I don't think it was really a "bad" decision to do so : just some very good bowling and batsmen who haven't had a lot of lead in match play to prepare them for these typical Australian conditions. Rahul has handled things quite well , bot no one else has got settled at all. Tough session.

Heard there had been some rain which slightly hindered the curators' preparation. Talk of a little moisture possibly still in the pitch. Expected to get warmer each day so India just had to see out this first session with as little damage as possible.

So in 5 out of the last 6 tests, the Indian top order proving to be an absolute letdown! Jaiswal went hard at one early in the innings and didn't account for the bounce. Padikkal wasn't moving his feet and failed to put away a couple before joining Jaiswal in the duck club. And then Kohli made a short of length ball look better than it actually was with his incorrect foot movement.
Rishabh Pant in at 5 so early in the innings. how is he going to go about this situation? India already missing Jadeja who should actually have come in now...
KL Rahul has held one end up so far and has generally looked solid. The management would hope he'll play one of those innings that he plays every now and then which extends his credit by a year...

There is nothing alarming in the pitch. Not even much pace or carry for the quicks. The outfield doesn't give a lot of value for shots either. But there is bounce, and the Indian batters haven't dealt with it well so far. Poor batting and good bowling, rather than conditions, KPF.

Nothing much in Lyon's first over... Starc back on.
Missing Green, the Australians. how much bowling will Mitch Marsh be doing?

On the selection front, no miracle recovery for Shubman Gill, and they've gone in with the experienced Siraj. Akash got the axe though, though he had outbowled Siraj in the home season. No test comeback yet for Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana get their test debuts... And in a bit of a surprise for many, it wasn't either R Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja in the lone spinner role, it is Washington Sundar... That has to be the 2nd time something like that is happening in the last 12 years or so, after Washington had done the same in the last test on these lands last time round, but that time, both Ashwin and Jadeja were out injured...

Hmm. Bit of controversy in that drs call to rule Rahul out Not sure that he hit that...looked like a gap between bat and ball , and bat clipped pad : I think he was a little unlucky that the original "not out" call was overruled on that evidence ? In any case he's gone and India are in a lot of strife at 47/4 as lunch draws near...

KL unlucky to be given on DRS....played competently.
Bounce and little movement not alarming. It appears pitch will get faster and bouncier.
India's approach to see off new ball and make play for middle order and have depth.

Good selections, batting down to 9.
Krishna for Siraj would have been perfect

Just moved away from the live feed, and KL Rahul seems to have got a rough one from the 3rd umpire. Felt the bat hit the pad, not sure there was anything conclusive to overturn the onfield call there. Innings unravelling rather quickly. The 2 wicketkeeper bats are out there together in the middle. Can they rescue India here? Another 150 total seems to be on the card, and at this rate, even that will take some doing...

So 51-4 at lunch. That DRS disaster made it a terrible session for India. They chose to graft their way this time unlike the smash their way approach in the NZ series. But the result is the same, another collapse, and nothing much on the board either.

msp83 wrote:Just moved away from the live feed, and KL Rahul seems to have got a rough one from the 3rd umpire. Felt the bat hit the pad, not sure there was anything conclusive to overturn the onfield call there. Innings unravelling rather quickly. The 2 wicketkeeper bats are out there together in the middle. Can they rescue India here? Another 150 total seems to be on the card, and at this rate, even that will take some doing...

Simon Taufel seems to think they got the drs right- timing of the sound with the contact between bat and pad different or something. He may be right : but I was rather puzzled because the TV umpire asked for a different angle view from the TV (which presumably indicates he had some doubt) yet even though he didn't get such a shot , still chose to reverse the on field decision. Which strikes me as a bit counter intuitive as the idea is you only overturn if you are quite sure. An odd one ; which won't have helped Indian morale after a difficult session.

Have to say the Aussie bowling has been excellent today

Gosh!, a wicket for even Mitch Marsh! Half the side back in the hut for just 59. Jurel the latest to go, edging to slip...

Bad to worse for India.. just 8 runs added after lunch and Jurel is drawn into an edget safely taken by Marnus at slip...a wicket for the "relief" seamer Mitch Marsh and 59/5 not a happy sight for the tourists...

Hundred looks a long long way away for India as Washington gives the 2nd wicket to Marsh.

Marsh the wrecker ! Now he's nipped out Washington...72/6 and India just haven't coped with the bounce of this pitch .Pant left with just two debutants and two rabbits to support him.

Nitish Kumar Reddy in at 8 on test debut. Walking in at a very difficult situation. Didn't play the short ball well against Australia. Has potential, but has a batting average of only 21 from more than 20 FC games.

Third umpire fails to give Pant caught of the pants! Australia lose another review.

Nitish off the mark in test cricket... Think Cummins would do well to bring Starc on here to ask a question or 2 of Reddy...

Yes, Cummins does exactly that. Starc replacing the skipper. Think it should be Hazlewood from the other end. Though Marsh seems to be Marshall for the Indian batters at the moment...

Cummins goes to Lyon. Nitish gets away a couple of boundaries. Think Australia should keep the pressure up with more pace.

Now an error from the field umpire, Nitish got strangled down the leg, given notout, and Australia didn't review.

Now Cummins puts one down to give Pant a life. Went some way up, wasn't the easiest of takes, but should have been taken at this level. Starc misses out again.

One lucky break for India with Cummins not trusting the Marnus judgement of an appeal for a leg side catch behind...would have had the seventh wicket...excellent poker face from Reddy And then Cummins drops s very difficult chance from a skier....hundred up !

So hundred up for India!

Bit harsh on Cummins there , msp Very difficult to take those , especially if there is a bit of a breeze...actually he never really looked like he was catching that. Pant is probably doing the right thing attacking now...and getting good support from the New Boy...still be hoping to get nearer 200 than 100 but a lot depends on Pant...

See the value of having depth.
Bounce , new ball, quality seamers will eat away most of the top order more often than not.
That's why there's gotta be depth in batting to make it count when ball has lost shine after 30 to 40 over down to no. 9

Pant gone for 37, edging Cummins to slip. He got India pass the hundred mark, but just when a partnership was building, he got out...

Pant gone ! Cummins with the big wicket... Wonder if Pant might have done better to keep going for his shots , as he seemed to have reined it in a bit nearing tea ? 121/7 and hard to see them getting near 200 now...

That was a great bit of alertness from Marnus to grab that rebound catch ! Has been another four wicket session already...and we might yet get an extended session to finish this innings. Reddy reasonably enough looks to be intending to bring out the long handle...

Nitish trying to play some shots here as Rana didn't last too long. Gone to a fine take from Labushagne who somehow caught a rebound that he had no business catching!

Tea will be delayed indeed...Bumrah edging behind on the very last scheduled delivery of the session... Australia will be delighted as they should now take this last scalp and have a tea break before their openers have to come out to bat...

Reddy impresses as India get 150.
Would have liked 200, but let's see what Indian seamers can get out of this pitch.
And can they restrict Aus to 200 and keep Ind in the game

Ussie was a bit too casual under the blinding sunlight. Should have swallowed that one.

Got that one though... with some good legwork to get there.

All done at 150... good catch Kawajah after dropping an easy one... ends a good knock from Reddy which gave a little scrap of respectability to the score...but not enough Some good bowling, and catching (all ten caught , mostly by keeper and slips) : they really didn't handle the bounce.

So yes, they've made it to 150! Indian batting lineup giving Bangladesh tough competition! Another poor, underwhelming effort with the bat on a decent pitch which wasn't a road but very far from unplayable. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy top-scoring with 41. Only Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul making it pass 20 otherwise.
Think this is going to be 1999-2000 and 2012 more than 2018 or 21, or for that matter 2014. Don't see much more fight from this batting lineup.
Can Bumrah produce some magic to make this bearable at least? Will be asking too much of him I suppose. Looks more like a 350 track if the bowlers get their act together. But being consistently letdown by the batters, will the bowlers have some fight left in them? And even if they manage to bowl Australia out for 350, that should be more than enough for an innings win...

No miracle in Bumrah's first over. sprayed one down leg and Nathan McSweeney helped it away to the boundary to get off the mark in test cricket.
Siraj from the other end. Will have to hold on a bit to have that first sight of Harshit Rana...

Young McSweeney being busy to start with in his first test innings.

Good bowling, good review...exit McSweeney...who didn't look at all safe in his brief first appearance. Not sure why that wasn't given on field...looked very out.

Nearly two in the over...but Kohli somehow manages to spill the chance after seeming to have it firmly in his grasp...Marnus lucky day ?

Bumrah has done for Kawajah...Kohli held on to that one.19/2 on what seems to be a day for pace bowlers. Game on...

judge a total when both teams have batted....2 down for 19 and a sitter dropped by Kohli else it would be 3 down.
Pitch has zipp until the 30th over.......Siraj needs to get half a length fuller & lets see what Rana is made up of

Smith gone first ball !

On a hatrcik Bumrah., smith golden duck

He didn't even think about reviewing that...wisely. Some spell this from. Bumrah ! Head in on a hat trick...

He didn't even  think about reviewing that...wisely.  Some spell this from. Bumrah !  Head in on a hat trick...and saves it. But 19/3 is a lively start. Cant see this going five days...

Nice first over from Rana. Big partnership this...get one of these and expose Marsh early...

Not a great day to own day 5 tickets

It would be interesting to see the 'pitch map' on Marnus' body... he's certainly taken a few hits!

3/9 from six overs Bumrah...he has to consider how long he bowls in this spell. That'll make his decision easier.. Rana skittles Head with a jaffa ! 31/4

Tickets even for Sunday might be discounted at this rate