India tour of Australia (Nov 22, 2024 - Jan 03, 2025)

[Arthur Crabtree]

Looks like the weather will win. Tough luck for the Aussies.

[alfie]

Problem is his best now is probably better than the best of most in Australia right now...

Hit the nail on the head there , Andy. Though to be honest I reckon Smith has enough credit in the bank I am happy to see him continue for now and we will see whether this battling hundred is a "back in town !" indicator a bit of an outlier.

I did think he struggled a lot early on ; and question whether he would have been able to make something of his start without the effect Head had on the Indian bowling...

Melbourne will be interesting.

[alfie]

Looks like the weather will win. Tough luck for the Aussies.

Yes the forecast is grim. You never know ; but getting 16 wickets between showers could be difficult . At least the expected interruptions may give the bowlers enough rest time to enable them to bowl through two innings ( unless they can enforce a follow on it is hard to see a route to an Australian win in the time likely to be available)

But India are looking very vulnerable going forward : Starc seems to have Jaiswal's number ; and neither Gill nor Kohli inspire much confidence at present. Plus the bowling seems heavily Bumrah - dependant.

[andy]

Normally Sydney that gets washed out, not the gabba haha!! Shame for australia but still enough time to force a result, hard to see India having a chance of winning from here now

[backfootpunch]

Australia may regret all that time lyon and Carey spent blocking.

May have had the Indians 5 down if they'd just declared overnight

Growing trend with India that they struggle badly as a batting unit when jaiswal fails. At the moment he averages 78 when india win and 27 when they lose. So get him cheaply and a lot of the others are out of form.

[backfootpunch]

Did steve smith drop the game? Shelled a very very easy catch off rahul first ball of the day.

Looking costly at the moment unless the rain stays away.

[alfie]

Took an absolute blinder to get the same batsman later ! Just cost a little matter of 51 runs

Could be rather an important differential when this game reaches its end . But I suspect these on/off showers are going to make forcing a result a tough task for an Aussie bowling group now deprived of Hazlewood who is out of the game now with a repetition of his calf strain.

Getting back on the field now at 167/6. In ten minutes. If it doesn't rain again...

[andy]

Game will peter out into a draw..shame really...and another injury for Hazlewood who seems to be sepdning more time off the field than on it these days....Boland should get a couple of tests then

[backfootpunch]

Took an absolute blinder to get the same batsman later ! Just cost a little matter of 51 runs

Could be rather an important differential when this game reaches its end . But I suspect these on/off showers are going to make forcing a result a tough task for an Aussie bowling group now deprived of Hazlewood who is out of the game now with a repetition of his calf strain.

Getting back on the field now at 167/6. In ten minutes. If it doesn't rain again...

It's the time it cost more than the runs

Would India have rallied so well had rahul not hung around so long. Unlikely.

That drop and the hazlewood injury has likely cost Australia the game.

[andy]

1-1 with two to play though series still set up nicely

[GarlicJam]

..an Aussie bowling group now deprived of Hazlewood who is out of the game now with a repetition of his calf strain.

To be fair to the Aus selectors, wasn't he out the previous test with a side strain? Even though I thought just the one match to be missed felt a little hopeful.

[GarlicJam]

This drawn test was basically inevitable, but it always gave promise of an exciting finish. As always, the weather won out.

The draw means that Australia must win at least one of the remaining tests to have any hope of regaining the BGT. Two more draws would be enough for India. A win each is enough for India.

[GarlicJam]

I've just read that Ravi Ashwin has retired from international cricket, effectively immediately.

I have not read any more than that.

I am surprised.

[meninblue]

Rain saves India.

[bigfluffylemon]

The weather wins. Hard to judge how things might have gone without it.

Other than the psychological factor, I believe the weather was the reason the Gabba tended to open the Australian summer, as being subtropical Brisbane tends to be pretty wet in summer. But then, Sydney also tends to be rain affected...