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

[GarlicJam]

I guess one thing about decisions we can agree on..... Ravi Jadeja reviewing his LBW decision might be the worst review in the history of the game. Middle stump, half way up, no bat...

Even Shane Watson is turning round and walking at that point.

I assumed that he did that just on hope that something MIGHT have happened to save him - the team were going down the gurgler, and had the reviews up their sleeve. Like the fall of Lyon's wicket (10th wicket) in Aus' 2nd innings in Melbourne. He was adjudged LBW and signaled for a review as he ran off the pitch to prepare for fielding. It was plumb, and he knew it.

Cynical use of the DRS.

With Sundar's dismissal, I say there was not conclusive evidence mainly because that very fine, short spike and the video frame did not align as the ball touched the glove (assuming that it did). Just timing with the video - it was half a frame away from being much stronger evidence. As I said, I reckon he probably nicked it, but the evidence was not strong - with no other evidence to support this, I thought it would stay with on-field decision.
With Jaiswal, there was PLENTY of other evidence. So, similar instances, but not the same.

[backfootpunch]

Bumrah bowling hand grenades again

Truly been a pleasure to watch him bowl this year

He's absolutely dominated in all formats

He pretty much single handedly won India the t20 world cup. 15 wickets at 8.26 er 4.15 in that format

71 wickets at 15 in tests

An all time great year for a bowler

[backfootpunch]

Indias total looking a very long way away from Australia after head edges behind

Don't see pitches this bowler friendly in Australia very often

Webster walks in on debut in a crisis

[alfie]

Couple of good partnerships took Australia to within 4 runs of India...all out and tea taken ; the four Indian pace men sharing the wickets. Big worry for them is the Bumrah injury as he's been off the field for ages and has apparently gone for a scan. The advantage of bowling last would lose a lot if he can't bowl ...not sure this is going to be a pitch that aids the spinners.

Absorbing Test Match. But you might not want tickets for day three , let alone five

[mikesiva]

Australia 181 all out

Webster 57

Prasidh 3-42
Siraj 3-51

[bigfluffylemon]

Incredible final session. Pant playing on a different pitch from everyone else, but Boland the destroyer again.

If India can get close to 200, it's going to be a very tense chase.

[alfie]

Yeah going to be a tense last day (I meant day four of course , in the earlier post). Another 50 runs would probably make India favourites. Though a lot depends on Bumrah's fitness to bowl. And how the pitch develops tomorrow...it completely confounded the general view here that batting would get easier as it dried out ; so anyone's guess how it will behave in the morning...

Boland indeed the wrecker. But Cummins played a vital part , keeping it tight and constantly menacing at the other end though without the rewards - except for Pant of course ! Webster continued his excellent debut match with an important wicket and was unlucky not to have more. He's having a terrific debut

Best we have seen from Pant this tour. Couple of rather silly shots but mostly just good aggressive batting and kept India in a match that was threatening to run right away from them.

Looking forward to day three...

[sussexpob]

Bumrah bowling hand grenades again. Truly been a pleasure to watch him bowl this year

In my lifetime of watching cricket, I can't think of another bowler who poses such a variety of questions to batsman.

On pitches with no life, he attacks your stumps with conventional or reverse swing that moves so late (And at times prodigiously) , he takes the pitch completely out the equation and can make even the most solid technique crumple. On pitches with bounce, he withdraws his length and can generate big seam movement and surprisingly levels of uneven bounce, and at times in SA when he also got a hint of swing in the air, its unplayable - swing in, seam and bounce out - turns you inside out. On shorter lengths, that flat trajectory from his action makes the ball stay lower than you think, and his bouncers are good pace and impossible to get out of the way off - I've seen him get wickets where batsman duck into the ball a few times.

Curtley Ambrose was the closest bowler to perfect I ever seen - he could kill you with pace, grind you with accuracy, and beat you with movement - I think this last year, Bumrah deserves to be mentioned alongside him.

As you say.... when he's bowling like this, you can't get much better. I hope he stays fit enough to continue at this level for years to come.

[sussexpob]

Big worry for them is the Bumrah injury as he's been off the field for ages and has apparently gone for a scan

I'd be inclined to say that Bumrah being injured will turn the test match, but the Indian seam attack took 8-120 without him yesterday, so all hope is not lost for them.

Interested to see how the pitch behaves too. My memory of Sydney tests when the pitch has been green, and there has been a fair share of them in the last 15-20 odd years, is that for 1-2 days its difficult to face seam movement, but around the last session of day 2 the pitch flattens and gets good for batting (before breaking up towards day 5). The pitch so far has played almost exactly like in 09/10 vs Pakistan, and that became better around this point in the match.

[meninblue]

26 wickets in two days.

[backfootpunch]

Not a very good pitch

Wonder if it will be deemed substandard by the icc

[bigfluffylemon]

Australia wrap up the innings cheaply. 162 to win.

No Bumrah bowling - looks to be curtains for India. Australia off to a flyer in the chase as the India bowlers are all over the place.

[backfootpunch]

Awful start for india

Lost 4 for nothing

Then siraj and prasidh bowling pies and go for 26 off 2 overs

They need the aussies 50-3 to have any chance

Poor team selection may well cost India. Picking 2 spinners on a wicket this green was absolutely bizarre. The injury to bumrah leaves them with 2 front line seamers. One of whom has only played 2 tests.

[sussexpob]

Think India's bowlers are seeing a different set of stumps to me...

[backfootpunch]

Konstas is going to have a short career in test cricket if he continues to play like this.

That was a 2 overs to go in a t20 slog.