Fifteen wickets fell on another eventful day at the Adelaide Oval, with India 62 runs to the good
Here’s the AAP take on day two. See you on Saturday!
Related: India take charge against Australia but could pay for crucial drops
An absorbing day of cricket that belonged to the ball, and ultimately to India. Fifteen wickets fell for a total of 221 runs scored, with Australia first cleaning up India’s tail and then India causing Australia’s makeshift batting line-up all sorts of trouble.
With Matthew Wade, Joe Burns, Steve Smith and Travis Head all falling for single-figure scores, it was left to Marnus Labuschagne (47, dropped three times) and Tim Paine (73 not out) to get Australia to something remotely resembling parity. Paine’s was a classic captain’s knock, receiving good support from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to help the hosts recover from 79-5 to reach 191 all out.
A dropped catch by Tim Paine but Australia get the breakthrough they desperately wanted, and needed with Shaw gone again for not many. But the ascendancy remains with India, who will look to build a commanding lead on day three.
"The problem and the worry is his front foot's not planted."@RickyPonting talks Prithvi Shaw's first Test dismissals #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/7Vo8ukUNyg
6th over: India 9-1 - lead by 62 (Agarwal 5, Bumrah 0) Bumrah is faced with the prospect of six balls from Cummins. It’s a daunting proposition but the nightwatchman is solid, blocking the straight ones and getting under the short ones. Job done by Bumrah and that is stumps.
5th over: India 9-1 - lead by 62 (Agarwal 5, Bumrah 0) Starc to Agarwal and the Indian knows what’s coming - full and onto his pads. He holds sway until the last ball when Starc errs outside off and and taken for two through the covers. One over to go.
4th over: India 7-1 - lead by 60 (Agarwal 3, Bumrah 0) Cummins vindicates his captain’s decision to elevate him from first change, knocking the top of Shaw’s off-stump with one that goes right through the opener’s flimsy forward defence. Bumrah strolls to the middle! Even more surprisingly, he keeps Cummins, with his tail up in the air, at bay for five successive deliveries.
BOWLED HIM! In the first innings it was Starc, in the second innings it's Cummins.
Both times Shaw gets knocked over #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/HiX6oxOjo3
3rd over: India 7-0 - lead by 60 (Shaw 4, Agarwal 3) Starc is really working Agarwal over here with the one that swings into his pads. A tentative prod to mid-off here, an edge onto his pads there, but the batsman emerges unscathed. No breakthrough for Australia. Yet.
2nd over: India 7-0 - lead by 60 (Shaw 4, Agarwal 3) Cummins with a rare go with thge new ball. Shaw punches nicely down the ground but those boundaries down the ground in Adelaide are so bloody long, and what would be a sure boundary anywhere else in the world is kept to three. Cummins errs down leg with his yorker, allowing Agarwal to get off the mark with two runs through midwicket. DROPPED CATCH! A better line from Cummins leaves Agarwal and gets the outside edge, but Paine goes for it instead of leaving for first slip and spills the one-gloved chance. There has been a lot of dropped catches today.
Dropped. Paine dives but can't hold on...#AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/Qu0B0m1C37
1st over: India 1-0 - lead by 54 (Shaw 1, Agarwal 0) Starc to Shaw, who avoids a pair with a single backward of square. Agarwal takes strike against the swinging ball, slip cordon stacked and with short leg in place. He’s watching for the leg-before trap, the one that swings in to the right-hander - let’s face it, we all are - and the opener survives some testing, searching deliveries.
Some good runs from Australia at the end. At 111-7 and then 139-8 they had no right to get near 200, but Tim Paine had a couple of willing helpers in Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to give Australia’s tally some sort of respectability. India are on top but with 25 minutes to face before stumps that could change rather quickly.
Hazlewood edges Umesh to Pujara at first slip and Australia’s first innings is complete. Paine remains unbeaten on 73 and that was a nice little partnership of 24 for the final wicket.
72nd over: Australia 191-9 (Paine 73, Hazlewood 8) Eight runs from the over, all off the blade of Paine, including a chancy hook to conclude the over which flies high off the top edge to the fine-leg fence. Potentially pivotal rearguard performance here from Paine and his cohort.
71st over: Australia 183-9 (Paine 65, Hazlewood 8) That’s more like it. Paine forgets what format he’s playing, changes clothes like Superman to get out of his creams and into his pyjamas, and reverse sweeps Ashwin to the fence. Dot balls follow until a single off the last ball of the over sees Paine retain the strike. Jolly good.
Here’s something from Andrew Cosgrove: “Morning/Evening Scott, Greetings from a damp and wet London. I envy you being in Australia right now. Sam Perry’s tweet in the 60th over. How refreshingly Australian. Don’t compliment the Indian bowlers, just whinge about perceived cheating. I suppose Bumrah’s elbow is what’s helping Ashwin get all the turn and bounce, and scrambled Starc’s head to call for that second run.”
70th over: Australia 178-9 (Paine 60, Hazlewood 8) Bumrah returns to finish off the tail. Obviously. But Paine’s eye is in. The Aussie captain sees off four dot balls, nurdles a single and exposes Hazlewood to face one delivery. One run from the over. Peanuts. I’d suggest Australia would be better off swinging hard and quickening the end. The more overs they get in tonight the better.
69th over: Australia 177-9 (Paine 59, Hazlewood 8) Let’s face it: Hazlewood is there to score some streaky runs, not dig in for an eternity, and that just what he does, clubbing Ashwin for two boundaries in three balls. Important runs for Australia.
68th over: Australia 168-9 (Paine 58, Hazlewood 0) A Paine single puts Hazlewood on strike for two deliveries, which is sort of asking for trouble, by the No 11 keeps Shami at bay.
And now back to Shane Warne’s tirade on Bruce Oxenford’s umpiring.
Warne was chastising Bruce Oxenford for getting an LBW right (Umpire's Call) earlier @scott_heinrich. Now he's at it again. Do Australians find Warne as unbearable as us Brits do?
Warne was laughing at Oxenford just now because he thought he'd made another error. As replays confirm it's a good decision, he doubles down: "I'd like to ask the umpire why he thought that was not out." Disgusting man. Always has been.
@scott_heinrich Paine aught to do a tactical declaration from behind to give our bowlers a look at the Indian top order under lights.
@scott_heinrich So if India have to bat tonight, how about a throwback reversal of the batting order? https://t.co/oSH29FRoOQ
67th over: Australia 167-9 (Paine 57, Hazlewood 0)
Lyon’s bright (kind of) and breezy (not really) dig comes to an end as he spoons an easy catch to Kohli at short midwicket. That’s four now for Ashwin. Australia one wicket away from bowling again.
Handy runs by Lyon but he chips it to Kohli.
Australia 9 down, still trailing by 77 #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/iW386qHOu6
66th over: Australia 165-8 (Paine 56, Lyon 9) Easy on the eye from Lyon, who pulls Shami through midwicket for four. Proper shot, that.
65th over: Australia 160-8 (Paine 56, Lyon 4) Ashwin traps a sweeping Lyon in front of his stumps. The appeal goes up and fair enough, too. The decision is not out but this looks close. The review is (naturally) forthcoming but the decision stands with an inside edge detected. Lyon survives.
And it’s a good morning to Mahendra Killedar: “Good Morning Scott, Pretty clever plan by Indians to drop those catches. Had they held them, they would be 2 down themselves in 2nd inning in these testing times.”
64th over: Australia 156-8 (Paine 55, Lyon 1) Paine brings up his half-century with a cut backward of point for four and then doubles down with another boundary past gully. I know us humans are prone to the present, but has the skipper scored a more important fifty for his side? I’d suggest no. Time for drinks.
Paine brings up the 5️⃣0️⃣ - solid captain's knock under pressure. #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/lkpJAOzyQw
63rd over: Australia 146-8 (Paine 46, Lyon 1) Ashwin keeps both batsmen on a short leash before finishing the over with what looks to be a wicket but isn’t a wicket at all. Lyon can’t be out leg before if he hit it, can he? Shane Warne is teeing off deluxe about Bruce Oxenford’s umpiring. That was a big deflection off the inside edge.
62nd over: Australia 146-8 (Paine 45, Lyon 1) Shami on now as India make a double change. Lyon blows a golden opportunity by hitting a full-toss on his pads straight to short fine-leg.
61st over: Australia 143-8 (Paine 42, Lyon 1)
Starc clips one behind square but there’s no penetration on the shot and the decision to risk a second run is a fatal one as the throw from Shaw is flat, fast and accurate. Out. Ambitious running between the wickets. Some might say suicidal.
Some cheer for Prithvi Shaw as he runs Starc out #AUSvIND#INDvAUS
Live: https://t.co/DnJwzycSZnpic.twitter.com/vjpaaF0yTx
60th over: Australia 138-7 (Paine 39, Starc 14) Two to Paine to begin Umesh’s over and that’s the tall and the short of it.
2 ways to process India‘s dominance here:
1. Laud India’s thorough dismantling of Australia on a refreshingly fair wicket
2. Nod sagely during discussion about Bumrah, the way his arm “hyperextends”, resulting in “surprising” bounce. “Also why does he wear that thing on his arm.”
59th over: Australia 136-7 (Paine 37, Starc 14) Bumrah keeps on keeping on. A yorker gets under Starc’s bat and just misses off-stump before the Aussie skies an attempted hook shot that flies high behind the keeper and is DROPPED by Saha, who makes good ground and gets 10/10 for style ... but still drops the catch.
A segue of sorts to a comment from Aditya Anchuri: “There is a direct correlation between Aussie-style “reverse-cup” catch attempts and catch drops for India. That’s just not how we’re taught to catch a ball growing up in India! It’s the IPL again, with perhaps international fielding coaches trying to change people’s style when they’re already established cricketers.”
58th over: Australia 132-7 (Paine 36, Starc 11) Starc again goes the heave, picking up three backward of point and then a single to deep square that would’ve been a boundary if not for that meddling fielder. Runs coming a bit easier now. Unbridled abandon will do that.
57th over: Australia 126-7 (Paine 34, Starc 7) Bumrah back for his 18th over. My he’s shouldered a load this innings. Could he be tiring? Looks to be, just a shade. Five from the over, the pick of which was two to Paine behind square.
Saptarshi Paul here, clearing things up once and for all: “There’s a paragraph switch between “Can’t fathom why.” and “Ashwin blah blah blah”. (Unless you’re just pulling my leg...). People are allowed to praise your blog, right?”
56th over: Australia 121-7 (Paine 30, Starc 6) Starc has never been a man to die wondering. Or die for that matter. But I digress. The point worth making is he gets off the mark with a brutal boundary over mid-on. Australia to now go the tonk with the express intention of getting some overs in tonight? Stranger things...
55th over: Australia 115-7 (Paine 30, Starc 0) Short from Bumrah and Paine is now in the sort of touch that he can’t resist. And he is lucky, oh so lucky, as his hook shot is dropped by a leaping Agarwal at deep backward square. And the cherry on top for Australia is the ball ricochets to the fence.
54th over: Australia 111-7 (Paine 26)
Cummins comes and goes and that’s two wickets in the over for Umesh, who ousts his fellow quick with an effort ball that rises sharply and takes the edge en route to Rahane at gully. Australia now need something, anything, from their tail.
Umesh gets one to keep low to Labuschange, who is back in his crease and in all sorts of strife as the ball clatters onto the roll of his back pad. Pistol’s finger goes up and the batsman asks for a review, almost by default, but that is plumb. On your way, Marnus. Big wicket. Australia’s last recognised batsman departs.
OUT. Marnus Labuschagne tried a review but he has go, LBW to Yadav for 47 #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/0mc6Dj5uGl
53rd over: Australia 111-5 (Labuschagne 47, Paine 26) Now it’s Bumrah’s turn to give Paine a little width outside off-stump - TWICE in the over! - and he punches his own ticket (indulge me now) on the Paine train as the Australia skipper swings hard and then pushes hard for two boundaries in three deliveries. Bumrah responds with a bouncer. Naturally.
52nd over: Australia 103-5 (Labuschagne 47, Paine 18) A little short, and a little wide, from Umesh is a little ordinary and Paine does the rest, easing the pressure valve just a, um, little with a boundary through backward point. That’s the 100 up for Australia. And my has it been painful. But this is why we like Test cricket, right?
51st over: Australia 98-5 (Labuschagne 47, Paine 13) A single to Paine precedes a couple of ‘NO RUN’ balls faced by Labuschagne.
I like this thing below, especially as the leave (or failure to hit the ball) was my favourite shot as a cricketer.
Marnus displaying all his variations of the 'No Run!' #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/gLQZjI50B7
50th over: Australia 97-5 (Labuschagne 47, Paine 12) Umesh from the other end. Paine gratefully clips his loosener past square for two.
Yum would like to clear something up: “Pretty sure Saptarshi Paul meant he can’t fathom why anyone doubted Ashwin, mind you there’s still the question of ‘why’ considering his previous Aussie form.”
49th over: Australia 94-5 (Labuschagne 47, Paine 10) And back we are. Ashwin to Labuschagne. Two singles to finish the over, including one to finish it that looked suspiciously like a leg break. Hmmm.
@scott_heinrich If Cameron "Baggy" Green is the first male of that surname to play test cricket, who was the first Chappell?
Players are returning to the field.
Here’s Saptarshi Paul: “I’m watching the match live, but I keep coming back to this blog during the breaks. Can’t fathom why. Ashwin was written off from all corners before the match. Even I thought, watching the second practice game, that India should go with four quicks for the day-night game. He has put us all to shame, hasn’t he?”
It’s all about the ball in Adelaide and with one session to go on day two in Adelaide, it’s all about India. Three wickets in that middle session for just 57 runs. Labuschagne has been dropped three times but is out there doing his level best. A highly challenging final sessions awaits for the home side.
Here’s another view of the best bit of the session. Shame we won’t see him after Adelaide.
No more jokes on Virat Kohli's fielding
KING#INDvAUS#AUSvIND#AUSvsIND#INDvsAUSpic.twitter.com/G15hWrlf8w
48th over: Australia 92-5 (Labuschagne 46, Paine 9) Hectic running earns Labuschagne a single but Paine saves the best for (almost) last as he gorges on a rare full-toss which is sent to the boundary. And that is tea. All honours with India.
47th over: Australia 86-5 (Labuschagne 45, Paine 4) Two past mid-off for Labuschange off Ashwin, which makes for a nice change, but normal service is soon resumed with five dot balls following. The short break is nigh. Bumrah back on for some boom and bluster before tea.
46th over: Australia 84-5 (Labuschagne 43, Paine 4) Paine is in no rush facing Shami, who is wicketless but has bowled as well as anyone. Another maiden. I love watching him bowl. Understated. Classy. There, I said it.
Love all cricket formats .. they all bring you something slightly different .. But Test cricket like we are seeing from the Adelaide oval cannot be beaten .. High class bowling on a fair pitch with 2 really good teams .. Give me this over anything .. #AUSvIND@FoxCricket
45th over: Australia 84-5 (Labuschagne 43, Paine 4) Ashwin rips through his over, which will go down in history as a maiden. He really worked Labuschagne around all parts of the crease. Testing stuff.
44th over: Australia 84-5 (Labuschagne 43, Paine 4) Look, it was a ripper of a ball from Shami - too good, actually, to get the edge and it was the thigh that the ball collected en route to the keeper. Awesome bowling for no reward. Labuschagne finishes the over with a risky pull that lands just in front of the fielder in the deep.
Labuschagne is given out caught behind off Shami’s bowling but is demanding a review. Sit tight, y’all.
43rd over: Australia 83-5 (Labuschagne 42, Paine 4) Ashwin continues. Slip. Leg slip. Bat pad. Paine could be excused for feeling agoraphobic but nothing eases anxiety with bat in hand than a short, wide one ... that goes where it should, through the covers for four.
It’s a big hello to Zal Robles: “Hi Scott, I appreciate the live blog. As an American who has just started following and playing cricket, I appreciate the commentary even though I get confused by the lingo pretty easily. You’re keeping me company as I finish my term paper for law school. Best, Zal.”
42nd over: Australia 79-5 (Labuschagne 42, Paine 0) Shami returns. He gets one to nip back to Labuschagne and it’s an lbw appeal worth making, but the umpire’s call is not out and there is no review forthcoming. It’s dot balls as far as the eye can see. Maiden over. Australia under incredible pressure.
41st over: Australia 79-5 (Labuschagne 42, Paine 0)
Green plays his first shot in anger and as we all know anger never pays. It’s short enough from Ashwin, and that’s what gets Green interested, but it just sits up and Green’s messy hook finds its way to short mid-wicket where Kohli takes a really, really good catch diving at waist height to his right. Australia in all sorts right now. Quite apt that Paine is the incoming batsman.
Ashwin again! He's wreaking havoc!
Kohli takes a diving catch to dismiss the debutant #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/pJqzFbrOGC
40th over: Australia 79-4 (Labuschagne 42, Green 11) To Gary’s point below, Bumrah might as well be a spinner given his short run-up and how quickly he gets through his deliveries. But I am all for that. Better than the alternative. Green manages a single and that’s more or less to type for Australia’s run rate this innings.
Australia are 79-4 after 40 overs.
The last time Australia were on a lower score after 40 overs of a Test innings, was 1999.#AUSvIND
39th over: Australia 78-4 (Labuschagne 42, Green 10) Beautiful shot from Green, who registers his first Test boundary courtesy of deft footwork past point. This is what we’ve come to expect from a young man who shoulders great expectations.
India need to slow this over rate or they'll miss out on the half hour with the pink ball swinging sideways in the dark @scott_heinrich. Mind you, 30 minutes less of Shane Warne on the mic is always welcome.
38th over: Australia 71-4 (Labuschagne 42, Green 3) A single to Labuschagne to fine-leg returns Green to the strike and the latter picks up one of his own off the last ball to reward himself with the possibility of six balls to Ashwin.
Abhijato Sensarma is back for more: “Oh my my, look at that cross-sectional leave! Has Steve Smith walked back onto the field in the disguise of Labuschagne? These two keep getting eerily similar every time they walk onto the field.”
37th over: Australia 69-4 (Labuschagne 41, Green 2) Ashwin again. I heard a commentator, who shall remain nameless, remark earlier that India only have four bowlers. Right now it seems it’s all they need. It’s lean pickings until Labuschagne is offered a full-toss on the last ball of the over, which by rights should be sent to the fence, but pressure doing what pressure does, the batsman can do no more than muff it away for a single.
36th over: Australia 66-4 (Labuschagne 39, Green 1) Bumrah to Green. A wise man once said Test cricket was called thus because it tested you. Green is watchful, happy to leave, and is showing no signs of nerves. Which is commendable. Because he must be absolutely bricking it. Maiden over.
35th over: Australia 66-4 (Labuschagne 38, Green 1)
Ashwin continues to Labuschagne, who resumes battle with a single off the first ball after drinks. That’s the good news. The bad news is Head gets on strike and prods a nothing sort of ball straight back into the hands of the bowler. Poor dismissal. Soft dismissal. Green enters the fray, on debut, with Australia four down for not many and gets off the mark with a single. Welcome to Test cricket, Cam.
R Ashwin strikes again
The India off-spinner takes a good catch off his own bowling to send Travis Head back for seven!#AUSvIND scorecard https://t.co/Q10dx0r4nXpic.twitter.com/3umGdN28a2
Thanks Geoff. Mesmerising stuff with the ball from India, particularly after the break. After Bumrah exposed Australia’s vulnerability at the top of the order, India’s quicks then went to work on Smith and Labuschagne before Ashwin cashed in with the big wicket of the former (for a 29-ball 1, if you don’t mind). Labuschagne is digging deep and riding his luck but it’s hard work out there for Australia and it’s only going to get harder as the day goes on. Some great cricket in the offing. To have your say, send me an email or tweet @scott_heinrich.
34th over: Australia 64-3 (Labuschagne 38, Head 7) Travis Head, meanwhile, always wants to be going. Clips Umesh off his pads but straight to square leg. Twice in a row. Interesting field. That square leg fielder is three quarters of the way to the fence, but there’s also a leg gully, and a fine leg. Leading to the assumption that Umesh wants to bowl very straight. But instead he angles across the lefty and Head hits the gap at cover for two.
The rest of the field: slip, slip, gully, point, mid-off, mid-on. Umesh tightens the line and shortens the length to avoid conceding any more runs.
33rd over: Australia 61-3 (Labuschagne 37, Head 5) Itching to get going, is Marnus. Backs away to Ashwin and cuts, but finds point. Walks to the off-side and stabs square, finds backward square. A very good over from the off-spinner, tying his prey to the crease. A maiden. Lyon was excellent yesterday, Ashwin is warming into it today.
32nd over: Australia 61-3 (Labuschagne 37, Head 5) Still not entirely convincing from Labuschagne. Has a wide drive at Umesh and misses out. Plays another pull shot for a single. But he’s still there. And he’s too good a player to drop...
31st over: Australia 61-3 (Labuschagne 37, Head 5) Ashwin is very keen on an appeal against Head, and convinces Kohli to go upstairs. Off-spinner around the wicket to a lefty, who gets a big stride forward and is hit on the front pad. Given the distance, looks like it’s going down leg. DRS agrees, showing it’s fractionally umpire’s call on clipping leg stump. So India keep the review. Head square-drives a couple of runs to follow up. Loves to go square of the wicket.
30th over: Australia 59-3 (Labuschagne 37, Head 3) If at first you don’t succeed, hope that you keep being dropped. Labs should have been out to the pull shot twice today, but he hits one cleanly against Umesh, a compact version against a ball that doesn’t bounce enough, hit well in front of square for four. Then he gets a half volley to drive through mid-on for another boundary. Suddenly onto 37.
29th over: Australia 51-3 (Labuschagne 29, Head 3) Australia still crawling along at about 1.5 runs an over. They get the team’s 50 up with a few singles. Slip, leg slip, and bat-pad for Marnus against Ashwin.
28th over: Australia 47-3 (Labuschagne 27, Head 1) Umesh Yadav returns, haven’t seen him since the opening few overs. He’s had a change of ends with Ashwin bowling from the River End. Umesh charges in as he does, hurls away. Labuschagne flicks a run. Head drives his first into a cover gap. Only one wicket away from Keith Miller / Cameron Green having a bat.
27th over: Australia 45-3 (Labuschagne 26)
Steve Smith is out! Ravi Ashwin comes on with his off-breaks, and first India nearly get him run out. They burned their best batsman yesterday, run out at the non-striker’s end after being sent back, and Australia so nearly does the same. Labuschagne flicks to square leg, says no, Smith is halfway down, a direct hit would have him but Ashwin has to gather to break the bails, and that just gets a sliver of Smith’s bat over the line.
26th over: Australia 42-2 (Labuschagne 23, Smith 1) Who will blink first? Shami keeps burrowing the ball in towards the stumps. Marnus eventually finds a single to turn over the strike. Smith nails an off-drive but straight to the field.
25th over: Australia 41-2 (Labuschagne 22, Smith 1) And a second maiden, this from Bumrah to Smith. Happy to defend on the front dog, until the length shifts and he slips under a couple of short balls.
24th over: Australia 41-2 (Labuschagne 22, Smith 1) After the day’s events so far, old mate Labuschagne decides it’s time to dust off the trusty old pull shot. Miscues it. Doesn’t get out. Put it away, son. Shami bowls a maiden.
23rd over: Australia 41-2 (Labuschagne 22, Smith 1) You will not believe it. You cannot believe it. Labuschagne has been dropped again.
THREE TIMES NOW.
22nd over: Australia 40-2 (Labuschagne 21, Smith 1) A maiden from Shami to Smith. An interesting email in from Aditya Anchuri.
“Bumrah’s drop is a perfect example of what happens when you play too much T20 and train for too much white ball cricket. The bias in T20 is saving runs, so people are trained to ‘save’ sixes in those situations rather than just focusing on catching, and that’s how their muscle memory works. Whereas in Test cricket it almost doesn’t matter if you catch the ball outside the boundary and give away 6, I feel that the bias should always be about catching the ball – and if you happen to be within the field of play, you’ve got a wicket.”
21st over: Australia 40-2 (Labuschagne 21, Smith 1) And as we say that, another edge through slip for four! Labuschagne has three of his four boundaries that way. On the bounce past Kohli. Marnus gets his defence in order for the next five balls.
20th over: Australia 36-2 (Labuschagne 17, Smith 1) And we’re back. Back in the hands of Shami, who drops in a bouncer that has Labuschagne gangling and shoving the ball away for an awkward single to square leg. Hasn’t looked fluent at all today, the first drop. India can’t afford to give him the chance to become so.
We’re in a contest here. Australia’s two most important bats at the crease, and India’s bowling going beautifully. Their fielding less so. Two chances for Labuschagne already. Put your feet up, we’ll keep posting when there’s more to post.
19th over: Australia 35-2 (Labuschagne 16, Smith 1) Bumrah gets an over to try to make amends, but it doesn’t come that soon. A maiden to Smith, and that brings the non-lunch long break.
18th over: Australia 35-2 (Labuschagne 16, Smith 1) Right, the Twins are together at last. Facing Shami. Marnus gets a leg bye. Smith gets off the mark but hopping up and stabbing a run off his hip. Shami bowls short, Labuschagne hooks, and he’s dropped! Horribly, comically dropped at fine leg by Bumrah. A top-edged hook travelling pretty quickly, Bumrah comes around to greet it, but he thinks that he’s closer to the boundary than he is. So he jumps up high, thinking he might need to tap the ball back into play like he would in the IPL. He’s got two metres of space behind him though. And his jump means that he spills the ball in mid-air, dropping it down by the rope and over for four. He had space to just stand his ground and take that catch. Australia should have been 3 for 31.
17th over: Australia 29-2 (Labuschagne 12) Last ball of the over, and Burns falls at last! He’s battled through an hour and fifty minutes of the first session, and seen off some excellent opening bowling, so to some extent he’s done his job even with such a low score. Faced 41 balls in so doing. Couldn’t cope with the last of them though, as Bumrah swings it in a middle, into the right-hander from over the wicket, and nails him on the ankle in front of middle. Burns takes the review, and it’s umpire’s call for clipping leg stump, but that just looked morally out when it was live. The bowler deserved that decision.
16th over: Australia 29-1 (Burns 8, Labuschagne 12) Good bouncer to start from Shami, who has Labuschagne hopping and lucky not to pop up a catch. Another good ball squares him out and takes a big edge for four! Through the gap between slip and gully this time. Marnus is living on luck. Not so for his third boundary, which he smartly directs off his hip through a very fine leg as Shami bowls not short enough.
15th over: Australia 20-1 (Burns 7, Labuschagne 4) Here he comes then, the man with the golden touch, Champagne Labuschagne. Who picked that Burns would not be the first wicket to fall for Australia? Marnus pulls out the absurdist leaves from ball one, dancing across to Bumrah. Then be nicks one past the keeper for four! Dropped catch if you want to be tough. That catch was going to first slip, but would have fallen short. So Saha goes for it, and gets a glove at full stretch. But only a touch.
A lot of balls have fallen short, in both innings. Might need to shuffle the slips closer.
There it is for India! Reward for toil. Bumrah around the wicket, fast, and the ball decks in at the left-handed Wade. Nails him a bit high but well back and dead in front, and Wade’s reluctant DRS review shows the ball hitting the very top of middle, flush enough to avoid umpire’s call.
14th over: Australia 16-0 (Wade 8, Burns 7) India desperate for a wicket as reward for all this disciplined bowling. A few times the ball has been squeezed between bat and pad on a defensive stroke, and the cordon keeps going up as though they were stone dead appeals. Burns squeezes two more runs through the gully from a half edge.
13th over: Australia 14-0 (Wade 8, Burns 5) Bumrah comes on for Umesh in the old do-si-do, and batters Wade on the body again. This time the short ball hits him on the arm. They’ll be wanting to marinate and then crumb Wade once they’ve finished tenderising him. 14 runs in 13 overs.
12th over: Australia 14-0 (Wade 8, Burns 5) Shami comes around the wicket to Wade and is bowling a shorter length at him, up the body and making him think. Again Wade sees out the over and farms the strike, this time by getting up on his toes and cutting with no backswing into the gully gap for a run.
11th over: Australia 13-0 (Wade 8, Burns 5) Another full over of Umesh to Wade, except this time Wade drives a single from the last ball and keeps strike.
Neil Titterington writes in. “A strange thing occurred last night between me leaving the ABC commentary in the car, walking into my house, patting the dog and turning on Channel 7.
10th over: Australia 12-0 (Wade 7, Burns 5) Mohammed Shami gets his first run in place of Bumrah. He bowls a tighter line, making Burns play almost everything and making him aim towards the leg side. Burns does scrabble a couple of runs off his pads.
9th over: Australia 10-0 (Wade 7, Burns 3) Umesh around the wicket to Wade, and hits him in the body! Wade wanted to go under the short ball but it wasn’t short enough and he wasn’t quick enough. He won’t mind though, likes a good cricket ball to the chest to get the heart pumping. Another maiden.
8th over: Australia 10-0 (Wade 7, Burns 3) This is much like India’s start yesterday, when the Australian bowling was hostile and accurate and gave no scoring chances away. The difference is that the Indian bowlers haven’t got that early wicket. Two singles nudged away from Bumrah’s over.
7th over: Australia 8-0 (Wade 6, Burns 2) Another maiden over from Umesh to Wade, who is happy to play the Test opener’s game of leave, leave, block.
6th over: Australia 8-0 (Wade 6, Burns 2) Wade takes the first run of the day from Bumrah, a tap-and-run single, after which Joe Burns gets off the mark! That’s significant. Too straight from Bumrah so Burns can glance it for two, urged back for the second by Wade. Makes it with a sprint. Bumrah bounces him, and there’s a raucous appeal from the cordon as the ball comes off his shoulder and through for a catch. Burns barely picked up that short ball, he’d hardly moved before it hit him. Got lucky that he wasn’t hurt. No bat involved either.
5th over: Australia 5-0 (Wade 5, Burns 0) Umesh loses the radar, leg side, gives Wade a couple of free leaves. Back on the stumps to draw a block. That makes 27 scoreless deliveries for Australia. Two slips and a gully, not a very attacking field with a couple of players around the point region, but they’re the two that Wade gets between with the first runs of the day, forced off the back foot for four! Good one. Follows up with a single, and for the first time today the bowlers will have to change lines between the right-hander and the left. Umesh is bang on straight away, just on the off stump, but short enough for Burns to shoulder arms.
4th over: Australia 0-0 (Wade 0, Burns 0) Meanwhile, Bumrah tests out Burns. Draws a little edge from him first ball that bounces into the gully, then has him falling across his front foot and playing across his pad to keep a ball out of his stumps. Lets him leave the next few though. Got to get that line across. Still no score.
3rd over: Australia 0-0 (Wade 0, Burns 0) Umesh continues, and he’s turning this into an excellent spell to Wade. Movement again to just beat the edge, then the other way crashing into the pad. A wide tempter, left along, then a straight one that squares him up. Three scoreless overs to start.
2nd over: Australia 0-0 (Wade 0, Burns 0) Bumrah off his short approach, and allows Burns to leave the first four balls. The fifth draws a solid forward defence which is roundly applauded by the crowd. Not a great sign for a batsman, but at least he has support.
1st over: Australia 0-0 (Wade 0, Burns 0) Umesh Yadav opens the bowling. Interesting, you would have assumed that Bumrah and Shami would do it. Bumrah is warming up and will take the other end. Umesh bowls a good line across the left-hander, a couple of times beating the outside edge, but the ball doesn’t make contact with the bat at any stage in the over.
The Australians are about to bat. Will there ever be as much focus on a Joe Burns innings in his life as this one? Perhaps the one in the second innings.
Matthew Wade may be a makeshift opener, but being the ball of confidence that he is, he elects to face the first ball.
Abhijato is feeling the fear of big things to come. “This OBO shall guide me through the morning once again as I try to survive my ongoing online classes. Our curriculum is finished, and most teachers are revising intensively because of the end-of-year exam which often turns out to be life-defining for Indians ... I compose this mail during a short break in between classes, even as the scoreline does not inspire confidence in me.”
A surrender this morning, bowled out within 4.1 overs despite having four wickets in hand overnight. That’s poor. The score is little different to the 250 they made here two years ago, but that felt like a triumph after Pujara’s rearguard masterclass. This feels like a waste. They’ll need the antithetical bowling performance to this batting.
There’s a reason that Shami has been shuffled down to 11 in the order. He has shown no appetite for the contest while batting lately, noticeably through the tour matches. He gets a short ball, can’t cope, and gloves it up in the air to land in the hands of short leg.
93rd over: India 244-9 (Bumrah 4, Shami 0) The last pair, and Bumrah is nearly bowled by Starc after swishing at a ball the just misses the off stump. Bumrah finishes off the over better with a cover drive for four.
That didn’t take long. Umesh has a huge swipe, gets some variety of edge on it, and hits it very high between mid-on and mid-off. Wade gets under that high ball from cover in the end and takes it lunging forward.
92nd over: India 240-8 (Umesh 6, Bumrah 0) That’s the stuff! Nice and simple, Umesh shuffles back in his crease and bashes Cummins over mid-on for four! Took on the fuller length. Cummins goes short next, so Umesh backs away and baseballs at it. Misses. Ducks a shorter ball, has another fresh-air swing, then dinks a single.
91st over: India 235-8 (Umesh 1, Bumrah 0) India’s only hope now is some true tail-end clouting. Bumrah made a first-class 50 a few days ago in the SCG tour match for the first time in his career, but this bowling is a different level.
Except Saha doesn’t do anything of the sort. Starc takes the ball, the key man that Saha needs to see out. And instead of doing that, Saha plays an airy drive at a wide ball and edges it off the angled bat to his rival keeper.
That is an absolutely appalling shot.
90th over: India 234-7 (Saha 9, Umesh 1) Cummins knocks over Ashwin, then bowlers a similar beauty to Umesh Yadav for his first ball. Somehow it misses the edge as he gropes forward. The Indian quick manages to survive the over, even edging a run. Saha will have to take the senior role very strongly.
Wrong, it’s Cummins to start the day, and he starts it with a wicket! A bouncer to Ashwin first ball, a length ball the second, then a peach with the third ball, pitched up but bouncing and decking away, and Ashwin is on the move across his stumps and pokes at it, fearing it will deck in to hit him on the pad. Instead it leaps, takes the edge high on the bat and flies through to the wicketkeeper. Australia’s ideal start.
Murray Henman is similarly adjusting to Australia’s bold new economy.
“The one advantage of not having full time work these days is the freedom to watch the cricket uninterrupted. Looking forward to an interesting day’s play - though being in Brisbane, it’s a bit weird not having the game here.”
A reader who I will only name as Tom, because he sagely says that you can never be sure who’s reading, has got in touch.
“It’s the second day of my new job, WFH (up on the roof as it’s sunny here today) trying to get my old head to learn new things that I need to understand before I get going. I will not be distracted by the cricket!”
Kohli has gathered his Indian team into a circle and is giving them one hell of a pep talk. He really wants his charges to go into today believing they can compete, rather than hoping to survive. Kohli’s run-out last night was such a vital moment – he and Rahane threw that wicket away, and it let Australia back into the match.
Here’s yesterday’s match report, including the brain-fade in question.
Related: Australia edge ahead in Adelaide Test after India rue Virat Kohli run-out
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We’re away for day two. India finished the first evening on 233 for 6, with two decent lower-order bats at the crease in Saha and Ashwin. What that pair can build will be key. India made 250 in the first innings here in 2018 and went on to win that match, on the back of an outstanding bowling performance across the team. That sort of total could have them in the game here as well. There looked to be a fair bit in this surface and a fair bit in the pink ball yesterday, when either was used well.
Two wickets for Starc, one each for Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon.