Test Cricket: India v Australia 2008

[golfmos123]

The series of hate has just kicked off today, so after all the talk, we can get down to some serious action. Fun to watch two teams play who clearly don't like each other.

Aust won the toss, off to a good start. Ponting just dismissed for 123 by his nemesis Harbajan.

3/226 in the 79th over, closing in on stumps day 1.

Funny day for Australia really - the man who is a legend in India goes in the first over for 0 (Hayden - he didn't hit it either), and the man who can't score a run in India scores a century (Ponting - probably given out LBW hit outside the line of off stump). Both poor decisions by Umpire Rauf (Pakistan).

If I was a conspiracy theorist, I might say that they could be in return for Australia cancelling their tour of Pakistan.....

Hard to see our boys winning this series but you just never know.....

 

[golfmos123]

Re: Test Cricket : India v Australia 2008

Stumps Day 1 - Australia 4/254. Hussey 46no, Clarke dismissed in the last over of the day.

Honours probably even shared, but the pitch is a belter for batting and perhaps Australia would not be pleased having given up an early advantage that was hard earned by the loss of two wickets in the last hour of play. Three of the four wickets to the quick bowlers, nothing in the track for the spinners to date. Expect that to change as we get towards day 4 and 5.

Lots of pressure on the middle and lower batting order as we would be very disappointed to not reach 400+.

Until tomorrow........

 

[Stan 101]

Re: Test Cricket : India v Australia 2008

I haven't seen any play so thanks for the commentry. We just need to be sure to remember we don't have Gilchirst holding up the tail any more.
Who's going to stand up and feather our tail to 400 in these times? Hussey may just be the man. I'd like to see him bat one man further down the order.


cheers,

 

[golfmos123]

Sorry for missing Day 2 and 3 entirely - out of town.

Day 4 almost over and the match is being setup nicely for a good finish tomorrow.

Aust 430 and 5/190 (Haddin 26no, Watson 31no)
India 360

Aust lead by a handy 260 with 4 overs remaining in Day 4, and of course one full day to go.

Target would probably be to bat aggressively in the morning and set India something like 320+ off 75 overs. The pitch is still playing lots of tricks (watch the Hussey dismissal to see what a bad pitch can do!!!).

The Aussies really need to win Test #1 ........

 

[golfmos123]

Well my declaration guess was close but a bit conservative. Australia have now declared and have set India 299 to win off 83 overs (3.6 per over).

Could be a very tight finish, particularly if the Indian openers can get off to a quick start. Apparently the light isn't that good, and there is the threat of rain on the way. Stay tuned........

 

[golfmos123]

Lunch Day 5 - India 2/41, Sehwag and Dravid dismissed to S Clark and Lee respectively.

A great session for Australia who have given themselves an outside chance of a win. Early wickets might already have killed off an Indian charge for victory, so our boys will chase victory in the remaining 4 hrs play. Indian batsmen are not renowned for saving test matches either.....

 

[brty]

258 runs, 2 sessions, Tendulkar could be set up for greatness here.

er... more greatness.

If they get him early, probably game over.

brty

 

[justjohn]

Re: Test Cricket : India v Australia 2008

I haven't seen any play so thanks for the commentry. We just need to be sure to remember we don't have Gilchirst holding up the tail any more.
Who's going to stand up and feather our tail to 400 in these times? Hussey may just be the man. I'd like to see him bat one man further down the order.


cheers,

Australia full of resonable allrounders, Hussey will hold middle together and with Watson Haddin White & LEE to follow balance of the team seems stronger but with lack of a class spinner might come back and bit us later on .It's strange that Katich doesn't bowl he has taken wickets at State level and is very handy:

 

[golfmos123]

Tea - India 3/130. The second session has only brought the wicket of Gambhir. Tendulkar and Laxman have started slowly but are looking untroubled.

Tendulkar needs just 17 more to become the highest test run scorer of all time.

India need a further 169 off a minimum of 35 overs. Clearly our lack of a specialist spinner is a problem - Clarke and White are little more than useful spinners in world cricket terms, far short of what we need to dislodge the Indians on their home turf.

A feint possibility that India could make a late charge with an asking rate of just 5 per over across the last session.....

 

[2020hindsight]

looks like they're heading for a draw ...

PS someone said there are 9 test-matches for the Aussies between now and end Jan.

Surely there will be fewer ODIs to compensate.

No way am I gonna devote 45 days to listening to cricket lol. (just to end in draws).

 

[golfmos123]

PS someone said there are 9 test-matches for the Aussies between now and end Jan.

No way am I gonna devote 45 days to listening to cricket lol. (just to end in draws).

Yes, 9 test matches completed by January 7. 4 in India, 2 at home against New Zealand, and 3 at home against South Africa. Throw in the ODIs in India, plus 5 each against NZ and Sth Africa - that is a lot of cricket in a short period of time for our boys.

As for 45 days listening to test match cricket - love it! ODIs just don't do it for me, I guess I'm a purist at heart. If only I didn't have to work or worry about whether my stocks were making ducks or centuries!!!

 

[golfmos123]

Test 1 drawn. India crawled their way to 4/177 at the close. Poor light really prevented the Aussies from pushing harder, but well done to the Indians for not falling in a heap on the last day.

Big day for Cameron White - a first test wicket to be remembered forever, Sachin Tendulkar. However I fear he is going to finish his test career with a higher bowling average than his batting average.

8 days break and the two teams will be back at it again.......

 

[golfmos123]

Stumps Day 1 Deciding Test Match #4

India 5/311 after winning the toss (again). Desperately needed to win the toss and failed to do so. Three wickets to Jason Krejza on debut after getting some stick early, one each to Johnson and Watson. Century to Tendulkar (out for 109).

The Aussies need to restrict India to 400 if possible and then do the business with the bat. The overall chances of a victory for our boys don't look that good. More tomorrow.....

And yes, I do know that I posted nothing during Tests 2 and 3!! Out of town and away from the dreaded computer.

 

[Miner]

Stumps Day 1 Deciding Test Match #4

India 5/311 after winning the toss (again). Desperately needed to win the toss and failed to do so. Three wickets to Jason Krejza on debut after getting some stick early, one each to Johnson and Watson. Century to Tendulkar (out for 109).

The Aussies need to restrict India to 400 if possible and then do the business with the bat. The overall chances of a victory for our boys don't look that good. More tomorrow.....

And yes, I do know that I posted nothing during Tests 2 and 3!! Out of town and away from the dreaded computer.

I think the coin was cooked.

How come India is wining tosses and then electing bat ? How dare are they ?

We cook the pitch for fast bowlers all the time and that is okay because we do not have good spinners . How dare are the Indians learning from us and cooking the pitch for spinners.

Slam them, Sledge them. We have our gilb media and favourite umpire (Darryl lovey come back we miss you). Andrew Symonds come back baby with your paint brush. You look so beautiful. We tricked Gambhir and got him out of this test still they have become too smart.

I am so sorry to see we are going to loose to India again convincingly

 

[doctorj]

I think the coin is cooked. How come India is wining tosses and then electing bat ? How dare are they ? We cook the pitch for fast bowlers and that is okay . How dare are they cooking the pitch for spinners.

Slam them, Sledge them. We have our gilb media and favourite umpire (Darryl lovey come back we miss you)

I am so sorry to see we are going to loose to India again convincingly

Whatever. Move along.

 

[golfmos123]

I think comments that we cook pitches to suit fast bowlers are well wide of the mark in the last decade at least. Australia have the best batting pitches in the world at the moment, the ball comes onto the bat, there is minimal movement off the deck, and we use balls with small seams that don't reverse swing much,

Look at Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart - the three best batting decks in the country. Melbourne and Sydney are dead wickets to say the least, and Perth is only just starting to return to its former glory of being a fast bowlers paradise.

WHen India were here last year, we basically presented them with very friendly wickets. We really should have made them raging greentops to take the spinners out of the game - and didn't.

And their groundsman have even been in the media explaining how they will tailor make pitches to suit the home spinners. If an Aussie groundsman did that a year ago when India toured, there would have been the cricket equivalent of a grand inquisition.

Our guys have copped it sweet and despite the doom and gloom in the media, haven't been that bad considering conditions and our lack of spin bowling talent.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

We'll win

gg

 

[golfmos123]

Back to the game - Aust 7/330 in the last session of day 3.

India bowling to extremely defensive fields in a bid to dry up the scoring. We have managed only 150 in almost 5 hrs today, pretty turgid viewing I'm sure. At one stage we had Zaheer and Sharma bowling to 8 men on the offside, and bowling 2 feet wide of off stump.

I know they are 1-0 up and I know it is the last test, and I know they don't have to win, and I know they are going to tell us all to go and suck eggs. But that isn't cricket. No wonder they can't get people to watch test matches over there, it is boring as s**t. But hats off to India - they have been the better side and they have handled conditions better, well done!

As per previous post, I don't think our guys have been that bad this series. India have struggled to bowl us out too apart from one terrible collapse in the 2nd test that is going to end up costing us the series. I know we're not what we used to be, but we haven't been terrible.

 

[golfmos123]

We'll win

gg

Love your optimism gg.....

Very difficult to see where the win will come from. Say we get bowled out for around 370. First innings deficit would be 70 ish.

If we do brilliantly, we'd bowl them out for say 200. That would leave a full day and a bit to score 270 odd. We are only scoring at 2.6 per over for the first innings with the defensive tactics (which would be worse in the 2nd innings) - I didn't mention time wasting in the earlier post which has been terrible today. We'd need 100 overs to win and that would be a tough ask.

Will be the first to eat humble pie and beg your forgiveness if (when) we do win......

 

[golfmos123]

Aust all out 355, deficit of 86. India to face one over tonight before stumps.

Hey gg, want to put some of your hard earned gumnuts on the result?? I'm no bookie, but I reckon I'd give you something like 30/1 Australia, 3/1 India, 1/1 draw. Are you still backing us????????????