India tour of Australia, Nov 21 - Jan 18

[meninblue]

Atleast this test goes to Day 5 after a lot of Day 4 or earlier finishes this year.

[meninblue]

Shami so far this innings: 9-3-15-2 Picked wickets, choked runs. Had atleast one catch dropped of his bowling. Excellent stuff.

[meninblue]

Australia needs 219 runs and India needs 6 wickets. Match interestingly poised. Travis Head is playing on home ground and top scored fro Australia in first innings. His wicket will be key. They are batting deep but pressure on Day 5 turns even specialist batsmen into clueless batting.

[bigfluffylemon]

Another 220 is not out of the question, but India are strong favourites here. This is the last real batting pair - Paine and the tail aren't going to see Australia home if they're in with more than 100 or so to get.

[Durhamfootman]

feels like too many to get

[backfootpunch]

Another 220 is not out of the question, but India are strong favourites here. This is the last real batting pair - Paine and the tail aren't going to see Australia home if they're in with more than 100 or so to get.

I think this Aussie line up wouldve struggled to get 220 let alone the 320 India set

[sussexpob]

Was Finch out or not? My guess is, he knows he's gloved it, and walked. Which means this about the 10th test in a row where snicko has been wrong

[GarlicJam]

India will almost certainly win this - before Tea, I reckon, and an early wicket this morning will give them a good chance of wrapping it up before lunch. If they don't win, it will severely dent their chances of winning the series.

Although, why on earth CA didn't have the first test in Brisbane, I don't know.

[GarlicJam]

India did get that early(ish) wicket, half an hour for Ishant to remove Head with a well directed surprise bouncer. Still 200 behind.

[GarlicJam]

India did get that early(ish) wicket, half an hour for Ishant to remove Head with a well directed surprise bouncer. Still 200 behind.

Ishant has bowled very well in this test. He has had some good, and some not so good, times in Aus before.

Besides my obvious bias, it is good to see him doing well again. A much maligned bowler.

[GarlicJam]

So, the good points of the 7 Network's takeover of the fta broadcast:

No Ian Healy
No Shane Warne
No Mark Nicholas

More female commentators, who know what they are talking about.

Jason Gillespie

any more?

What about bad points?

I have noticed a couple of late return back from the ads. Can't think of any others atm.

[backfootpunch]

Only two catchers in the cordon

Baffling from kohli

[backfootpunch]

So, the good points of the 7 Network's takeover of the fta broadcast:

No Ian Healy
No Shane Warne
No Mark Nicholas

More female commentators, who know what they are talking about.

Jason Gillespie

any more?

What about bad points?

I have noticed a couple of late return back from the ads. Can't think of any others atm.

Kerry okeefe might be the worst commentator of all time

Cringeworthy stuff from him most of the time

Rishabh pant though is hilarious behind the stumps

[GarlicJam]

No one else watching this?

No Meninblue?

[bigfluffylemon]

I've been watching on and off throughout the day, but minding a little one as well so not posting.

That was closer than expected. Credit to the Australian lower order for making India work hard for it - after losing Head this morning I half expected the Aussies to fold in a heap.

I've gone back through 20 years of records, and this is only the third occasion in that time that Australia lost the first test of a series. The only two previous occasions were v South Africa in 2008 and 2016, and the venue there was Perth on both occasions. Of course, Australia lost both series 2-1. The only other series that Australia has not won in that time, either a visiting team has got away with a draw at Brisbane (India 2004 - series drawn, England 2010 - England won the series, and 2012 v South Africa, South Africa won the series), and there was the 2011 two game series with New Zealand, where New Zealand lost the first test (Brisbane, naturally) and won the second to draw the series.

The moral for Australia seems to be that you can't lose if you hold the first game of the series in Brisbane. Not sure why this one has been timetabled this way.

Bodes well for India, however.