Summer of 16/17

[Strewthcobber]

Here's Lyon's pitch map from yesterday's innings. It's a beautiful thing

 

[Quick Hands]

I think you're right, BR. I've come around to the idea of doing away with the toss and letting the visiting team decide.

Although in this series, it hasn't mattered. We batted first in Pune and skittled them and they won the toss and batted here and the same thing happened.

If ever there was a case of "be careful what you wish for" this series is it. The Indians have prepared pitches to catch us out and have come a cropper in doing so.

 

[Strewthcobber]

If you were preparing a wicket on which you knew that your home team was almost always going to be batting last, or if sent in it will be because you've made a difficult track, won't that lead to flatter and flatter test wickets?

 

[Braveheart81]

The recipe for winning home tests is to prepare a road for whatever is considered a road in your conditions.

In India that means low and slow but one that doesn't turn ridiculously from day one. When teams are scoring 400+ in the first innings and the game gets to a 5th day India invariably wins because they play best on those pitches.

In Australia it's a pitch with pace and bounce where there ball doesn't do too much off the seam and cracks running down the pitch don't get too big.

India has played poorly and we have bowled brilliantly but they have lost their advantage by having pitches that aren't great to bat on (as long as you like low and slow conditions which we generally don't).

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Here's Lyon's pitch map from yesterday's innings. It's a beautiful thing

More 'Niiiice Ga-ry!' in that innings than 'Bahling Shaaaine' in a whole tour of India.

 

[Braveheart81]

If you were preparing a wicket on which you knew that your home team was almost always going to be batting last, or if sent in it will be because you've made a difficult track, won't that lead to flatter and flatter test wickets?

Test cricket is played faster and more aggressively than it was in the past. It seems to me that there are less draws than there used to be.

Are having roads that get to 5 days really that bad? Teams that bowl accurately and field well generally still do well when batting conditions are good.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

More 'Niiiice Ga-ry!' in that innings than 'Bahling Shaaaine' in a whole tour of India.

That is a magnificent grouping and the reason why he has been so successful. The very definition of good areas. The Aussie attack have looked extremely disciplined in this series so far.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Test cricket is played faster and more aggressively than it was in the past. It seems to me that there are less draws than there used to be.

Are having roads that get to 5 days really that bad? Teams that bowl accurately and field well generally still do well when batting conditions are good.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Put it another way - there's no incentive to juice up a pitch, so we would never see Australia bat first at home ever agian.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

That is a magnificent grouping and the reason why he has been so successful. The very definition of good areas. The Aussie attack have looked extremely disciplined in this series so far.

It's the sort of consistency and accuracy that has been sorely missing from our attack since the departure of GD McGrath.

(Fast or slow).

 

[Up the Guts]

It's a bit out of the box but anyone got any thoughts on tossing someone like Starc up the order if the next FOW (it's 2-87 as I write this) comes early to try and have a slog and knock a few off this total quickly? Is it worth it at this stage or are we better to bat conventionally?

 

[light]

Goes without saying that the Smith wicket before lunch is a huge loss.

This game is in the balance now and Ashwin is looking ominous. Next session will decide who wins this test and I'd be happy if we can get anything over 100 runs ahead this innings.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Hundred runs feels like a lifetime away at the moment

 

[Brumby Runner]

Have to say, I was an outspoken critic of the spinners in the touring side - who they were and the number of them. I sincerely hope they, Lyons and O'Keefe, continue to make me eat my words. And I am coming around to the idea that the extra spinners might be making their contribution in the nets. The more practice the batsmen get against spin, the better they would be expected to perform in the matches.

 

[light]

Well done to Shaun Marsh on what has been a very good knock in testing circumstances. He has certainly justified his selection for this test with crucial runs.

His brother has been a passenger yet again but that's no surprise to anyone.

 

[No4918]

Yes, really want S Marsh to kick on here. Another failure from the little Marsh and the axe should fall. He will seemingly be barely needed with the ball and I really want to see Khwaja get a chance.

 

[Highlander35]

Australia 6/237, Wade 25*, Starc 14*, lead by 48.

Ideally they grind their way to another 100 tomorrow, but there's a lot still to do.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Why watch anything else but test cricket? Despite Australia having the ascendancy in all sessions bar session two today, this test is still in the balance. If Australia add another 100 tomorrow, a deficit of 150 would be a difficult mountain for India to climb. But so is batting fourth on this pitch. That said, this pitch will probably have scree on it by tea tomorrow, and setting Australia a competitive total on even a third day pitch there (another 150, I reckon), would be a challenge. They'll need someone to stand and deliver a Dravid-type innings to do this.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

What an absorbing days test cricket that was. Slow going, but every run absolutely earned. I thought Renshaw (again) and SMarsh were outstanding in getting us ahead and as others have said, any lead above a hundred here is going to be handy. Keep digging in boys, you're playing out of your skins.

 

[Braveheart81]

This has been a great test to watch so far.

The temperament and grit shown by both Australia and India yesterday was phenomenal. From an Australian perspective it is many years since I can remember us playing so well and patiently in such difficult decisions.

I think India have really upped their game after getting rolled in the first innings. They bowled amazingly tight for most of yesterday and really put the pressure on Australia. We could have easily got skittled.

I thought the spell by Yadav in the first session was sublime. Whilst he only made 8, Steve Smith did pretty well to see out so many balls along with Renshaw who was brilliant.

Yadav was incredibly accurate and for the Aussies to withstand pace bowling that was often flying through at shin height off a good length was very impressive.

 

[light]

KL Rahul will be the key wicket in their second innings. He's looked like the only Indian batsman willing to put up a fight and put a price on his wicket. I think if we can get him cheaply we have gone a long way to winning this test.

Agree with those above that India has lifted their game. Been really impressed with their intensity and it wouldn't surprise me if they showed real character with the bat in the second innings. We are certainly in for a fight now so any extra runs we can add today will be huge.