9th over: Australia 0-23 (Finch 9, Harris 11) Ishant to Finch, finding the pad again. The batsmen run a leg bye, then Vijay’s throw misses the stumps and isn’t backed up properly, giving up another run. Kohli, like the Queen, is not amused. Finch takes advantage of the strike to drive nicely, on the up but not over-hit, through cover for four. That’s more the speed. The target comes down to 300.
8th over: Australia 0-17 (Finch 5, Harris 11) Ashwin into the attack, who bowled so well in the first innings with his off-breaks. Concedes a couple of singles.
7th over: Australia 0-15 (Finch 4, Harris 10) Computer glitch in the mainframe there. In the meantime, Harris carves Ishant through point for a boundary. Left-hander using the width and angle.
6th over: Australia 0-10 (Finch 4, Harris 5) Harris gets a big nick from Bumrah and it rolls away through the gully for three. Indian annoyance grows.
5th over: Australia 0-7 (Finch 4, Harris 2) Finch is made to play a bit more by Ishant in this over. And beaten once. And gets a bouncer to duck. It’s torrid stuff out there for batsmen trying to find their feet. Good cricket.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards.
You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
We’ve been banging on about no balls for a while, but this remains true.
4th over: Australia 0-7 (Finch 4, Harris 2) Finch gets strike against Bumrah, and yanks his hand off the handle as he fends away a single. Each run will feel like cooling water on the parched tongue of Mr Finch. Harris blocks out the rest.
3rd over: Australia 0-5 (Finch 3, Harris 1) Ishant, in trying to make amends, does not. Only two balls in his over make Finch play. Here’s the info from Freddie Wilde and co.
2nd over: Australia 0-5 (Finch 3, Harris 1) Bumrah to Harris, working the channel outside off after coming around the wicket. Harris is happy to leave things alone for a maiden.
In the meantime, Smriti Mandhana has given the Hobart Hurricanes some cheer after a pretty miserable last couple of seasons. She smoked 69 from 41 balls in the WBBL to drive Hobart to their highest ever score of 196-6. They bowled the Stars out for 124 in reply.
1st over: Australia 0-5 (Finch 3, Harris 1) And just to add to the party, Finch gets his first Test run in Australia. How relieved he’ll be, working three into the leg side. Harris gets a single the same way.
Finch is reprieved. And what a reprieve that is! Finch was clean bowled third ball in the first innings. He’s leg before wicket from the second ball of this innings. Gone to an Ishant inswinger that careers back in towards him and strikes the pad. Marcus Harris urges the review, probably just out of sympathy. But it’s a no ball! The video replay shows the thinnest of no balls, a couple of millimetres of line behind Ishant’s heel as it lands. Well.
Admittedly 323 doesn’t necessarily look that steep just as a number. But only 19 teams in Test history have made more than that to win in the fourth innings. And never at Adelaide Oval. This game is hard.
No need to bother with declaration strategy, then. India come to a pretty soft conclusion to their innings after looking like they were in a position to really drive a star picket into Australia’s hopes. But the rush of wickets will make the home side feel a bit better.
The draw is out the window: the sun is shining, there are more than four sessions to go, and if Australia bats most of that time they’ll get the runs. Or they’ll get bowled out. It’s imperative for the home side’s self-respect and confidence that they at least make a good first of the attempt, even if they fall short.
Is Australia still in this? Simple tailend wicket to wrap things up. Starc bowls short at the body and Ishant stands tall to splice it up in the air, coming down into the cupped hands of short leg.
106th over: India 307-9 (Ishant 0, Bumrah 0) India’s No11 is happy to block out the Lyon over. A clever strategy to just block and wait for those sweet, sweet byes.
105th over: India 307-9 (Ishant 0, Bumrah 0) Bonus runs for India as Starc bowls short and wide down leg once more, and again so wide that it passes the keeper. Again the umpire doesn’t call wides, which is good for the bowling team, but the designation of byes is bad for the wicketkeeper. We’re at 36 extras including 21 byes in this innings, most of those from Starc, and none of them Tim Paine’s fault. That’s over ten percent of India’s total in extras, and it could hurt Australia in the run chase.
104th over: India 303-9 (Ishant 0, Bumrah 0) Lyon gets serious turn from the last couple of balls, with two men waiting for a catch in close on the leg side. He finishes a maiden with two wickets, and has 6-122.
Bumrah strides forward and defends, to the chagrin of everyone who wanted him to get out and everyone who wanted him to slog a six.
Lyon is on a hat-trick! And he’ll never have a better chance to convert one. Shami is never known to stick around, so he charges Lyon first ball and wallops to deep midwicket for Lyon’s fifth. Simple catch. Bumrah will be next in…
No hundred for Ajinkya. He wants to get the score moving given the quality of his company, so he aims the reverse sweep at a ball well outside off. Could probably have just driven that through or over cover? Instead he finds Starc, halfway to the boundary at backward point, who follows his wicket maiden with a catch.
103rd over: India 303-7 (Rahane 70, Ishant 0) When Ishant Sharma comes in at No9, it does not fill you with confidence about the competence of a lower order. Ishant confirms this impression by groping several times outside off, sticking his posterior out and fumbling forward with his arms like he’s trying to sit down on the loo at 3am without turning on the light. Starc is not able to wipe him out.
Rahane won’t get a hundred if he runs out of partners, though. And India’s tail is long. Starc is still bowling dross, starting that over with a ball about three metres outside leg, but when he bowls a not-quite-short ball at the body, Ashwin tries to take it on with the pull regardless. He lifts it tamely to the deep.
102nd over: India 303-6 (Rahane 70, Ashwin 5) Rahane is purring along. Works two from Lyon on the sweep, two on the cut, and two with a square push. He could even be thinking of a hundred here.
101st over: India 297-6 (Rahane 64, Ashwin 5) Starc is entrusted to continue, but he still doesn’t look right. Beats Rahane, you could say, but only because the batsman decided to fling his bat at a ball well outside off stump. Starc then bowls short on leg stump and is jabbed for a single. Ashwin misses an attempted uppercut when cramped on his off stump, but Starc loses the line when he tries to repeat that ball and goes down leg again.
100th over: India 296-6 (Rahane 63, Ashwin 5)
Missed stumping! Well, the stumping missed Paine more than the other way around. Ashwin charged, swung, and missed after almost yorking himself. Paine was there to knock the bails off, but the ball turned a lot from a full length, and also leapt high. It soared past the wicketkeeper’s shoulder in the end and well outside leg stump. Away for three byes. A few singles follow. Runs flowing.
99th over: India 290-6 (Rahane 61, Ashwin 4) Four more fairly unair byes, as Starc clears the batsman and the keeper with a bouncer. Fair to say the attack leader has not been at his best this match. Ashwin plays him out comfortably enough.
98th over: India 285-6 (Rahane 61, Ashwin 3) A slightly different approach from Ravi Ashwin, who blocks out Lyon at first before gliding two runs to third man. Last ball of the over he tries to whip the ball square, hits short leg in the helmet, and the ball lands just between keeper and leg slip! Paine dived but couldn’t reach it. So nearly another for Lyon. A single takes India’s lead to exactly 300.
Lyon gets his man. Smart bowling. Knew that Pant was likely to move, so Lyon slanted the ball wide outside off stump. Pant went for it anyway, couldn’t adjust the shot enough, and skewed it to Finch at deep cover. Pant’s 28 came from 16 balls.
97th over: India 282-5 (Rahane 61, Pant 28) Starc with the ball from the other end. He tests out Rahane with a couple of balls, nipping about, but when he overpitches Rahane drives through cover for four.
96th over: India 278-5 (Rahane 57, Pant 28) Resuming after lunch, it’s Lyon coming round the wicket to Pant. Looking to straighten down the line. Pant respectfully checks out one delivery. Respectfully checks out another. Then says, that’s enough of that. Charges to loft cleanly over midwicket for four, on the bounce. Charges again, decisive footwork but only getting the inside half of the bat and dragging four along the ground through the same region, just beating the two converging outfielders.
Down the track a third time, and blasts one down the ground for four! Hazlewood was chasing back and tried to slap the ball back in, but couldn’t reach it. Then for the last ball of the over, Pant stays at home and hits it for six! In the power stance, hit it cleanly over midwicket once again. The over costs 18 runs. I don’t know if this is declaration batting or whether he’s just liberated to play his shots. But either way, Nathan Lyon has been Pantsed.
It probably helps that they’re about the only Australian players who people would recognise. Or who are sure of a spot in the team. But it’s still a great result. Josh Hazlewood the quiet hero of recent acting exploits for me.
Good to see some love for the stattos, too. We have a veritable smorgasbord of statisticians working from the Adelaide Oval press box. Ric Finlay, the ABC’s long-standing master of understatement. Andrew Samson, who English and South African listeners will know so well, the creative virtuoso stats performance artist who is moonlighting for SEN. Freddie Wilde is here from CricViz for the deep-dive analytical stuff, and his whizkid colleague Ben Jones is on the way over after being used by the Australian team to try and unpick Kohli’s batting. Then there’s Lawrie, of course, working on the telly.
A fair bit of love going around for Alison Mitchell’s work across the television and radio broadcasts of this series. Along with Tim Lane on the telly, it’s nice to see the professional broadcaster being given a role at that level rather than entirely relying on former players.
Hello all, thanks Adam for the extended first session. There’s also an extended Indian lead and a contracted Australian hope of pulling this match back. The lead of 275 could almost be enough as it is, with Australia’s batting so unconvincing in the recent past. It’s lunch on the fourth day, so if India can pile on another session’s worth of runs, and get that lead up to somewhere around 350, you’d imagine they would declare with four sessions left and go for the win.
Feel free to send in your thoughts – what is India most likely to do? Or can Australia get on a roll and bowl them out with the lead closer to 300? If so, there’s still the chance that a Khawaja special or a Marsh redemption tale could win a big chase.
95th over: India 260-5 (Rahane 57, Pant 10) If Cummins skips through this over they might get another in from Lyon – we’ll see. From the first ball of it, Pant rotates the strike with a well timed square drive to the sweeper at point. Rahane knows the drill here before a break, defending the rest. The end of an excellent session for the visitors, adding 109 runs across the two and a half hours. Pujara was the major wicket to fall on 72, but much of the damage had been done alongside Rahane through their stand of 87 for the fourth wicket. Rohit fell quickly – both wickets taken by Lyon, the best of Australia’s bowlers – but with Pant now at the crease, the lead could build in a hurry in the middle session. For that, I’ll leave you with Geoff Lemon. I’ll talk to you tomorrow!
94th over: India 259-5 (Rahane 57, Pant 9) GET YOUR RISHABHS OFF! Of course, Pant goes at Lyon first ball of his new over, charging and smashing him across the line to the midwicket boundary. “Give us your best stuff now, Goaty!” says Tim Paine before Lyon’s final ball of the session, delivered around the wicket and defended by Rahane. The end of a fine spell from Australia’s number one.
93rd over: India 252-5 (Rahane 56, Pant 3) Cummins, underbowled for mine in this session, gets his first go with this second new ball. He’ll get two overs in before the interval. Right on the mark to Rahane, the vice-captain is defending with the straight blade before taking one to point. Pant’s turn, who turns one with a classy flick to backward square, keeping the strike for the next over against Lyon. That’s the match-up we want.
92nd over: India 250-5 (Rahane 55, Pant 2) Pant goes at Lyon first ball! As you do when he’s turning it square. Of course, the feisty youngster got off the mark in Test cricket with a six and brought up his ton at The Oval that way too, so this approach is to be expected. He only gets two for the charge and slap over midwicket, much to the amusement of Lyon. Sure enough, the spinner bites back next with an off-break that rips past the outside edge. So close to two in an over. The last ball is a carbon copy, but Pant pulls inside the line at the last available moment. This’ll be a fun few overs leading into lunch.
Rohit lunges at Lyon, inside edging just into the reach of Handscomb, who dives onto the track from silly point to complete an excellent one-handed snaffle. Can Lyon bowl India out? He looks every chance.
91st over: India 248-4 (Rahane 55, Rohit 1) What a lovely way to bring up a milestone, Rahane pulling Hazlewood hard through the gap and to the boundary. After a terrible tour of England, he’s back in business. He celebrates with an equally lovely cover drive, bringing a couple more.
90th over: India 241-4 (Rahane 49, Rohit 0) This is a cruel game more often than not. Lyon puts together another wonderful over, spinning back hard at Rahane who is very lucky not to have his inside edge located. Jump to the final ball of the set and given half a chance to free his arms, he lofts the spinner over midwicket for four. It’s bold and beautiful.
89th over: India 237-4 (Rahane 45, Rohit 0) Warne is making the case that Australia are back in the game if they can take another two quick wickets not. I don’t quite share that optimism but this is their window to make amends at the back end of a disappointing session. Rahane pulls with authority for two to begin, the boundary stopped due to some excellent work in the deep by Nathan Lyon. First ball to Rohit and he’s nearly caught behind, his edge beaten with a Hazlewood beauty.
Outstanding from Lyon, hitting the rough with each of the deliveries in this over making life as difficult as possible for Pujara. Early on, the number three gloved just over the head at silly point. But to finish, a deflection off the bat landed in the hands of Finch at forward short leg. That’s the end of a 204-ball stay from Pujara, who has given India a wonderful chance to go one-up in this series.
88th over: India 234-4 (Rahane 42)
87th over: India 234-3 (Pujara 71, Rahane 42) Pujara did have a visit between overs from Indian physio Patrick Farhart for what looks to be a hamstring complaint, or possibly some cramp. Hazlewood is attacking Rahane’s stumps throughout in this maiden over, forced to defend rather than shoulder arms.
86th over: India 234-3 (Pujara 71, Rahane 42) Rahane going nicely here when playing Lyon down the ground after using his feet, collecting three more to start the fresh over. Later in the set they exchange singles past square leg before Pujara finishes the job with that sturdy defence. The lead is 249.
85th over: India 229-3 (Pujara 70, Rahane 38) It is hunting season on Starc, Warne and Vaughan mirroring social media’s view of his last couple of overs. Hazlewood has replaced him, delivering a far more consistent over to Rahane.
🕐 Top News in the Last Hour By Importance Score
View More Top News ➡️
