Key events
21st over: Australia 33-1 (Head 18, Labuschagne 9) Jadeja is back at Ashwin’s end and Labuschagne takes an easy single. Travis Head does much better, leaning deep into the crease and driving past mid off for a powerful boundary. Jadeja brings him forward to the next – it’s a desperate lunge not a confident hot-step – and it hits pad first but the India appeal is half-hearted at best.
20th over: Australia 26-1 (Head 13, Labuschagne 7) Sharma pulls a switcheroo. Ravi Jadeja is getting a rest at this end after just two overs and left-arm twirler Axar Patel gets a whirl. Although his late-order batting has been brilliant, Patel’s exciting bowling has played second fiddle this series. Last I looked, he had just one wicket from the four Tests and was still hunting his 50th career scalp.
19th over: Australia 26-1 (Head 13, Labuschagne 7) Good duel hapoening here between Head and Ashwin. The latter giving full vent to his attacking instincts, the former reigning his in to play the responsible anchor innings his side needs. After a run of maidens, we finally get a single as Head bunts and runs. Labuschagne does much better, skipping down to Ashwin and lofting on the up to plonk it just short of the boundary rope. FOUR!
18th over: Australia 21-1 (Head 12, Labuschagne 3) There’s a distinct echo in the Narendra Modi Stadium today. That happens when you’ve got 132,000 capacity and only 2000 show up. It also means the consistent backdrop to every batting stroke is bright orange seats. Not that anyone will take photos of that over as Labuschagne blocks out another maiden from Jadeja.
17th over: Australia 21-1 (Head 12, Labuschagne 3) Head rushes forward to negate the spin of that Ashwin ball but the second step had to be much quicker than the first to do it. Ashwin loves it and sends the next ball down slower and it skews slightly off the bat but not enough airtime for a cry of ‘Catchit!’ Head goes back to go hard at the next one but he chops straight to a fielder and can’t score. Another maiden.
16th over: Australia 21-1 (Head 12, Labuschagne 3) India make their move, resting seamer Mohammed Shami and bringing Ravi Jadeja into the attack. They have three fielders around the bat for Head and are chuntering madly between deliveries to keep the energy up and sow seeds of discontent in the batters. Head doesn’t mind. He drives down the ground and it misses the stumps and Jadeja’s outstretched hand to allow a single. It allows Jadeja to tempt Labuschagne forward with a ball that pitched on middle and then jagged away from the bat. Watch out Marnie! Australia trail by 70 runs.
15th over: Australia 20-1 (Head 11, Labuschagne 3) Ashwin has Labuschagne on the hop here. He is pitching into the rough and finding spin and skid, varying his flight and pace to keep the batters guessing. Labuschagne doesn’t look very comfortable but he survives the maiden over.
14th over: Australia 20-1 (Head 11, Labuschagne 3) Lavish leaves by Labuschagne are the order of the day for the first three. But Shami makes him look a goose on the fourth ball, angling it back in and almost taking the edge. In this series, from eight innings, Labuschagne has 181 runs at 30 and has never bested the first innings 49 he scored at Nagpur. This is the 28-year-old’s first tour of India and he has perhaps over-thought the conditions, evolving every innings while moving further and further from his natural game. But he gets off the mark here with a cutely clipped three off his toes to cut the margin to 71 runs.
13th over: Australia 17-1 (Head 11, Labuschagne 0) “Lovely lovely Ash!” says the wicketkeeper KS Bharat. And indeed, Ravi Ashwin is bowling a lovely line, trying to pin Head within his crease but the South Australian has his feet moving and he leans back to leg to punch through offside. That sort of dancing won’t displease Ashwin and he keeps Head pinned for a maiden.
12th over: Australia 17-1 (Head 11, Labuschagne 0) Head takes two from Shami’s first ball to move into double figures. And then he cuts square for a single. Head looks confident as always but that confidence has undone him in the past. When it comes off it is beautiful to watch. When it doesn’t it can look decidedly ugly. Will Head let his bat have its head? Or will Head pull his head in? Time will tell. Labuschagne plays out four dots.
11th over: Australia 14-1 (Head 8, Labuschagne 0) Australia are one wicket down and India have their tail up. What can Marnus Labuschagne bring to the rescue mission? The world’s No 1 batter has not had a happy series so far and chopped on cheaply in the first innings. Can he find himself runs today for a silver lining to a stormy tour? Let’s hope he has better luck than Matt Kuhnemann who has been given out despite replays showing it was missing leg stump.
WICKET! Matthew Kuhnemann LBW Ashwin 5 (Australia 14-1)
Ashwin magic! The wily spinner floated it a little flatter, dropped it a little faster and sent it skidding through and it shot past the bat into the pad. Kuhnemann played around it and really didn’t have a hope… particularly when Travis Head broke the bad news that he wouldn’t be wasting a review on a nightwatchman.
10th over: Australia 14-0 (Head 8, Kuhnemann 6) Shami has the speed gun twitching at 135kph and he gets Kuhnemann twitching at a ball outside off. Lovely stuff by the veteran seamer and danger signs for Australia. Kuhnemann performs extravagant leaves to the next two. It’s a tough assignment at the best of times, being a nightwatchman, let alone against the new ball. But in a move of reckless foolhardiness or accidental bravery, he takes a single from the last to retain strike to Ashwin.
9th over: Australia 13-0 (Head 8, Kuhnemann 5) It’s believed Usman Khawaja’s leg injury will see him will bat at No 7 today. We may find out for sure shortly because India have a ring of close-in fielders breathing down Matt Kuhnemann’s neck and yammering at any ball that doesn’t hit the middle of bat. He does well to squeeze Ashwin away on the leg side off for a run and get Head on strike.
8th over: Australia 12-0 (Head 8, Kuhnemann 4) Mohammed Shami is rumbling in and Head straight away takes him on, clipping a ball on leg stump to the rope. Valiant attempt to save it don there but unsuccessful. Head registers his first four of the day. Good test for Head today. Will he play his natural game and attack? Or curb his naturally aggressive instincts and defend?
7th over: Australia 8-0 (Head 4, Kuhnemann 4) With six overs to navigate last night and Usman Khawaja injured in the field, Australia have an un familiar opening partnership at the crease: middle-order barnstormer Travis Head and three-Test tweaker Matthew Kuhnemann as nightwatchman. Their job was to survive and they did. What’s the job brief today, I wonder? It will be Head facing up to Ravi Ashwin for the first over of the day and to get us underway Head drives through the offside to take a single. Next ball Kuhnemann edges past Kohli at slip for a four. Australia trail by 83 runs
And here’s Geoff Lemon on King Kohli’s return to form…
For those who came in late, here’s a wrap of Day 4…
Preamble
Howdy cricket lovers and thanks for joining us for day five – yes, DAY FIVE – of the fourth Test between Australia and India. Angus Fontaine here to call the final day of what has been a weird, wonderful, always entertaining series.
With 1,054 runs and 20 wickets over four days, this Test has been an anomaly. Prior to this, across three matches, we’d had 91 wickets across seven days. Those Tests were played on spinning wickets but this one has been played on a road. Yes, it has given us glorious centuries by Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green on day two and yesterday a famous 186 by Virat Kohli – his first Test ton in 1206 days – but has it given us a contest? Today will give us our answer.
After Australia posted 480, India replied with 571 – a lead of 91 runs. So, with one day to play, the equation today is pretty simple, right? India must attack and take 10 wickets to win and Australia must defend those 10 wickets for a draw.
But nothing in this series has been cut and dry – except the pitches which have been cut and dried by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to maximise the home side’s advantage and scupper any chance of Australia winning.
That fiendish plan worked a treat in Nagpur and Delhi when Ravi Ashwin destroyed Australia’s batting to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But the plan backfired in Indore when Steve Smith’s men turned the tables and won by nine wickets. With the series still up for grabs, the BCCI have rolled out a road to ensure, at worst, a high-scoring draw and, at best, a series victory.
The other key factor here is the invisible “fifth Test” looming between these nations – this one to be played in London in June between the two top-ranked sides on the planet for the World Test Championship. Australia have already qualified but India need to win or draw this Test to meet them in the WTC final.
The team vying to steal India’s spot is the seventh-ranked Sri Lanka who are currently touring New Zealand in a two-Test series. They need a 2-0 victory to displace India and are currently looking good to take the first Test.
So there’s plenty at stake, not least the pride of the nations these sides represent. Will Australia attack and chase the win, however unlikely? Or will they defend to save the draw? And will India attack to win the Test? Or defend to save the draw and risk Sri Lanka beating New Zealand twice in a row?
It’s a head-scratcher alright. But the men with the answers will be out there shortly to sort it out and give us one more glorious day of Australia-India cricket, so buckle ‘em up and batten ‘em down.