Australia vs India, Boxing Day Test, Day 1
I've been anticipating today's cricket more than any this season (apart from our Saturday afternoon club games, of course). Australia have won their last 8 Boxing Day Tests and are currently on a 14 match winning streak. Can they go past Steve Waugh's record of 16 consecutive Test wins?
The main question mark in my mind is whether the Australian bowling can knock over 20 Indian wickets in 5 days. The word is the MCG pitch is damp which will assist the bowlers - good news. India have a strong batting line-up with a lot of pride and experience - certainly no pushovers. Can Brett Lee maintain his current wicket taking form? Will Brad Hogg play and can he trouble the subcontinent spinmasters? Post your comments as the action unfolds...
Oh and its a day late but Merry Christmas to all cricket-bloggers!
Live score here
| Posted by JC on Wed 26 Dec |  30 comments |
Yep Merry Christmas to all.
Batting first on a damp pitch.
Posted by TA on 2007-12-26 10:37:22
Batting first on a damp pitch.
Posted by TA on 2007-12-26 10:37:22
Not including Ishant Sharma was a blunder. The poor lad deserves a place in the side. Bhajji has got enough chances already.
Posted by SwaP on 2007-12-26 11:39:32
Posted by SwaP on 2007-12-26 11:39:32
Merry Boxing Day all,
Now, can anyone (in Aus) tell my WHY that idiot Mark Nicholas is STILL part of the Ch9 commentary team??? He is not only woeful but isn't even an ex-test cricketer!
When you look at the calibre (and skill) of the other blokes, it simply makes no sense...
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-26 12:32:35
Now, can anyone (in Aus) tell my WHY that idiot Mark Nicholas is STILL part of the Ch9 commentary team??? He is not only woeful but isn't even an ex-test cricketer!
When you look at the calibre (and skill) of the other blokes, it simply makes no sense...
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-26 12:32:35
Seasons greetings folks.
Well, the first 40 minutes or so promised much for the Indians. But when your first change "quick" bowler is Ganguly and the opening pair have bowled without luck, it does not bode well for the visitors.
Seems that woeful fielding and field placements, and very weak throwing arms, make this an uphill task for the Indian side. Unless its talented batting lineup clicks.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-26 12:41:30
Well, the first 40 minutes or so promised much for the Indians. But when your first change "quick" bowler is Ganguly and the opening pair have bowled without luck, it does not bode well for the visitors.
Seems that woeful fielding and field placements, and very weak throwing arms, make this an uphill task for the Indian side. Unless its talented batting lineup clicks.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-26 12:41:30
0/134 but Mark Nicholas reckoned Jaques was doomed two hours ago... hmmm...
Yeah, Ginganguly first change was a bit of an eyebrow-raiser here too! They'll need three tons per innings to be in with a shout by the looks of it.
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-26 13:35:26
Yeah, Ginganguly first change was a bit of an eyebrow-raiser here too! They'll need three tons per innings to be in with a shout by the looks of it.
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-26 13:35:26
A ton for The Reverend - you bewdy.
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-26 14:24:38
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-26 14:24:38
Only worse choice for a first change bowler than Ganguly is Andrew Symonds.
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 15:14:50
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 15:14:50
Best part of the game so far (from an Indian perspective)...
No racism! MCG giving both teams a great reception... they way cricket should be played!
How's this for a cricket rant!: www.sportnewds.tv
Posted by ShinySanjeev on 2007-12-26 15:46:59
No racism! MCG giving both teams a great reception... they way cricket should be played!
How's this for a cricket rant!: www.sportnewds.tv
Posted by ShinySanjeev on 2007-12-26 15:46:59
Sanjeev, that is good to see. I think Australians are thrilled to watch a tightly fought day of Test cricket - at the G with 70,000 no less.
Andrew Symonds in to bat under pressure for the first time I can remember - will be interesting to see how he handles it.
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 16:35:47
Andrew Symonds in to bat under pressure for the first time I can remember - will be interesting to see how he handles it.
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 16:35:47
Symonds has got the number of Indian bowlers. He will be the one who will stand between India and victory.
Posted by Varghese on 2007-12-26 16:38:00
Posted by Varghese on 2007-12-26 16:38:00
Merry XMas JC,
India have made a strong comeback , after Aussies had a strong session 1 . We have good game on Hand. Indians not letting Aussies score at 4.5 is another victory of sorts.
For a change I am not playing gung-ho aussie supporter <>
Posted by Mahesh P on 2007-12-26 17:06:26
India have made a strong comeback , after Aussies had a strong session 1 . We have good game on Hand. Indians not letting Aussies score at 4.5 is another victory of sorts.
For a change I am not playing gung-ho aussie supporter <
Posted by Mahesh P on 2007-12-26 17:06:26
This was what I was stating all along. Aussies will under estimate India at thir own peril. In their 10 previous overseas tests Indian bowlers have taken 20 wickets on 8 of the occasions. This looks like an easy Indian win with Kumble and Zaheer in such superb form.
Posted by Varghese on 2007-12-26 17:12:50
Posted by Varghese on 2007-12-26 17:12:50
Mahesh, two good sessions from India and you're already defecting! :-)
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 17:34:28
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 17:34:28
Stumps, Australia 9 down for 337. My main question - why are Cricket Australia talking about 6 Ashes Tests - they should be looking to increase the number of Tests we play with India!
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 18:12:04
Posted by JC on 2007-12-26 18:12:04
I will never defect as Aussie Fan JC!! But need to honestly give credit where its due. India under Anil has been a different side. I had been biggest critic of Anil Kumble . But last couple of seasons , he has quitely made his mark ( after he quit from One Day cricket). I have him leading ably in recent Pakistan Series. Btw day 1 India made you eat your words (good words have become virtual in web world) - "Drooping Indian Shoulders on 35-50 run partnership" ??
Good Day 1 , we have interesting match ahead . Hope your favorite Laxman Strikes :P
Posted by Mahesh P on 2007-12-26 19:07:50
Good Day 1 , we have interesting match ahead . Hope your favorite Laxman Strikes :P
Posted by Mahesh P on 2007-12-26 19:07:50
Brilliant day's cricket I thought. Score of 9/337 equates to about 370 given the slow outfield.
If Kumble (captain) had been as brilliant as Kumble (bowler), Australia would have been all out for around 250 about an hour before stumps.
I thought the best bowler today was Zaheer; very unlucky in the morning, then prize scalp of Ponting with a superb delivery.
Aspiring "wannabe" captain Clarke was the major disappointment. Reckless and unnecessary dismissal from a frontline batsman.
This game is up for grabs and could develop into a cliffhanger.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-26 19:52:50
If Kumble (captain) had been as brilliant as Kumble (bowler), Australia would have been all out for around 250 about an hour before stumps.
I thought the best bowler today was Zaheer; very unlucky in the morning, then prize scalp of Ponting with a superb delivery.
Aspiring "wannabe" captain Clarke was the major disappointment. Reckless and unnecessary dismissal from a frontline batsman.
This game is up for grabs and could develop into a cliffhanger.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-26 19:52:50
Credit to India for fighting back from 135-0. I thought they wouldve started going through the motions after that...
I mentioned that Kumble will be key and Oh boy did he steal the show on day 1.
It was an enthralling day of test cricket and look forward to more cricket of the same calibre.
(Sorry that I cant provide real insights as I havent seen the highlights yet. To hell with exams!) :)
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2007-12-26 23:05:31
I mentioned that Kumble will be key and Oh boy did he steal the show on day 1.
It was an enthralling day of test cricket and look forward to more cricket of the same calibre.
(Sorry that I cant provide real insights as I havent seen the highlights yet. To hell with exams!) :)
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2007-12-26 23:05:31
Oh and my Christmas Greetings to all our friends here!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2007-12-26 23:06:42
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2007-12-26 23:06:42
Ian Chappel summed up the first day nicely today on Cricinfo:
"They added 135 for the first wicket and it looked as though Australia were well on course to posting a huge first innings total as they like to do.
But that delivery from Kumble changed everything. It was a wonderful wrong 'un; he dragged Jaques out of the crease; [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni had the bails off in a flash, and boy, didn't India get right back into the game from there.
The other Australian batsmen struggled. Ponting got an absolute beauty from Zaheer Khan that just clipped the off stump. Zaheer bowled pretty well and got the ball to move around but Kumble was magnificent. It was the thought that went into his bowling, there was much more variety than what I've seen from Kumble previously. He was bowling from wide of the crease, something that I haven't seen from him previously. It was Kumble at his competitive and combative best and he dragged the team along with him."
Clearly, the first wicket of jacques and the next one of Ponting did the trick for India. Else, from 135 for no loss, Aussies rarely fold up for 330+... Any other Indian team or from any other nation would have been hit for 450 on the first day for about 2 or 3 wkts...
Cheers
Posted by Mahesh on 2007-12-27 01:43:11
"They added 135 for the first wicket and it looked as though Australia were well on course to posting a huge first innings total as they like to do.
But that delivery from Kumble changed everything. It was a wonderful wrong 'un; he dragged Jaques out of the crease; [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni had the bails off in a flash, and boy, didn't India get right back into the game from there.
The other Australian batsmen struggled. Ponting got an absolute beauty from Zaheer Khan that just clipped the off stump. Zaheer bowled pretty well and got the ball to move around but Kumble was magnificent. It was the thought that went into his bowling, there was much more variety than what I've seen from Kumble previously. He was bowling from wide of the crease, something that I haven't seen from him previously. It was Kumble at his competitive and combative best and he dragged the team along with him."
Clearly, the first wicket of jacques and the next one of Ponting did the trick for India. Else, from 135 for no loss, Aussies rarely fold up for 330+... Any other Indian team or from any other nation would have been hit for 450 on the first day for about 2 or 3 wkts...
Cheers
Posted by Mahesh on 2007-12-27 01:43:11
Hi,
A couple of months ago , i thought that cricket was getting very boring due to the australian dominance and i thought that it would be better if the world cups and big major tournaments should be excluding australia to level things up and give others to fight for a number 2 and there could have been a final between australia and australia 'A' so that i would have been interesting
After watching the aussie / sri lanka series for the first time i thought in a while that australia were not that gr8 any more . The way sangakkara hammered all the premier bowlers was sufficient proof that the australians were not invincible any more . Only the umpire defied sri lanka of an incredible win . I had no doubt in my mind whatsoever that sanga would have taken them home from there . If he could make close to 200 runs with number 8 there was every likelyhood of him making another 100 considering that he was batting with absolute ease and made the australian attack look like a weak bangladeshi attack . that was an incredible innings cant take much from that sheer dominance .
This indian team might not be a gr8 fielding unit but are certainly capable of compensating their fielding deficit with their batting strength
I do still consider aussies to be the best but if there is any team that can beat them at the moment it has 2 be india . I reckon the first test is over . My prediction after watching the first days cricket is that india should take a lead of over 200 runs in the first innings which should be sufficient to ensure them a victory in the first test
kumble is an under rated bowler ..he doesnt look destructive but is very effective indeed ..and its difficult to make a startegy against him due to his variance in pace and extreme precision ..very effective
indian unit is full of confidence and their batting is in prime form . I feel if they handeled aktar they wouldnt have a lot of trouble against lee ..they will handle hogg well ..clarke has immaculate line and length but is not a detructive option .
I am not an indian but i reckon this will be a very closely contested series and it would be very pre mature to predict anything at this stage .
Posted by deezina on 2007-12-27 03:49:04
A couple of months ago , i thought that cricket was getting very boring due to the australian dominance and i thought that it would be better if the world cups and big major tournaments should be excluding australia to level things up and give others to fight for a number 2 and there could have been a final between australia and australia 'A' so that i would have been interesting
After watching the aussie / sri lanka series for the first time i thought in a while that australia were not that gr8 any more . The way sangakkara hammered all the premier bowlers was sufficient proof that the australians were not invincible any more . Only the umpire defied sri lanka of an incredible win . I had no doubt in my mind whatsoever that sanga would have taken them home from there . If he could make close to 200 runs with number 8 there was every likelyhood of him making another 100 considering that he was batting with absolute ease and made the australian attack look like a weak bangladeshi attack . that was an incredible innings cant take much from that sheer dominance .
This indian team might not be a gr8 fielding unit but are certainly capable of compensating their fielding deficit with their batting strength
I do still consider aussies to be the best but if there is any team that can beat them at the moment it has 2 be india . I reckon the first test is over . My prediction after watching the first days cricket is that india should take a lead of over 200 runs in the first innings which should be sufficient to ensure them a victory in the first test
kumble is an under rated bowler ..he doesnt look destructive but is very effective indeed ..and its difficult to make a startegy against him due to his variance in pace and extreme precision ..very effective
indian unit is full of confidence and their batting is in prime form . I feel if they handeled aktar they wouldnt have a lot of trouble against lee ..they will handle hogg well ..clarke has immaculate line and length but is not a detructive option .
I am not an indian but i reckon this will be a very closely contested series and it would be very pre mature to predict anything at this stage .
Posted by deezina on 2007-12-27 03:49:04
Hello from the Cricketing View JC.....
I thought while watching that the wicket was flat. But it seems unusually abrasive. Zaheer especially was very skillfull in moving the old ball. I wonder if thats reverse swing. If it is, i wonder what Lee will do.
Fine days cricket. I think that last wicket stand will hurt India.
Posted by Kartikeya on 2007-12-27 03:54:00
I thought while watching that the wicket was flat. But it seems unusually abrasive. Zaheer especially was very skillfull in moving the old ball. I wonder if thats reverse swing. If it is, i wonder what Lee will do.
Fine days cricket. I think that last wicket stand will hurt India.
Posted by Kartikeya on 2007-12-27 03:54:00
I don't think Australia were stretched by Sri Lanka regardless of Sangakkara's batting. Often when Australia are "stretched", it is because their declaration is a little generous in an attempt to obtain a result.
In the current test match, the Indian bowling attack has been generally very good and it was a struggle for Australia especially as some of the Australian batsmen seemed to be still in the ODI batting mode. We could be in for a very competitive series, sadly it will be between commentators vying to make the most inane comments. Chapelli has bolted out of the blocks.
Posted by matt on 2007-12-27 07:39:20
In the current test match, the Indian bowling attack has been generally very good and it was a struggle for Australia especially as some of the Australian batsmen seemed to be still in the ODI batting mode. We could be in for a very competitive series, sadly it will be between commentators vying to make the most inane comments. Chapelli has bolted out of the blocks.
Posted by matt on 2007-12-27 07:39:20
Hey folks. Good start for the Indians! Great to see but I must say that it will be an uphill battle for them the whole series due to their lack of bowling. Kumble's "medium pacers" won't get them 5 wickets every game! And the fact that Ricky didn't score in the last innings means he's due a 150 odd next innings. Go the Indians, how good would it be to see a team challenge Australia for a whole series!
By the way - I pick India to score 600+ and for the game to end in a draw.
Posted by NZ Cricket on 2007-12-27 09:10:27
By the way - I pick India to score 600+ and for the game to end in a draw.
Posted by NZ Cricket on 2007-12-27 09:10:27
Good point about Australia batting in ODI mode. While watching Clarke bat, I thought how much he'd matured since 2005 when the English bowlers baited him with wide full balls outside off. Then he swished at a wide full ball outside off and nicked it.
Then Symonds came in and first ball tried to pull a short one wide outside off stump, nearly playeing it on. In Twenty20, it would've been a foolhardy shot. In Test cricket, ridiculous. His batting yesterday confirmed he has no business playing Test cricket - unless Australia can get into the position of being 4 for 400 whenever he comes into bat in need of some quick hitting before a declaration. Barring that, bring back Katich or another real #6 batsman.
Sorry, back on my usual anti-Roy bandwagon - maybe my New Year resolution will be to leave Roy alone :-)
Posted by JC on 2007-12-27 09:15:53
Then Symonds came in and first ball tried to pull a short one wide outside off stump, nearly playeing it on. In Twenty20, it would've been a foolhardy shot. In Test cricket, ridiculous. His batting yesterday confirmed he has no business playing Test cricket - unless Australia can get into the position of being 4 for 400 whenever he comes into bat in need of some quick hitting before a declaration. Barring that, bring back Katich or another real #6 batsman.
Sorry, back on my usual anti-Roy bandwagon - maybe my New Year resolution will be to leave Roy alone :-)
Posted by JC on 2007-12-27 09:15:53
JC, JC!!
Just compare the recklessness of two dismissals yesterday. Those of Symonds and your hero Gillie. Where on earth is the difference. Could one be blamed (by inference) and the other not. Symonds will become even more important to Australia's cause when Gillie calls it quits. In fact he'll be expected to fill the gap, as a genuine all-rounder.
You can forgive an all-rounder an indescretion with the bat but a specialist batsman has no other business than to score runs. That is why Clarke was so disappointing yesterday, after he'd done all the hard work.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-27 10:18:04
Just compare the recklessness of two dismissals yesterday. Those of Symonds and your hero Gillie. Where on earth is the difference. Could one be blamed (by inference) and the other not. Symonds will become even more important to Australia's cause when Gillie calls it quits. In fact he'll be expected to fill the gap, as a genuine all-rounder.
You can forgive an all-rounder an indescretion with the bat but a specialist batsman has no other business than to score runs. That is why Clarke was so disappointing yesterday, after he'd done all the hard work.
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-27 10:18:04
Gilly did get out to a shocker but at least he took a few overs to get his eye in. Symonds was slogging from ball one.
Clarke was disappointing - I thought he'd moved on from those sorts of dismissals in matches when we really needed him to push on.
Posted by JC on 2007-12-27 14:35:03
Clarke was disappointing - I thought he'd moved on from those sorts of dismissals in matches when we really needed him to push on.
Posted by JC on 2007-12-27 14:35:03
See, Twanky-twanky is ruining our game!
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-27 16:10:29
Posted by virtualgaz on 2007-12-27 16:10:29
Calling deezina, calling deezina!!
"I reckon the first test is over . My prediction after watching the first days cricket is that india should take a lead of over 200 runs in the first innings which should be sufficient to ensure them a victory in the first test"...
In Australia next weekend we have a jackpot in
Tattslotto. Can you give me the six winning numbers please?
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-27 21:44:02
"I reckon the first test is over . My prediction after watching the first days cricket is that india should take a lead of over 200 runs in the first innings which should be sufficient to ensure them a victory in the first test"...
In Australia next weekend we have a jackpot in
Tattslotto. Can you give me the six winning numbers please?
Posted by Dan Tas on 2007-12-27 21:44:02
Interesting...........
http://www.bigwicket.com
Posted by ffarhann on 2008-07-18 17:27:08
http://www.bigwicket.com
Posted by ffarhann on 2008-07-18 17:27:08
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