Left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe took 12 wickets in the match to help Australia beat India by 333 runs on Saturday as the tourists took a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series between the world’s top-ranked sides
Related: Steve O’Keefe takes 12 wickets as Australia thrash India inside three days
Man of the Match (for real this time, not a ridiculous sponsor award): Steve O’Keefe!
“It was great to have the belief of the captain who backed me and threw the ball to me. And Nathan Lyon, who bowled brilliantly as well.”
Steve Smith up on the mic now.
“I am really proud of the way the boys performed in this Test Match.”
Or maybe not? A “special award” according to someone on twitter. Stand by. Definitely said “man of the match” on the telly. Weird.
MAN OF THE MATCH... Mitchell Starc?! Fair dinkum. This is not a drill. I have no idea either. I mean, great Test, fantastic contributions... but seriously?!
More presentation interviews.
I think? I hope? Hard to tell. Standing by. What I will report, thanks to “Rocket” on the email, is that Chandrasekhar also did what O’Keefe did way back when; 6/52 and 6/52 at Melbourne in 1977/78. How about that?
Down at the presentation... (part one)
Lehmann first, just catching the end of his interview. “The second innings was totally different. We had to take the game on.” On Smith: “If not the best hundred I’ve seen.” He thinks the pitch will “change a little bit” before the second Test.
Steve O’Keefe replicates his first innings figures. 6/35 and 6/35. What a tremendous performance. Lyon completes a four-wicket bag himself, running through the tail. Rewards he thoroughly earned. What redemption for that man after the corresponding opening fixture in 2013 that cost him his place in the XI.
There’s a lot to say, but the story is very simple. Australia’s bowlers were just too good. India never looked comfortable, never built partnerships, never showed composure. Australia’s pressure with the ball replicated the persistence shown by the captain Smith with the bat. Not the most classical hand, but so special. Such leadership.
That's India's second-heaviest defeat by runs at home. Only Nagpur 2004 (342 runs) was worse. Outstanding match from Australia. #IndvAus
AUSTRALIA GO ONE-UP! What a miraculous win. The final wicket came when Lyon won the inside edge of Jayant, caught by Wade behind the wicket. Bloody hell! Let me TAKE THIS ALL IN for a minute.
33rd over: India 103-9 (Jayant 1, Umesh 0). NOT OUT! Madness. Some strike-management from Jayant earlier in the over, which seems a bit daft, but whatever makes you happy at this stage.
Run out?! Have they lost their last wicket with a mad quick single? Upstairs we go.
Make that one to go! Are India going to fall short of their first innings score? That’s more like it for a proper offie’s wicket, huge spin into the glove, into the hands of Dave Warner at leg slip. Three wickets in about 12 minutes since the resumption. Another extraordinary afternoon for Australian cricket.
32nd over: India 102-9 (Jayant 0, Umesh 0).
Jadeja tries to cut Lyon a couple of times, and ends up dragging it back onto his stumps! Not the most classical off-spinning wicket he’s ever taken in his illustrious Test career, but he will care little. A second wicket, very well earned. Two to go.
31st over: India 102-7 (Jadeja 3, Yadav 0). Steve O’Keefe bowls an over where he doesn’t take a wicket. Man bites dog. Jayant defending suitably enough. Except for the bit where he was beaten outside the off stump.
30th over: India 102-7 (Jadeja 3, Yadav 0). No Luck Nathan Lyon. Turning it square, beating the bat, but no love. No edges. He’s such a team mate he probably won’t be seething. But at some level, of course he will be. What’s the old story about Laker and Lock? Yeah, that.
That Sokka Slider! Put him on the front of the paper! Put him on a Weet-Bix box! Send him to the Moon, if he doesn’t go there himself tonight already. It’s too good for Pujara, straight on with the arm second ball after tea. Who is this, Herath? Unbelievable. Australia three wickets to victory. O’Keefe has six...12 for the match.
SCENES AT PUNE.
I was talking a bit of trash at lunch about big chases and India’s depth and lightning striking twice and whatever. It was just that: trash. You cannot fault Steve O’Keefe. His spell between lunch and tea thoroughly deserved the rewards. A ten wicket match (got lucky again to call him to that on the radio). 11 actually! With four more on the shelf. And Nathan Lyon too. He won’t have the stories written about him, but both spin twins made that happen.
Surely, Australia has this in the bag. Cheteshwar Pujara is still there, and has battled through. Jadeja and Jayant can make some runs coming in next. But India are a million miles away from their target. It has been all about Steve O’Keefe again, five-fors in both innings, 11 in the match, and he’s one wicket away from equally Jason Crazy Krejza’s 12-wicket haul which sets the high-water mark for an Australian spinner in this country.
Australia will look to wrap this Test up inside three days, which would have been an absurd statement three days ago. But that was then, and now is now. Now is also the time for Adam Collins to take the OBO baton and walk you through the final phases. Or, the miraculous comeback. Wait and see.
Sa-ha sings, “Take me on. Take on me. I’ll be yours, in a ball or two.”
He is Steve O’Keefe’s, completing a five-wicket haul in both innings of this match. Another ropey decision from Kettleborough I reckon, probably the umpire wasn’t game to give a third wrong not-out to the same bowler. But I think that arm ball was sliding down leg. It might have been clipping leg stump, but we won’t find out because that is the tea break with the wicket falling halfway through the over.
28th over: India 99-5 (Pujara 31, Saha 5)
Dropped! Warner puts Pujara down at short leg. Third catch dropped from Lyon’s bowling today. The universe is on SOK’s side. Pujara flicks the ball to bat pad, Warner’s hands are between his knees as it comes at home low, he gets hands to it but the ball is travelling too quickly and skews free. Very little time to react, but Lyon will be frustrated. Though happy to be in a team on top. The Indian batsmen tick a few singles about thereafter.
27th over: India 95-5 (Pujara 29, Saha 4)
O’Keefe slips, bowls a full toss, Saha slams it through cover for four. Off the mark. O’Keefe responds by shredding a turner past the batsman’s outside edge. They settle for a defensive close to the over. Stalemate.
26th over: India 91-5 (Pujara 29, Saha 0)
Interesting that Ashwin came out ahead of Saha at No 6, it was the other way around in the first innings. Pujara soaks up the strike, and flicks Lyon for two from the last ball.
25th over: India 89-5 (Pujara 27, Saha 0)
A wicket maiden for O’Keefe to put the final gloss on that ten-wicket haul.
Ten wicket haul for Steven O’Keefe! And it will be the decisive factor in a huge Australian victory. You can be sure of that now. Similar to the Kohli appeal earlier, this one hits bat and pad close together as Ashwin lunges forward in defence, and is given not out by Kettleborough. This time the Australians have learned their lesson, and review the call. The replay shows it did indeed hit pad first, and was clearly going straight on to hit middle stump. Kettleborough gives a disgusted finger raise, having made another mistake in a rare bad match.
24th over: India 89-4 (Pujara 27, Ashwin 8)
Nathan Lyon the bowler.Ashwin nails the reverse sweep for four, then chips an attempted cover drive wide of mid off for three, after Pujara had given him the strike with a single to start the over. Unconvincing, the second Ashwin shot.
23rd over: India 81-4 (Pujara 26, Ashwin 1)
Ashwin gets off the mark, Pujara whips three through midwicket from a low full toss, and another destructive O’Keefe over comes to an end.
Another one! Big puff of dust as O’Keefe pitches the ball outside off, Rahane sees the line and tries to drive through cover, but can only chip it up enough for Lyon to scope his fingers underneath the ball.
22nd over: India 76-3 (Pujara 22, Rahane 18)
Another couple of boundaries to Pujara and Rahane, the latter trying to stay positive. It was easy to play that way the first time, with Lyon dragging a shocker short and very wide down leg. Pujara just had to catch up with it and send a low pull shot away to fine leg. The second effort once Rahane gets the strike is a much harder sweep, well timed, and it shoots away to the fence.
21st over: India 67-3 (Pujara 17, Rahane 14)
Finally, an Indian batsman is able to smash O’Keefe. The first time is streaky, Rahane slashing outside off and edging over second slip, Glenn Maxwell in there as a substitute fieldsman for Renshaw, it appears. The second boundary is more convincing – Rahane picked the arm ball, went back, waited for it to come on having made the length a bit short, then carved it out through covers for another four.
20th over: India 58-3 (Pujara 16, Rahane 6)
Smith notes the same thing about Hazlewood and decides to go straight back to spin. Lyon with the ball again. Concedes five from the over, thanks in large part to a couple of overthrows when Starc pings in a fast return from a sweep at deep backward square. Rahane gets the three and both batsmen harvest a single.
19th over: India 53-3 (Pujara 15, Rahane 3)
O’Keefe brimming with confidence. He’s turning the ball sharply on occasion, not turning it at other times. It’s possible we could be seeing the emergence of a significant career.
18th over: India 52-3 (Pujara 14, Rahane 3)
Hazlewood continues, Pujara looks more comfortable against him. Rahane flicks a couple through square.
17th over: India 49-3 (Pujara 13, Rahane 1)
Steve O’Keefe is living a dream. He has 2/14, after his 6/35 in the first innings. Kohli was looking good too – had off-driven a couple of runs nicely just before he was dismissed, but then just guessed wrong against a ball that may have turned and eventually didn’t.
The Indian captain is gone! Four double hundreds in the last few months, but not today. And that DRS mishap won’t haunt the Australians. They’ve been the victims of the left-arm trick many times against Rangana Herath and Ravindra Jadeja, but finally they get to dish one off. O’Keefe, around the wicket, bowls one angling in that Kohli expects to turn. The batsman shoulders arms, a la Usman Khawaja in Galle. Unbelievable. And the ball goes on straight with the arm and knocks off stump out of the ground. Steve O’Keefe is levitating mid-pitch, like Scooby smelling a sandwich. Kohli stays in his crouch for a good 10 seconds, staring back at his shattered stumps in disbelief at what he has done. Scenes.
16th over: India 45-2 (Pujara 12, Kohli 11)
Josh Hazlewood at last gets his first use of the ball. Not quite his perfect line, a little wide with a couple of balls, but a couple closer to the stumps as well. The fifth of the over is a nasty one, leaping and crushing the fingers against the bat handle. Pujara leaps and winces, yanking the hand away. But Pujara recovers from the last ball of the over, as Hazlewood goes way too wide, and is easily cut away through backward point for four.
15th over: India 41-2 (Pujara 8, Kohli 11)
Edged! Kohli versus O’Keefe is hotting up. Into the ground to slip, Smith grabs the rebound. Next ball, driven for four! Glorious cover drive, this is is a battle now between two cricketers right in the contest. Beautiful timing, playing with the spin, crouching low, that bottom-handed slapping drive that marks Kohli so clearly. Then another couple of balls to slip, one running along the ground, one on the bounce.
14th over: India 36-2 (Pujara 7, Kohli 7)
Pujara now finding some timing against Lyon. Down the wicket to drive two, then switches to the leg side for a single. Kohli adds a couple of singles of his own. Five from the over.
13th over: India 31-2 (Pujara 3, Kohli 6)
Huge appeal! O’Keefe gave that every single ounce of energy he had. Down on one knee, both hands vibrating as though he was trying to screw in two lightbulbs at once, head wobbling, eyes like searchlights. O’Keefe is excitable, Kohli is the prize wicket. Straight ball, hits pad and bat almost at the same time as Kohli pressed forward. Given not out. Smith at slip asked if it had hit outside the line, using gestures. O’Keefe replied “It’s close. It’s very close.” But the replay shows that it was pad first, and Kohli would have been out. But after watching India burn two reviews, Smith went conservative and kept his. Fair call, not many lbws get overturned, but O’Keefe will be grinding his teeth in a different fashion to usual when he realises he had the Indian captain done, but let him go. All that happens from the first ball, and it’s a miaden thereafter.
12th over: India 31-2 (Pujara 3, Kohli 6)
Pujara finally uses his feet, comes down to drive Lyon to long-on. Looked out of sorts in the first innings, and this is very tough batting out here now. Kohli going back into his crease on a couple of occasions looking to score, gets one ball away for a single.
11th over: India 29-2 (Pujara 2, Kohli 5)
And a maiden for O’Keefe, these two belting through the overs, just a couple of leg byes as the ball hits the pad and goes behind square.
10th over: India 27-2 (Pujara 2, Kohli 5)
A maiden for Lyon, though four runs from it. Wade lets through his second set of four byes in the 10th over. This pitch is a hard one to keep on. The ball leaps in at Pujara from outside the stump, beats his forcing shot aimed at cover, and climbs over the middle stump before continuing leg side and past Wade.
9th over: India 23-2 (Pujara 2, Kohli 5)
Kohli using his T20 tactics here, coming across his stumps and sweeping SOK behind square, then belting back for the second run. Take every one that you can, is his approach, where most players would have ambled one.
8th over: India 20-2 (Pujara 1, Kohli 3)
Lyon bowls a tidy over, a couple of singles from it, but no great alarms. Even one quiet over feels notable at this point. Pujara off the mark with a leg-side tap.
7th over: India 18-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 2)
O’Keefe carries on looking dangerous. Gets one to spin and kick past Kohli’s bat as the Indian captain gropes forward, then when Pujara comes on strike there’s a raucous appeal for a ball that jumps off the pad up to slip. No bat involved.
6th over: India 17-2 (Pujara 0, Kohli 1)
Virat Kohli does indeed look pretty grumpy. Mind you, he always looks pretty grumpy when he’s batting. Fixated might be a nicer way of saying it. He dodges a pair of ducks by flicking his first ball from Lyon through square for a single.
Another review? I’m not even waiting for this to be resolved to write that is one of the worst I’ve seen. Lyon bowls, well outside off, turns sharply but stays so low. Rahul was hopping, trying to jam the bat down but couldn’t get there. It hits his pad about a quarter of the way up off stump. And they burn a second review? Why? OK, it’s umpire’s call on whether it was hitting outside the line, but that was given out by the umpire and looked absolutely dead. Kohli comes in with 75 overs until India get their burnt reviews back. The way this pitch is playing you don’t imagine we’ll get anywhere near that.
5th over: India 10-1 (Rahul 4, Pujara 0)
Would you believe it? The Golden Arm strikes again. O’Keefe on for his first over, Rahul drives a single, but Vijay gets a straighter ball into his pads. O’Keefe bowls left-arm around the wicket 99% of the time, and he’s sliding one in toward the right-hander’s wicket. Hit in front of middle. Vijay reviews, of course, the opener’s prerogative. Or what the opener assumes is his. It’s another absurd decision really. India have been awful with their DRS usage in this match. This is another one, it’s umpire’s call for height perhaps, but taking leg stump. SNJOK can do no wrong.
4th over: India 9-0 (Vijay 2, Rahul 3)
Dropped again! Lyon’s second chance goes down, Handscomb with another toughie. There are a couple of singles from the over, then the fifth ball really takes off, leaps up at the glove, takes it front on as though the batsman was trying to punch the ball. It loops up directly in front of him, straight down the pitch. Handscomb leaps forward, tumbles, gets fingertips to it low to the ground, but can’t scoop it in.
3rd over: India 6-0 (Vijay 1, Rahul 1)
Starc not quite getting the line right yet, it’s wide enough to leave a bit too often for so early in the innings. Though of course the wide one got Kohli yesterday. Throws in a couple of shorter ones and it’s another maiden.
2nd over: India 6-0 (Vijay 1, Rahul 1)
Nathan ‘Nathan’ Lyon will take the new ball to partner Starc. No Hazlewood, who took a wicket as soon as he started yesterday. No O’Keefe, who got the new ball in the first innings. Australia’s shiny-pated GOAT gets the chance to find a length. Good turn, and Rahul is going back and working with it for a single. Turn again, it beats Vijay’s pad just down leg and Wade lets it through for four byes. Grrrrrrrreat. Then there’s a dropped catch! Already, the second over of the game. Vijay tries to parry a ball away, it turns into him and takes the glove, and flies over short leg. Handscomb in there I think? Got fingers to it but it was travelling too quickly. Tough chance but not impossible, especially given the two rippers he took in the first innings. Then there’s an appeal for a ball that would have gone well down leg, and Vijay sweeps a single to finish the over.
1st over: India 0-0 (Vijay 0, Rahul 0)
Here we go. Mitchell Starc with the missile. Fast. Starts wide, then dials back in toward the stumps. Nails the yorker third ball, stops a drive himself from the fourth. The fifth zings! Very fast, lifting sharply and flying by just outside the off stump. He’s getting close to 150 kilometres per hour already. Attacks the pads with the last, and it’s a maiden.
Do send me a missive during the session as we see how it unfolds. On the email it’s geoff.lemon@theguardian.com, on the idiot machine it’s @GeoffLemonSport.
Yes indeed, thanks Adam. Who’s in the mood for a world record? India will need one if they want to pull off a miracle win. Otherwise, an Australian win will inject a huge amount of life and excitement into this series. It’ll be well worth watching either way.
285 doesn’t sound like much, but it has given Australia a lead that will require the highest successful fourth innings in over 2200 Test matches if India are to win this. In other words, it is plenty.
Beginning 298 ahead, Australia had some work to do. They’ve collapsed before, and if they give it away early today, who knows. But the captain, Smith, was having none of that. He was scratchy yesterday and little more fluent today. But he was utterly relentless. His 18th Test match century is one that may go down to define his era as skipper. Tough as they come.
At last O’Keefe goes! Jadeja has, at last, won himself an edge. A consolation edge after beating it so often this innings. The final wicket goes and Australia’s innings ends on 285. And that’s lunch as well. I’ll gather my thoughts.
86th over: Australia 279-9 (O’Keefe 6, Hazlewood 1). Umesh into another over. Decent shift he’s put in here. He’d want a bite to eat, but he’ll have to get through Sokka first. He won’t here, the Australian man of the moment clipping through midwicket for his first boundary! In response: a bouncer. Naturally. But O’Keefe is up to that too, getting underneath it – 439 the lead.
85th over: Australia 279-9 (O’Keefe 2, Hazlewood 0). RJ, I love ya. You’re a star. But if you are going to bowl 60-second overs, all I am going to say is this: maiden to O’Keefe. Take your time, man.
Umesh and Jadeja bowling in tandem looked like India's best bet this innings. Didn't happen enough. #IndvAus
84th over: Australia 279-9 (O’Keefe 2, Hazlewood 0). Actually, a pretty good effort from Jadeja on reflection, to get that previous over in at 11.28am local time so that Umesh got one more shot at the Australians. Hazlewood played and missed the final ball of the over, if you were wondering. But he has a habit of hanging around. Pretty determined pair. I fancy them to last a decent chunk of this extra half hour.
OK, that won’t be lunch. Nine down, the umpires will extend the session. Nice, belated, reverse swing enough to dart through the gate and trap him in front. No review required there. Another handy cameo, pushing Australia’s lead to the point where India will need an all-time record to win this Test from here.
83rd over: Australia 279-8 (O’Keefe 2, Lyon 13). Jadeja has somehow earned his side one more over before lunch via a 60 second over. Couldn’t have been more than that. Incredible how he does that. It’s a maiden to O’Keefe, who does very little wrong. Beaten once, but that’ll happen. Umesh will have the last one before the break.
82nd over: Australia 279-8 (O’Keefe 2, Lyon 13). O’Keefe is off the mark through cover early in the over and that’s great. But Lyon has plonked Ashwin over the rope at cow corner to end the over! What times! Granted, it just made it - Umesh catching him over the rope, but six all the same. One for Lyon’s highlights reel.
81st over: Australia 269-8 (O’Keefe 0, Lyon 2). Lyon sweeping joyously! To the rope to begin the over. Jadeja will hate that. A leg bye gets him off strike, accompanied as it was by an lbw appeal, but no major concerns there. O’Keefe, predictably, back into his defensive posture, where he remains. Still on nothing, but he’s doing a shift.
80th over: Australia 264-8 (O’Keefe 0, Lyon 2). Last over before they get their reviews back and a new ball if they fancy it. Ashwin has it. Lyon again sweeps early in the over to give O’Keefe the strike. There is an lbw appeal against Sokka, but he survives it. He’s luckier last ball, the off-break beating O’Keefe’s bat, pad and Saha’s gloves. Four byes. More pain for the hosts.
So India will now need the highest successful Test chase of all time #INDvAUS
79th over: Australia 259-8 (O’Keefe 0, Lyon 1). Jaedja versus Lyon. The former will fancy himself to grab the last couple here. But he deploys his best stroke, the sweep, to get off the mark with a single. O’Keefe defends the remainder of the set off the front foot. He’s doing a good job of premeditating where his fellow left-armer is going to pitch it. He’s actually on a pair here too. For a man who has made his fair share of first class runs, he’ll fancy getting off that at some stage.
Starc puts Ashwin over the midwicket fence halfway through the over, his fifth six of the match! But when trying it on again to the last ball, there’s a fraction less pace on the delivery and the miscue ends up in the hands of Rahul on the rope. Another important contribution with the bat from the Aussie quick.
78th over: Australia 258-8 (O’Keefe 0, Lyon 0).
77th over: Australia 252-7 (Starc 24, O’Keefe 0). Jadeja races through this over to O’Keefe who is very happy to ride shotgun with Starc. Simple strategy: jump forward, get the pad out there. It’ll do.
Job is done. But they have to punish them now. Find a way to bat two more hours, rather than slapping. Bury them. Make it hurt. #INDvAUS
76th over: Australia 252-7 (Starc 24, O’Keefe 0). Booooooom! Starc’s second big one, Ashwin on the receiving end this time. To his sweet spot, long-on. Every time he gets a chance to free the arms he obliges. No other runs in the over, but it matters not; 22 minutes to the lunch break. India being punished the way they have hurt Australian sides so often in these circumstances over the years – 250 up as well with the blow.
75th over: Australia 246-7 (Starc 18, O’Keefe 0). The man they call Sokka, yesterday’s hero, is beaten immediately by Jadeja. But it is over-bowled. The Australian lead is 401 now, Smith edging it over that mark before departing with the penultimate ball of the over.
@collinsadam Only Smith’s second ever ton in the second dig. The other was v NZ in the tied Perth Test in 2015. Massive knock.
DRS confirms that Smith is, indeed, out leg before wicket. What a magnificent hand, taking the lead for his side beyond 400. Job done, skip. He gives the bat a good old wave, and fair enough too. It was his 18th Test ton, an innings that lasted 202 crucial deliveries. Appropriately, it is Jadeja who got his man after all that. Cold comfort, after dominating the Australian captain for large portions of their contest, beating him routinely outside the off-stump. But that only adds to the Smith knock. A lesser player would have thrown it away in those circumstances, but he toughed it out instead and is rewarded accordingly. Played.
Wicket! Smith lbw! He’s reviewed though... stand by.
74th over: Australia 244-6 (Smith 108, Starc 17). Ashwin not posing any problems for Smith. He misses a sweep to begin, but that’s not an issue with the ball well outside the line. A couple to third man. Another to square leg. This hurts. The lead is 399.
73rd over: Australia 241-6 (Smith 105, Starc 17). This is punishing cricket! On a variety of levels. Jadeja, after having Smith leg-before half an hour ago it is worth remembering, is now being clobbered by Starc. First past point to a rare poor delivery. Then high and deep over long-on, reminiscent of his first innings stroke play. Eleven from the over, and India are nearing a 400 deficit. What a session from the tourists. Half an hour to go.
72nd over: Australia 230-6 (Smith 104, Starc 7). Ashwin is back. As directed. Thanks for listening, Virat. Big shout for lbw against the century-maker, but turned down. Turning too much? We will never know, as Kohli - as I keep reminding you out there - threw away both reviews on terrible challenges when tired and frustrated late yesterday. Starc also survives a leg before shout, but this is more ambitious again. India need something. Immediately. Or these two could go nuts before lunch. We’ve seen them do it before.
Most consecutive Test 100s vs a team:
6 Don Bradman v Eng
5 Shoaib Mohammad v NZ
5 Jack Kallis v WI
5 STEVE SMITH v Ind *#IndvAus
What a hand! Steve Smith, take a bow. It’s been scratchy and required plenty of luck. But it’s been outstanding. It comes up in a hurry, cutting his nemesis Jadeja to the rope to move to 98 then taking a rapid two to extra cover. Oh, and he loves it too! Bat to all four points of the ground after roaring into his glove. You can see how much it means to the Australian captain to deliver for his side in such a profound way in this series opener.
71st over: Australia 227-6 (Smith 101, Starc 7).
70th over: Australia 220-5 (Smith 94, Starc 7). Umesh gets another. Neither Smith nor Starc troubled. Ashwin again, surely?
69th over: Australia 219-5 (Smith 93, Starc 7). Jadeja is back. That’s better. Sure enough, causing Smith problems from the get go, yorking himself almost. He slows it down as the over progresses, beating the Australian for the umpteenth time outside the off-stump with a peach. Smith persists, though, profiting by one to end the over with a push to point. How’s my unintended alliteration?
68th over: Australia 218-5 (Smith 92, Starc 7). This is getting away from India, rapidly. Singles to each of the Australians to stat the over. A sign that the pressure just isn’t there. Not when Ashwin/Jadeja are resting. Umesh then beats Starc with some reverse; he isn’t doing a lot wrong, to be fair. But when he’s too full at the end of the over the big man unleashes a cover drive, adding four more to the Australian lead. Now 373.
Robert Wilson has dropped in. Always an honour to have an email with his name on it. “Cracking match.” That it is, Bob. “One hates to risk hexing it but this is turning into a special innings from Smith. I described him today as having the air of a cheeky pickpocket ludicrously assuming an air of innocence. I was pleased with that but it did start me worrying that Kohli, enraged by that first innings duck, might just go full Fagin second time around.” You may say that, I’ll just say he’s been a lucky lad. But worked his arse off out there. Dare I risk the cliche jar rattling, but a captain’s knock.
67th over: Australia 212-5 (Smith 91, Starc 2). Jayant continues after the break. Not sure about that, as they really need to finish Australia off here to have any chance and Jayant has been the man least likely so far this match for India. Evidenced by the full toss he gives Smith to begin the over, who drives through cover with no risk at all, down to the rope for four. Perfect restart. Oh, now a pie, a half-tracker, pulled by Smith for one to the sweeper. Could have hit that anywhere, but sensible to take the conservative approach this close to three figures. Singles everywhere with the field one, Starc takes one to get off the mark, to cover. More singles, Smith one to square leg before Starc retains the strike with one to cover to end the ropey over. Gotta get Jadeja back on ASAP. Eight off it, the lead now 367. And Smith into the 90s as well.
Well earned by Umesh, a conventional caught behind with Wade driving lavishly and edging a quicker delivery from around the wicket, Saha doing the rest. Some luck for the Indians that they desperately needed. Earlier in the over Wade nicked off the bottom of the bat but was given not out by ump Kettleborough. No review left after Kohli burned them both on magic beans yesterday, so they’re relying on the officials to get it right. Anyway, justice by the end of the set. The lead is 359 as the players take a drink half way through this opening session.
66th over: Australia 204-6 (Smith 85, Starc 0)
65th over: Australia 202-5 (Smith 84, Wade 19). The 200 is up with Smith pushing with ease down to long-on to start the over. Jayant oversteps next ball. That’s a crime for a spinner, one he paid for in the first dig too. Wade took a quick single too. Wheels falling off for the locals a bit when their main spinners not operating? No real issues for Smith for the rest of the over.
64th over: Australia 199-5 (Smith 83, Wade 18). They’re up for caught behind, but Wade didn’t hit it and Dicky Kettleborough isn’t going to buy into the ruse. Not out, fellas. Not out. Umesh not finding a groove here yet, evidenced by Wade responding to the shout by driving the next ball to the rope. Overpitched, in the slot, had to go.
India made one huge mistake when they dropped Smith three times. #INDvAUS
63rd over: Australia 194-5 (Smith 82, Wade 14). Smith far more comfortable using his dancing shoes against Jayant. A single comes through midwicket using that tactic. Wade looks equally as content when he gets his go.
Support grows for Aust as lead tops 347 - India's highest 4th inns total v Aust at home. Made in famous '86 Tied Test at Chennai #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/EOQWdzDqNH
62nd over: Australia 193-5 (Smith 81, Wade 14). Confident push from Smith out to point. So it’s Wade up against Umesh, who was so effective with the older ball in the first dig. Not so much this time, Wade picking up two into the onside when his radar is slightly off. He bangs the next in short, but the result is the same, two more. Rahul throws in from the deep but seems to be in some discomfort with his shoulder again. One to watch. The lead is now 348. Australia in a wonderful position.
61st over: Australia 188-5 (Smith 80, Wade 10). Jayant beats Wade outside the off-stump early in the over. Perfect flight. More of that required from him. But that isn’t the case later in the over, dropping short the Australian ‘keeper rocks back and makes no mistake, cutting hard behind point to the rope. That’s the main difference between Jayant and his more experienced teammates, struggling to put a full set together.
60th over: Australia 184-5 (Smith 80, Wade 6). Double change! It’s Umesh on for a trundle. He’s running away from us at the broadcast end. Smith defends at first, before pushing to cover. Easy peasy for the Aussie captain here after the relentlessly testing times he’s had against Jadeja from this end. Wade also grabs one, to square leg. Oh, that last one to Smith has shot through a bit. Smith missed it outside the off-stump. Lucky it wasn’t online. The tourists won’t mind that though.
Once has score of 280+ been made in 4th inns to win Test in India: 4-387 by IND v ENG in Chennai in 2008. AUS 5 down, 339 in front #IndvAus
59th over: Australia 182-5 (Smith 79, Wade 5). A change! Jayant to replace Ashwin from the grandstand end. He’s battled a bit so far this Test, copping plenty of grief from the local media. And no dramas for Wade here in response to his opening set of the day, defending each delivery with confidence.
58th over: Australia 182-5 (Smith 79, Wade 5). Wish I had a chance to put in a couple of snappy tweets here, but these two are determined to sprint through the overs. Chuck on Big Bad Ishant Sharma so I can get a bit of a break will you, Virat? Anyway, Ravi Jadeja it is. Smith carves him behind point second ball. That’s important; the more he is down the non-strikers’ end when he is bowling the better. Wade sweeps him. That’s bold. A couple taken, albeit requiring another dive. A pattern of this innings, dirtying up the cream shirts. Wade attempts to sweep again, less successfully, later in the over. His approach is clear, then. And again, a single this time, so he keeps the strike. Four from it. It’ll do.
57th over: Australia 178-5 (Smith 78, Wade 2). Ashwin lets Wade get off strike first up. Not what he would have wanted. Smith looks alright in defence, eventually tucking another single behind square. It’ll be the captain versus Jadeja again next over. What a contest that has been.
56th over: Australia 176-5 (Smith 77, Wade 1). Jadeja to his old mate Smith. There’s a big shout for lbw that Kettleborough turns down. But it looked pad first, rather than bat. Smith may have been lucky there. Again. He capitalises on it by ending the over by dancing down the track and smacking the left-armer over midwicket. What a bizarre century this would be if Smith can get there.
55th over: Australia 172-5 (Smith 73, Wade 1). Ashwin throws it up to Smith, who is up to the task on the front foot. Turns one around the corner to give Wade a go. He’s tentative, but it will take a while to play himself in here. This isn’t easy batting.
54th over: Australia 171-5 (Smith 72, Wade 1). Worth noting that before Marsh went he was beaten outside the edge with another big turner. It also beat Saha after clipping Marsh’s back pad. It was inevitable Jadeja would get himself in the book eventually. He’s been masterful. Meanwhile, Wade is off the mark with a swept single, Smith also clipping in that direction to retain the strike.
Tobe fiar to Mitch Marsh, that was a very good knock in context.
Oh no! Looked so good, worked so well. But Jadeja is a cagey operator, dropping his length back just a fraction, Marsh unable to reach the length with his front-foot stride this time. A feather off the outside edge is neatly taken by Saha behind the stumps. The stand of 56 comes to an end. Not the total Marsh wanted, but a serviceable contribution in the context of the game. But with a lead of 324, more runs are going to be needed by the lower order for the visitors to feel safe before taking the ball again later today.
53rd over: Australia 165-4 (Smith 71, Marsh 31). Singles down the ground for each to begin this Ashwin over. But then Smith is dropped! Again! A fourth time! Inside edge after a big turner, got the shoulder, but Rahane wasn’t able to complete the chance at leg-slip. Didn’t get a hand on it. To be fair, a tough chance, but they always are in that position. To the boundary it goes as well, making matters worse for the locals, the Australian lead building at a decent clip here all of a sudden.
52nd over: Australia 159-4 (Smith 66, Marsh 30). Smith defies his nemesis, a single down the ground to begin the over. Marsh’s approach is far more convincing, time and again getting his huge foot forward a long way. Every time. As a strategy, I’ve seen worse. Predictable, but effective. And so far, impenetrable.
51st over: Australia 158-4 (Smith 65, Marsh 30). Marsh does it again! Just as he did in the previous over, the moment Ashwin is a fraction short he doesn’t hesitate in freeing the arms and thrashing through cover. That wasn’t that short either. Dominant stroke. Carn, Mitch. Per the previous match-up between these two, after the boundary he’s capably forward time and again to negate the Ashwin spin.
This could be a very big day in the career of Mitch Marsh - doing well here despite the naysayers #INDvAUS
50th over: Australia 153-4 (Smith 64, Marsh 26). Jadeja races through this over in 75 seconds. Not even 90. Smith had to dig out a ball that was darted in, getting it out behind point for one. He won Marsh’s edge later, a genuine edge too, but it doesn’t carry to slip! Soft hands by the looks of the replay. Good batting. Then sound defence.
49th over: Australia 152-4 (Smith 63, Marsh 26). Onya, Mitch! Rocking back into the crease he wallops Ashwin to the cover boundary. Not a great ball, but encouraging that he has the confidence to put the bad ones away when they come. It brings up Australia’s 150 which is not for nothing considering what they have been up against. Marsh is content in defence thereafter. Good batting. Without wanting to stitch him up with the OBO commentator curse (as I have so often to the poor bloke), I have a feeling about him today.
48th over: Australia 147-4 (Smith 62, Marsh 22). Blimey, Ravindra Jadeja is on here for the unluckiest none-fa you’ll ever see. Huge spin from the get go, beating Marsh’s bat. Miles past the bat; ends up at first slip. Finger spinners aren’t meant to do that, are they? He beats him again! It prompts a chat between the captain and his all-rounder. A slider hits the pad. Such good bowling. Marsh realises the best form of defence is the huge lunge, which he deploys for the remainder of the over.
47th over: Australia 147-4 (Smith 62, Marsh 22). It was eventful for Smith yesterday, and is again today. He opts for two after taking Ashwin down to third man. Nicely worked off the face of the bat to the one that goes the other way. To make his ground, it required a dive. A direct hit would have had him the replay shows. Well, that’s the 300 lead in any case. A sweep gets Marsh on strike for the last ball of the set, who steers for a single himself to retain the strike for the second over of the day.
We’re underway at Pune! It’ll be Ashwin to Smith to kick it off. Play.
In a call back to yesterday. Another enjoyable use of the Fosters jug by my hotel at breakfast this morning. Important to document these things. Players due out in a few minutes, by the way.
This morning's addition to the series: (damn cold) carrot juice. #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/3nwvCPpj5x
What a wonderful morning it is after Australia go and do something like that? I’ve read all the stories and seen all the headlines, but can’t quite believe it. My favourite, the Indian Express going with ‘STEVE’S WONDER CONCERT IN PUNE.’ Good areas. Really good areas.
So here’s the deal. Australia are 298 ahead. Captain Smith has given plenty of chances, but kept ticking the board over. Jadeja was all over him, but didn’t nab him. He resumes on 59. It wouldn’t be his most fluent ton, but if he can pull it off it’ll be one of his gutsiest. But I’ll try not to write that story quite yet.
Day three. Half hour from the resumption. Australians warming up with a (quite skilful) game of tennis ball volleyball. #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/WOFJz2bPSk
Adam will be here shortly. In the meantime, relive Steve O’Keefe’s remarkable performance on day two, when the spinner took six for 35.
Related: Australia take charge of first Test after Steve O'Keefe skittles India
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