Here’s your match report:
India 120-1 at the close of day two - 331 runs behind Australia
After Australia prospered this morning, India fought back in the afternoon and evening to leave the third Test beautifully poised.
451 is an imposing total but Australia’s attack looks a tad popgun without Mitchell Starc on a placid surface that’s offering very little to either Nathan Lyon or Steve O’Keefe. KL Rahul batted well for his 67 until he was undone by Pat Cummins’ persistence. Murali Vijay and Che Pujara will resume at the crease tomorrow.
Steve Smith’s unbeaten 178 should not be forgotten, nor should Glenn Maxwell’s maiden Test century, achieved early in the day. Ravindra Jadeja can be thanked for preventing Australia’s 395/5 from becoming a bat-once score and keeping the home side’s chances of victory alive.
Tomorrow promises to be engrossing, and you can follow it all here with Russell Jackson, Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins.
Updated
40th over: India 120-1 (Vijay 42, Pujara 10)
Final over of the day to be bowled by O’Keefe. A few teasers are thrown up, but Vijay, sans helmet, or cap, knocks them away.
Fin.
39th over: India 120-1 (Vijay 42, Pujara 10)
Vijay’s waited until the opening delivery of the penultimate over of the day to reveal one of the shots of the innings, driving Lyon off the front foot for a glorious four through mid-off.
The next delivery is far less comprehensive - and we have a REVIEW! Lyon spins one past Vijay’s inside edge, Australia think there’s a glove or an under-edge as it loops to short leg, but DRS reveals daylight between bat and ball. Ian Gould’s decision is upheld.
Travis Rutherford wonders if we’ve found a Hamlet yet? Danish Kaneria, surely.
38th over: India 115-1 (Vijay 37, Pujara 10)
As the shadows stretch the width of the romantically named JSA International Stadium Complex, Josh Hazlewood puts his shoulder to the wheel once more. Two slips and a short leg wait for Pujara but the batsmen ignores them all, drilling an on-driven full toss for four.
Two overs to go.
37th over: India 111-1 (Vijay 37, Pujara 6)
Vijay brings up his Cowan ton of 100 balls faced with a single as Lyon continues his angle from around the wicket to the right-handers. The bowler’s line and length are spot on, but there’s just not much happening off the surface to make the batsmen jump like they did in Bengaluru.
Stumps not far away on day two with the Aussies searching for the second wicket... #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/wGD0rrG30w
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 17, 2017
36th over: India 109-1 (Vijay 36, Pujara 5)
Hazlewood replaces Cummins as Smith maintains pace at one end but this pair now seem happy to see off the day. An up and down maiden leaves little to describe.
As an aside, you know what would be handy for a captain in these conditions - the stump-to-stump effort balls of Mitch Marsh. Glenn Maxwell, yet to be thrown the ball.
Travis Rutherford is back again, offering: “Steve and Mark Waugh as antipholus and Dromio.” I would love to hear Geoff Lemon commentating that Comedy of Errors over on White Line Wireless.
35th over: India 109-1 (Vijay 36, Pujara 5)
Better from Lyon, troubling Vijay from around the wicket. First almost jagging an LBW review, ended by Gunner Gould telling the bowler the batsman hit the ball, and the second an uppish push that could have gone to short leg.
Gwyn Jones joins the party. “Both Ponting and Kohli were slightly wayward as younger men, before taking on the captaincy and becoming formidable leaders. Maybe it was their plan all along. Would love to see them both recite Hal’s lines from from Henry IV part one:
Yet herein will I imitate the sun,
Who doth permit the base contagious clouds
To smother up his beauty from the world,
That, when he please again to be himself,
Being wanted, he may be more wonder’d at,
By breaking through the foul and ugly mists
Of vapours that did seem to strangle him.
I’ve always wanted to hear those lines in an Australian accent.”
34th over: India 107-1 (Vijay 35, Pujara 4)
Cummins extends his spell to six overs. Sports scientists throughout Australia hold their breath. He can’t repeat his trick of his previous over though, but nor does he breakdown. Presumably that’s his lot for today though, and an excellent shift it’s been. 10/22/1
Just six overs remaining in the day.
Travis Rutherford has some more cricketers as stage characters. “Graeme Smith as Henry V: ‘Once more ...’, Keith Miller as Don Lockwood.”
33rd over: India 105-1 (Vijay 35, Pujara 2)
Lyon brought back for another dart but he begins expensively. Vijay sweeps three fours in the over, the third a precise lap, the second a beautiful flat drive beyond square leg, but the first was a streaky top-edge that could have gone anywhere.
It's been a long, long time between Test wickets for Pat Cummins and didn't he enjoy this one! #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/yicpXB0OtE
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 17, 2017
32nd over: India 93-1 (Vijay 23, Pujara 2)
Cummins backs up his wicket ball with a testing opener to Pujara, full and straight. On the money for the rest of the over too. Hard not to smile at the celebration of a man so cruelled by injury for so long. Well done young man. Spell of five overs one for six. Just what his country required with little happening for the spinners.
He's back!
— Damien Fleming (@bowlologist) March 17, 2017
Cummins breaks Thru with a Bouncer
Mixing up length and pace here 👌
India 1/91#IndvAus
@JPHowcroft Botham's Shakespearean alter ego wd be either Sir Toby Belch or maybe Stephano. I'm sure the latter's subservience rules it out
— Alvaro (@bearded_tit) March 17, 2017
Updated
WICKET! Rahul c Wade b Cummins 67 (India 91-1)
Breakthrough for Australia! Cummins’ hard work has paid off. A slower shorter delivery climbs on Rahul and he can’t drop his gloves in time as it chases him inside the line, feathering a simple catch behind. Terrific reward to the young fast bowler for a wholehearted spell.
31st over: India 91-0 (Rahul 67, Vijay 23)
Rapid straightforward maiden from O’Keefe.
Geoff Wignall joins in: “David Gower as Juliet. And obviously Derek Randall as Puck”. Obviously.
Although, how about Shane Warne as Juliet, on the Trent Bridge balcony.
30th over: India 91-0 (Rahul 67, Vijay 23)
Bravo Pat Cummins. On a lifeless surface he’s bending his back and searching for every available advantage, banging the ball in and forcing the batsmen to rear uncertainly, throwing in some cross-seamers, slower balls, and finally a yorker that provokes a strangled cry for LBW.
29th over: India 89-0 (Rahul 66, Vijay 23)
“Niiiiice Socky!” has replaced “Niiiice Garry!” as Matthew Wade’s cry of choice. Although it does make me think he’s cheering on a sock-puppet, not an international cricketer.
Socky is treated with disdain by Rahul. His five runs removing the disguise to reveal an empty hand.
@JPHowcroft David Boon as Bill Sykes in Oliver. Slightly more intimidating than Oliver Reed
— phil withall (@phil_withall) March 17, 2017
28th over: India 84-0 (Rahul 61, Vijay 23)
Cummins bowling a white-ball over, mixing his line, length and pace to keep the batsmen honest. It’s a smart tactic, denying the set batsmen any surety in their strokes. There’s little threat though, especially short of a length, although the final delivery, a slower one, does catch Vijay on his glove after spitting off the pitch.
Martin Gillam emails confidently: “Surely Kevin Pietersen would play Iago.” If so, does that make Andrew Strauss Othello?
After Strauss’s untimely quip during his brief commentary career I had him down more in a remake of Derek and Clive, employing Peter Cook’s ribald vocabulary.
27th over: India 83-0 (Rahul 60, Vijay 23)
O’Keefe’s turn again, but turn is not apparent for the left-armer as straight bats push away an over containing little threat and two singles.
Anup hopes Guerilla Cricket’s earlier comment about Smith being too defensive does not prove a commentator’s curse. “In the last match, if I remember, someone criticised Smith for taking the new ball. That comment was followed by five wickets in three overs. I hope this criticism does not go on the same path.”
Really pleased to announce a great new signing for @guardian_sport: @marthakelner is to join us as chief sports reporter.
— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) March 17, 2017
26th over: India 81-0 (Rahul 59, Vijay 22)
Cummins begins the final hour of play in just his second first-class game since 2011. Not much doing out there though with dry lines outside off stump making for soporific cricket.
Could Robin Smith - he of the bloodthirsty cut - play Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street?
Gwynfor Jones wades into the Test thesps chat while players take drinks.
Farokh Engineer- Falstaff, Ashton Agar- Romeo, Kevin Pieterson- Mercutio, Rob Key- Bottom, Geoffrey Boycott- Titus Andronicus.
Farokh Engineer tickled my fancy. Guest speaker at my first ever sportsman’s night. Ideal Falstaff.
25th over: India 80-0 (Rahul 59, Vijay 21)
India have retreated for a few overs with the pacemen in tandem, sensing Cummins and Hazlewood are the dangermen for Australia. Or maybe not. Rahul enjoys a briskly run two from a push to wide third-man to break the shackles and he then steps neatly inside an in-swinger angled down the leg-side to glance four more. This partnership becoming very problematic for Smith.
Back to cricketers treading the boards...
@JPHowcroft Nathan Lyon looks a bit like Yorick.
— Guerilla Cricket (@guerillacricket) March 17, 2017
24th over: India 74-0 (Rahul 53, Vijay 21)
Cummins returns for his second spell of the match with four deliveries on the money before his fifth, a slower ball, comes out a drifty full toss that earns Rahul a single. Not the same swing on offer as with Hazlewood.
Love to see Pat Cummins bowl a @Liam628 spell and bowl around the wicket armpit length!#IndvAus #aggressive
— Jason Gillespie (@dizzy259) March 17, 2017
@JPHowcroft After an all-time great innings, Smith is captaining like a schoolboy. Too defensive, missing opportunities, failing his bowlers
— Guerilla Cricket (@guerillacricket) March 17, 2017
Smith does seem happy to let things happen this evening, unprepared to buy a wicket at this stage which could put a lot of pressure on a tiring attack tomorrow.
23rd over: India 73-0 (Rahul 52, Vijay 21)
Hazlewood continuing with the early-over inswingers and Vijay decides to honour them this time, playing away a maiden.
Aryaman Jal joins in by email from India. “Afternoon felicitations from Bombay, JP. I have a feeling this game will appear to drag on to a dull draw only for some nerve-jangling, DRS-fuelled drama to play out in fading light deep into the third session on the last day that might or might not involve a murder of crows and Wade’s helmet. On another note, inspired by Adam Collins, Hayden’s stream of consciousness-style of commentary suggests that he’d make a fine Lucky in Waiting for Godot. Would definitely watch that one.”
Which other cricketers could inhabit the great characters of the stage?
22nd over: India 73-0 (Rahul 52, Vijay 21)
Lyon from around the wicket and Vijay peels off a paddle sweep over his left shoulder with all the insouciance of a falconer inviting a Golden Eagle to perch on his forearm. Rahul ups the ante with a sweep so whippy his wrists were at risk of overtaking his hands. That boundary brings up another excellent 50 for KL Rahul, his fourth in five digs this series.
21st over: India 68-0 (Rahul 48, Vijay 20)
Hazlewood getting some dangerous reverse swing both ways. Three full in-duckers have both right-handers jamming down on their toes at the crease and then an away swinger finds Vijay’s edge but it dies as it skcuttles through the cordon for a fortunate four.
Pace looks far more threatening than spin for now, but with only two at Smith’s disposal - and one the returning Cummins - he can’t bowl them into the ground.
20th over: India 61-0 (Rahul 42, Vijay 19)
Lyon to persist with his new line of attack around the wicket but with only two close catchers and some nimble shot-placement and running, both Rahul and Vijay continue to prosper. The latter picks up four with a thick edge beyond the solitary slip but the shot was on.
19th over: India 55-0 (Rahul 41, Vijay 14)
Important moment half an hour into this session with Hazlewood recalled to the attack. Straight away he’s on the money, probing Vijay’s pads with a hint of reverse in-swing. David Warner is working hard on the ball to make sure any possible movement is maximised, but it’s Vijay making the ball move in the middle of the over, dispatching an overpitched delivery to the cover boundary.
This is India’s first 50-plus opening partnership of the series and Australia’s lack of threat with the ball is ominous. This could well be the innings visiting fans dreaded coming into the tour.
18th over: India 51-0 (Rahul 41, Vijay 10)
Lyon switching around the wicket to the right-handers now and with that change comes some extra bounce and turn. Finally a little bit of encouragement for Lyon. Nothing much comes of it this over, but something to build from.
17th over: India 49-0 (Rahul 40, Vijay 9)
Reinforcing my earlier point, the host broadcaster reminding viewers that when England were here recently they scored 400 in their first innings twice and contrived to lose. Another routine over of innocuous O’Keefe deliveries and calmly placed singles.
16th over: India 46-0 (Rahul 38, Vijay 8)
Vijay much more circumspect that his partner, keeping Lyon at arm’s length for most of the over, but even he unfurls a rapidly swishing sweep to advance his score. India picking off Australia’s length here, knowing they’re unlikely to be beaten by turn or bounce. Back to the seamer’s soon you’d expect.
15th over: India 44-0 (Rahul 37, Vijay 7)
As O’Keefe continues his toil the old adage about judging a surface only after both sides have used it comes to mind. 451 is clearly a decent total for Australia but this pitch contains few demons. As if to prove it Rahul scores on both sides of the wicket off front foot and back.
14th over: India 36-0 (Rahul 30, Vijay 6)
Another over with little to report for either side. Rahul’s premeditated sweep further illustrates his security at the crease, but also the limiting effects of his shoulder injury.
13th over: India 35-0 (Rahul 29, Vijay 6)
Tidy maiden over from O’Keefe, probing a fullish length outside the right-hander’s off stump. Not much has misbehaved so far though making life sedate for India’s openers.
12th over: India 35-0 (Rahul 29, Vijay 6)
India happy to sweep Lyon away for the time being, milking singles at will while Australia wait for the ball to deteriorate sufficiently to become helpful to Hazlewood and Cummins.
11th over: India 32-0 (Rahul 28, Vijay 4)
First false stroke since Tea with O’Keefe prompting Rahul to edge just wide of the solitary slip. This fast outfield sees the insult of four runs added to the bowler’s injury. Otherwise it’s slow turn and not much bounce for O’Keefe, meaning the batsmen can play comfortably from the crease.
10th over: India 26-0 (Rahul 23, Vijay 3)
Spin from both ends as Nathan Lyon has a dart. Not a lot on offer from either Australian slow bowler so far. India’s openers work a couple of singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
9th over: India 24-0 (Rahul 22, Vijay 2)
Back underway in Ranchi with Steve O’Keefe charged with the first over after Tea. He’s coming around the wicket to the right-handed Rahul and after nudging a few deliveries back down the pitch the batsman rocks back in his crease and controls a square drive for four. Excellent resumption from India.
During the tea interval the Australian TV feed is recalling the tied Test of 1986 with Allan Border.
Not many people know that Dean Jones vomited during his innings of 210.
Thank you very much Mr Lemon.
A fascinating final session in prospect with Australia pushing for an early breakthrough and India desperate for the top-order partnership they need to creep their way back into the Test match.
Steve Smith’s unbeaten 178 has almost single-handedly erased the chance of an Indian victory. I say almost, because we know how quickly things can change on days four and five but the home side will need to bat four sessions by then to give themselves a sniff.
Despite not even being on the field during day two, Virat Kohli remains the centre of attention. He can bat anywhere he chooses in India’s order as his injury is considered external. After watching his opposite number dominate for two days he will be in full chest pumping fightback mode when he strides to the crease.
Until then, this feels appropriate.
Tea: India 20-0 in reply to Australia 451
That’s the break, India starting solidly enough in reply to Australia’s impressive total. In honesty, this pitch looks like it still has plenty of runs in it. Geoff Lemon out, and I don’t know if tones can be dulcet in the written form, but if they can then JP Howcroft will be the man to deliver them. I’ll leave you in his voicebox.
8th over: India 20-0 (Rahul 18, Vijay 2)
Cummins arriving at the end of his usual T20 spell. Not bad for a fourth T20 over, it only costs him 9 runs. The first a cover drive, the second a classic T20 edge through third man, and Rahul the batsman profiting from both. Then a single through cover, a final leave from Vijay, and that is tea.
7th over: India 11-0 (Rahul 9, Vijay 2)
Do you know what I love? Fast overs of left-arm spin. Steve O’O’O’Keefe is going to bowl one, at least, before tea. Around the wicket, wheeling in, those grenade lobs that he employs to begin a spell. A couple of singles driven, that’s all.
6th over: India 9-0 (Rahul 8, Vijay 1)
Finally a shot with some fluency. In the air, but Rahul uses Cummins’ pace as he flicks off his pads. Between Marsh at short leg and Lyon at midwicket, and four. More quick stuff from Cummins follows, up past the 90 mile mark at points. Can’t deny it’s exciting. The question is can it last?
5th over: India 5-0 (Rahul 4, Vijay 1)
The struggle is real. Another Hazlewood over for just a run, this coming again from the short ball, pulled by Rahul. Tight stuff.
4th over: India 4-0 (Rahul 3, Vijay 1)
Cummins is giving this his all. Might as well, with the new ball and not much time to use it. Puts some real venom into the bouncers, and even his shortest ball is up at 87 miles per hour. The only runs come from Rahul’s gloves, as he flinches away from a short ball and could have been caught anywhere.
3rd over: India 3-0 (Rahul 2, Vijay 1)
Hazlewood doing that thing that he does. Beating the bat on the inside edge, hitting Vijay too high to be leg-before. Then beating him on the outside edge, through into Wade’s gloves. Eventually Vijay escapes the examination by pulling a short ball. Rahul adds a run of his own on the other side of the wicket.
2nd over: India 1-0 (Rahul 1, Vijay 0)
Yes indeed. Pat Cummins last bowled in Barack Obama’s first term in office. Or Nick Fredriksson’s more charming comparison below. His first over back (Pat’s, not Nick’s) is a good one. Mid 140 km/h range, useful line, a couple of shorter ones. It’s a maiden, as Rahul plays with caution.
@WhiteLineWire Pat Cummins' previous Test match was closer to the redefining of Pluto as a dwarf planet than to today.
— Nick Fredriksson (@NickTheStatsGuy) March 17, 2017
1st over: India 1-0 (Rahul 1, Vijay 0)
Hazlewood to start with the new ball. Nearly a run out first ball, as KL Rahul goes on a mad dash after driving to mid-on. O’Keefe misses. Vijay leaves, defends.
I am loving this Latin fight. The best since the Carthaginian war. Brian English has conceded that he stands “partially corrected” by Pat Howe, while insisting that “My first name is more Irish than his. There was a King, Brian Boru with the name who gave the invaders some bother. And the surname English was given to English settlers of Ireland, because they were English, so it’s Irish too in a weird sort of way. The real sham is he didn’t even notice the egregious error! Patricius is an adjective, not an adverb.”
Australia bowled out for 451 in the first innings
137.3 overs: Australia 451-10 (Smith 178)
Steven Smith, not out at the end, what an innings from the captain. He’s equalled his longest ever knock, at 361 balls faced, and his fourth-highest in terms of runs. Third-highest score in Asia by an Australian captain, as well, after Greg Chappell’s 235 and Mark Taylor’s 334. He’s remained calm, batted deep, and made India work for a day and a half in the field. That’s an imposing first-innings score to try to get past, and it’s going to be a question of whether India’s batsmen can reciprocate in terms of patience and pressure. No one is going to smash their way to supremacy on this surface, but it will reward those with a longer view.
Updated
WICKET! Hazlewood run out 0
He is the specialist at being run out at the non-striker’s end for nought, and Hazlewood does it again. It was Smith’s call, he flicked a single away behind square from Jadeja’s third ball, wanted to get back for the second, but the throw was good enough. Jadeja gathers it in front of the stumps and underhand flicks it back into the timber just ahead of Hazlewood’s bat reaching its ground.
137th over: Australia 450-9 (Smith 177, Hazlewood 0)
One wicket to fall. Hazlewood in, and Smith is clearly not too confident. He tries to murder the first ball from Yadav through cover, misses. Then drives the next into the deep but doesn’t take the single. The field well back. Same goes for the third ball. Takes the single from the fourth, after driving it into his pad from the inside edge. There is no one within cooee, and the bowler cleans up his own work. Comes round the wicket to the left-handed Hazlewood, but he survives the last two full-pitched balls.
WICKET! Lyon c Karun b Jadeja 1
136th over: Australia 449-9 (Smith 176)
Jaddu gets five-for. So dangerous in these conditions, so good against Australia. Lyon scores his sole run from the outside edge, but a couple of balls later the next edge goes to the man in close on the off side to end the over.
Updated
135th over: Australia 446-8 (Smith 174, Lyon 0)
Yadav celebrates the wicket by falling over as he tries to bowl his second ball at Lyon. Does an accidental leprechaun heel-click and goes rump over breast. Comes up smiling at the end of a dramatic forward roll. Lyon survives the next couple of balls.
Things are heating up on all things British Isles. This is Pat Howe: “To offer a rebuttal to Brian’s point on the origins of the name Patrick, it actually derives from the Latin word Patrician, in reference to the Roman families who could allegedly trace their bloodlines to the founders of Rome. Obviously as a Patrick myself this issue lies close to my heart. Just another example of English incorrectness on Irish problems.”
WICKET! O'Keefe c Vijay b Yadav 25
Geological eruption! Yadav bangs in the short ball, there’s good pace on it. He’s conjured that from somewhere deep in his molten core. O’Keefe can’t resist the hook shot, and it carries down to long leg for a routine take. That’s O’Keefe’s Test highs core, and he’s lasted 70 balls. Useful stuff.
134th over: Australia 445-7 (Smith 173, O’Keefe 25)
Ashwin wheels on. This is screaming in the face of eternity. He is tiring, bowling some wide stuff, and the batsmen work three runs. This slow accumulation. Does a rock feel pain as centuries of water erode it?
133rd over: Australia 442-7 (Smith 171, O’Keefe 24)
Yadav carries on. Too wide, Smith is able to drive a single. Yadav is getting some reverse though now. Gee, he’s good. O’Keefe is watchful, waits out the rest of the over.
“It’s the Bhaji Stone,” insists Aidy Griffin. I’m leaning towards Balaji Stone, to give honour to Venkateswara, one of the incarnations of Vishnu.
132nd over: Australia 441-7 (Smith 170, O’Keefe 24)
Ashwin still operating over the wicket, spinning the ball as much as he can in towards the right-hander’s pads and gloves. Smith waits back on a couple,t he comes forward to drive a single. He’s worked these spin bowlers supremely through this innings. It has been an absolute study in concentration. He’s just equalled his second-longest innings at 346 balls.
131st over: Australia 440-7 (Smith 169, O’Keefe 24)
Another misfield. India beginning to tire. It’s been a long slog. Karun Nair lets the ball through at cover for a single. O’Keefe has a couple of short midwickets, and slams the ball off his pads straight at one of them. Yadav sticking to the classic stump-to-stump theory. Then O’Keefe gets a short one to close the over, it sits up nicely and he clouts it away on the pull shot for four.
“Dare I say that O’Keefe has had the luck of the Irish?” asks Peter Leybourne. “Is there an Indian equivalent of the Blarney Stone he may have kissed?”
The Harbhajaney Stone?
130th over: Australia 435-7 (Smith 168, O’Keefe 20)
Another Jadeja maiden, he’s going at 2.5 an over, which is expensive for him and cheap for everyone else.
129th over: Australia 435-7 (Smith 168, O’Keefe 20)
Pace. Sigh of relief for the fingers of the world’s live bloggers. Umesh Yadav is back. Smith drives a run into the covers. O’Keefe plays the classic tailender’s ‘glide’ to third man. Smith gets one that barely gets off the pitch, that’s interesting, this pitch has the possibility to become very difficult alter with some variable bounce. He gets a run after squirting the rushed defensive shot away. O’Keefe gets one too far to leg side and is able to dink it away. Four singles from the over.
128th over: Australia 431-7 (Smith 166, O’Keefe 18)
Nailed it! O’Keefe gets some width from Jadeja and pounds the cut shot for four.
Also nailed it, the aptly named Brian English on email. “Patrick is from the Latin adverb Patricus (derived from Pater which means father as you’d no doubt know). So Patrick means fatherly. The Captain is the leader, or poetically, father of the team. So, it’s Steve Smith who is the most appropriate to comment on I feel on this day. Now, where’s my free Guinness?”
I’m pouring it into a Postpak.
127th over: Australia 426-7 (Smith 165, O’Keefe 14)
So nearly gone! The Smith single to start the over was regulation, but then Ashwin turns one into O’Keefe. The batsman stabs at it, it takes the inside edge, into the thigh pad, over the middle bail, and eludes the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Four runs.
126th over: Australia 421-7 (Smith 164, O’Keefe 10)
Jadeja stays left-arm over the wicket. It takes Smith four balls to get off strike this time. A big shout against SOK next ball, but it’s hitting bat first as it strikes him in line.
125th over: Australia 420-7 (Smith 163, O’Keefe 10)
Ashwin bowling, and Smith ticks a single through square, before O’Keefe advances and slots one straight down the ground for a much more convincing boundary then his last. I bet he congratulated himself in the third-person tense after that.
124th over: Australia 415-7 (Smith 162, O’Keefe 6)
Shot! Steve Smith on-drives Jadeja from a leg-stump line. Four runs to start the over. Tickles a single. O’Keefe is getting a lot of balls pitching outside leg stump, and kicks them away.
123rd over: Australia 410-7 (Smith 157, O’Keefe 6)
Missed! O’Keefe slashes at Ashwin outside off, thick edge, and it goes just over the cap of a crouching Rahane at slip. The stand-in captain had no chance to even see that before it was past him, I’d suggest. But I’d bet Kohli is still spitting chips.
Ben Foster is on the email. “I’ve been listening to some commentators of the match, and they’ve suggested that 400 may be enough to win by an innings? I don’t know about that, India have to bat and the outfield looks to be very quick. With Kohli potentially out of their attack, do you think Aus is in enough of a commanding position to win?”
By an innings seems ludicrous. This pitch is indeed playing well, and India’s batsmen are well suited to make good use of it. Kohli will bat in his normal position, we’re told, so he’ll be hampered, but beware the wounded genius.
Updated
122nd over: Australia 406-7 (Smith 157, O’Keefe 2)
Variations on a theme. Now the Smith single comes through a misfield in close on the leg side. Then O’Keefe gets a run! Irish parties around the world light up. More so because it came off an edge, through a vacant gully, where a catcher had been stationed just a ball or two earlier.
121st over: Australia 404-7 (Smith 156, O’Keefe 1)
And again, except this time the single is from the third ball. Smith’s live average is now 61.20. What even.
120th over: Australia 403-7 (Smith 155, O’Keefe 1)
Identical over bar the arm of the bowler. Jadeja delivering it. Smith drives the second ball down the gorund for one, O’Keefe is the blotter for the rest.
119th over: Australia 402-7 (Smith 154, O’Keefe 1)
Single to Smith to long on. Steven O’Keefe, the most appropriate Australian player to be commenting about on St Patrick’s Day, will really kick things off after lunch with the bat, and Ashwin with the ball. We know O’Keefe can play long, he was part of the incredible 8-161 partnership with Peter Nevill in Pallekele last year. Blocks out four balls with studious intent.
As ever, you can drop me a line - and please do take up that option, even if I’m lost in a whir of Jadeja overs and furious keystrokes. The email is over in the sidebar, and the Twitter whatsit is @GeoffLemonSport.
Hello friends and sports fans, thanks Russell for the last session. What a treat we have ahead of us. This is the series that just keeps giving. Steven Smith is a cyborg, that’s the only explanation for it. Glenn Maxwell is pure excitement, even in defence.
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Meanwhile, in New Zealand...
What is this? pic.twitter.com/MfDQ4vCCtM
— Blokes on the couch! (@Blokesonacouch) March 17, 2017
One final observation before Geoff Lemon steps in to the OBO chair...
India have been conservative with Virat Kohli’s injury and given the below details, that’s smart.
India have confirmed with the match officials that Kohli's injury is external so he doesn't have field before batting anywhere. #INDvAUS
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) March 17, 2017
Lunch on day two in Ranchi - Australia 401-7 and fairly content
118th over: Australia 401-7 (Smith 153, O’Keefe 1)
And that is that for the opening session of day two, which featured Glenn Maxwell’s maiden Test century, the inevitable continuation of Steve Smith’s 19th, and a stellar bowling rearguard by Ravindra Jadeja. He’s got four wickets to this point. Sloppy outfielding helped bring up Australia’s 400 in this over, which was fitting enough. Honours slightly in Australia’s favour, in the end? I think so. They managed 102-3 in that session. That’s a win.
The first session in one photograph:
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117th over: Australia 398-7 (Smith 150, O’Keefe 1)
Ten minutes ago Steve O’Keefe probably wasn’t expecting to be out in the middle before lunch, but that he is thanks to Ravindra Jadeja. O’Keefe pushes forward to Ravichandran Ashwin and gets a safe outside edge down to third man to get off the mark. Steve Smith then gets a single too – it keeps him on strike and helps him to his 150-run milestone. Bit of a fizzer, the celebration, but what a knock it has been. It’s taken 315 deliveries and required significant powers of concentration. His genius is almost monotonous at this point.
WICKET! Pat Cummins b Jadeja 0 (Australia 395-7)
Jadeja gets Cummins for a duck! That’s an absolute jaffa from the spinner. He came around the wicket to right-handed Cummins, angled one towards leg and the Australian groped at but couldn’t make contact with the ball and loses the top of his off stump. A classic spinner’s wicket, that. Jadeja is now on the brink of another five-wicket bag and India are right back in the frame.
WICKET! Wade c Saha b Jadeja 37 (Australia 395-6)
Wade departs! And rather tellingly, he does so with a forward defensive stroke. All-out attack netted him 37 from 50 deliveries – very valuable runs for Australia – but in respecting the bowling a little more he’s been nipped out by India’s best bowler so far. It was a smart take by Saha after a thin outside edge.
115th over: Australia 393-5 (Smith 147, Wade 36)
Ashwin is perhaps pushing it through a little too quick here I reckon, though he does have a couple of hundred more Test wickets than me. Michael Clarke is laying into India, saying they’re trying to save runs instead of search for wickets. He’s not too far wrong.
114th over: Australia 392-5 (Smith 147, Wade 35)
Jadeja is over the wicket to Wade and bowling from as wide on the bowling crease as the lines allow. It matters not; Wade engages in that unorthodox trot down the pitch before swiping another sweep through mid-wicket for four. He’s becoming an absolute pest for India, and now it is they who wish the lunch break would hurry up.
Genuinely thinking about bumping Glenn up a spot on my list of forty funniest cricketers after today’s first ball. #Maxwellball pic.twitter.com/iOIcZAxc8C
— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) March 17, 2017
113th over: Australia 386-5 (Smith 146, Wade 30)
We’re just under 20 minutes from lunch on day two and the session is really starting to slip away from India. Now Wade biffs Ashwin through square leg for four, and actually just seems to be having fun with his batting. It’s most irritating for Virat Kohli as he sits up in the changing rooms, I’m sure.
112th over: Australia 381-5 (Smith 145, Wade 26)
Every time Matthew Wade walks down the pitch and tries to sweep Ravindra Jadeja, a dog-eared copy of Don Bradman’s ‘The Art of Cricket’ spontaneously combusts. It’s a sight and a half, is what I’m saying. Still, Jadeja even rips one past the outside edge of Steve Smith in this over, and that’s not something we’ve seen very often so far. Steve O’Keefe will be liking the look of that. Smith will like the look of his partnership stats; a single here means he and Wade have shared in a 50-run stand from just 10.4 overs. Jadeja looked like running through the tail half an hour ago. Now India are labouring.
111th over: Australia 379-5 (Smith 144, Wade 25)
Ashwin finally appears! But it’s not all good for India; Wade treats him like a rental car, skipping down the track and flogging one out to cow corner for a boundary. There follow some reactionary field changes. It’s not exactly inspiring stuff from the home side. They miss Kohli like Van Halen miss David Lee Roth.
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110th over: Australia 372-5 (Smith 144, Wade 18)
In lieu of any Ashwin action, Jadeja is the threat here, but even he is troubling Wade a little less than in previous overs. Wade hasn’t played himself in, has he? As you ponder that, also ponder Nicholas Jewlachow’s great shadow golf suggestion: Craig Bellamy’s goal celebration against Barcelona in 2007.
109th over: Australia 370-5 (Smith 143, Wade 17)
Still no Ravichandran Ashwin. So Umesh gets another over, and Matthew Wade gets himself another boundary by opening up the face of the bat and running one to the vacant third man region. This is real dross from Rahane and Umesh; the paceman is not looking like taking a wicket and he’s not keeping things tight either.
108th over: Australia 364-5 (Smith 142, Wade 12)
Wade is just winding the Indians up now; he and Smith get through for a three that really should have been just the two. Then the Victorian keeper plays all around a big off break, which races away for four byes. Jadeja is really bringing them in out of the rough. The expiry date on Wade’s innings appears quite close.
Virat would be going nuts over these fielding errors. There'd be rockets. #INDvAUS
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) March 17, 2017
107th over: Australia 356-5 (Smith 139, Wade 11)
What’s wrong with Ravichandran Ashwin? Ishant gets a rest now but it’s Umesh Yadav replacing him. Matthew Wade rejoices in his reduced risk of dismissal by hammering the paceman through cover for a crisp boundary. He’ll be loving this. Indian Twitter, on the other hand, would like a very loud word with Ajinkya Rahane about his bowler rotation strategy.
106th over: Australia 349-5 (Smith 137, Wade 6)
In fairness to Matthew Hayden, sequential replays of each of the half-dozen deliveries bowled to Glenn Maxwell before his demise provided gripping viewing a moment ago. Jadeja was forcing him back and forcing him back, and the wicket ball was just a little bit shorter and bounced a little bit more. Seeing them all on end highlighted his canny variations. He’s also conceded only seven runs in six overs today, and continues to tighten the screws on Wade. Slowly but surely, he might be turning the game.
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105th over: Australia 346-5 (Smith 135, Wade 5)
Breaking: Brett Lee was wrong. The ball definitely bounced before slapping into Wriddhiman Saha’s gloves in Ishant’s last over. Why were the broadcasters so excited about it? It almost took a divot out of the ground in the end. As Ishant labours away, Matthew Hayden is talking about all of Ravindra Jadeja’s “blue balls”. I think he’s referring to pitch-map technology this time.
104th over: Australia 345-5 (Smith 134, Wade 5)
Matthew Wade is in a spot of bother here in his attempts to handle Jadeja. He’s getting a long way outside off stump to try and negate the spin coming in to him from the footmarks, but he looks like a sitting duck as he shuffles around. His brightest spot so far is the final delivery of this over, which he whips through mid-wicket for a stress-relieving boundary.
Steve Smith (134no) now has the highest score by an Australia captain in India, beating Michael Clarke's 130 in Chennai, 2013 #INDvAUS
— Samuel Ferris (@samuelfez) March 17, 2017
103rd over: Australia 341-5 (Smith 134, Wade 1)
Ishant is steaming in with plenty of energy to Wade, who gets off the mark with a drive to long on. Drama ensues when Smith sends a bottom-edge behind the wicket and it doesn’t carry to keeper Wriddhiman Saha. Or does it? Replays soon show that the Indian keeper was overly cautious to wave off celebrations. It might have carried after all! Unlucky is Ishant’s middle name at the moment. Soon after Smith flays him through mid-wicket with that signature closed-face flick. Worse: Umesh and Pujara make a hash of a regulation stop at cover and it runs away for four more. Ishant is cursed.
102nd over: Australia 332-5 (Smith 126, Wade 0)
Hmm, Matthew Wade is the new man at the crease here and he’s immediately playing an impetuous sweep and copping one to his helmet. He gets a bye for his troubles but Ravindra Jadeja has done the trick again for India, ending a 191-run stand between Smith and Maxwell.
Glenn Maxwell is 13th person to score 100 in all 3 forms of international #cricket
— Swamp (@sirswampthing) March 17, 2017
2nd for AUS after Shane Watson#INDvAUS
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WICKET! Maxwell c Saha b Jadeja 104 (Australia 331-5)
Jadeja gets the breakthrough! And with that, Glenn Maxwell’s superb stand comes to an end. The ball was short and spinning away from him, and after transferring his weight onto the back foot he was trying to punch it through cover with a straight bat, but instead feathers an edge behind to Saha. The umpire’s finger is straight up and Maxwell elects not to review. That 104 came from 185 deliveries and proved every single doubter wrong. He’s a Test-quality batsman and now the entire cricket world has to admit it.
101st over: Australia 331-4 (Smith 126, Maxwell 104)
Ishant is back into the attack now, and here’s a little more on Glenn Maxwell’s hundred: it featured nine boundaries, two sixes, and is his sixth century in first-class cricket. More pressing: India have just missed an opportunity to run out Steve Smith
Maxwell looked to be in tears as he leant over. He knows it is a moment that could very well change the rest of his life. #INDvAUS
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) March 17, 2017
100th over: Australia 328-4 (Smith 124, Maxwell 103)
This Jadeja over couldn’t hope to compete with Maxwell’s milestone, and so it proves, though it is a maiden. Instead let’s turn to this lovely email from Daniel McDonald.
“As a fellow OBO-contributing, cricket loving, sport loving, Manchester City United loving, indie alt rock loving, festival & gig going, hard-left leaning, labor voting, Guardian reading, Simpsons raised, stubble wearing, white male in his 30s whose first name is Daniel, I find the loss of Dan Lucas terrible sad and very confronting. What fragile beasts we are. In honour and tribute, please find below the lyrics of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android, reworked for this match. Thanks for your sterling work.”
[Note: only the highlights will fit below - the rest available on email request]
Please could you stop the nicks, I’m trying to get some runs
Though not from unborn chicken masala near my bed
Who’s bat?
Who’s bat?
When BCCI is king, ICC will be first against the wall
Associate nation opinion is of no consequence at all
Who’s bat?
Who’s bat?
Sledging makes you look pretty ugly, DRS reviewing gray-nic little ducky
You don’t review, You don’t review
Why don’t you review my appeal?
Off with his bails, man, Off with his bails, man
Why don’t you review my appeal?
I guess Kohli does
Glenn Maxwell gets his maiden Test century!
99th over: Australia 328-4 (Smith 124, Maxwell 103)
He’s done it! Glenn Maxwell is a Test centurion! It comes from the final delivery of the Umesh over, which is short and slashed through the cordon region to pick up four runs. How else would he do it? It’s taken him 180 deliveries and gotten his side out of a spot of bother, this knock. Superb stuff. Nothing less than a very dedicated cricketer deserves.
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98th over: Australia 323-4 (Smith 123, Maxwell 99)
Glenn Maxwell has...played out a maiden, though not without incident. Ravindra Jadeja reckoned his penultimate delivery had claimed an edge but he’s wrong. This is very tense.
97th over: Australia 323-4 (Smith 123, Maxwell 99)
In fact Umesh gets another over, and Glenn Maxwell is watching him like a hawk. Umesh digs one in and Maxwell thinks it’s about to whistle past his ears, but it keeps low and cracks him on the shoulder. Grimaces all round. Maxwell gets a thick edge next up and it runs down to third man for one. Oof. He’s on 99. Squeaky bum time.
96th over: Australia 322-4 (Smith 123, Maxwell 98)
Time for some spin now as Ravi Jadeja rolls his arm over for the first time on day two. For Smith he’s got a silly point, a slip, and a short mid-on. “That’s a good move by Ajinkya Rahane,” says Sunny Gavaskar – words that didn’t often pass anyone’s lips yesterday. “It’s a truly benign wicket,” adds Matthew Hayden, perhaps wanting to pile further indignity on all the journalists who claimed it would be a minefield. A maiden for Jadeja. With Maxwell on strike next over and possibly nervous about his impending milestone, you’d think Ravichandran Ashwin will be asked to have a bowl.
95th over: Australia 322-4 (Smith 123, Maxwell 98)
As Umesh continues with his third over of the day, Craig Little arrives with a truly excellent shadow-sport anecdote. “Brisbane Bears forward Martin Heffernan got caught air-golfing during a game by Robert Walls,” he says. “After the game Walls asked Heffernan if he wanted to be a footballer or a golfer and he said “golfer”, thereby ending his five-game AFL career.” Brutal.
Steve Smith is on strike this over, and continues to look like a man batting in an entirely different realm to the mortals. Maxwell, on the other hand, plays a very loose shot to a short one outside off stump. He’s trying to run it down to third man but almost feathers an edge behind to Saha. Some smart running moves Maxwell within one lusty blow of his hundred, but he’s a little more sensible, moving to 98 by actually nailing the shot which had almost ended his innings earlier and getting four to third man.
94th over: Australia 316-4 (Smith 123, Maxwell 92)
Glenn Maxwell rubbishes the 87 hoodoo by moving to 91 with an expertly-angled dab through gully, which hits he rope and leaves man-bunned Ishant shaking his head in disgust. He didn’t delete your Soundcloud account, Ishant. Nervous 90s for Maxwell. He then plays his most Maxwellian stroke so far; a duck-hook is the only way to describe it, as he was taking evasive action as he paddled it down to fine leg. He and Ishant really should collaborate on a remix.
93rd over: Australia 310-4 (Smith 123, Maxwell 87)
If you’re worried about Virat Kohli, he’s still off the ground. If you’re worried about Paul Connolly’s state of mind, and his shadow-batting form slump, fear not. “It’s the melancholy swimming in my Irish blood what does it,” he says. “Then again, my shadow penalty shots are routinely slotted into the top right corner. Unsaveable.” Related to all this: shadow golf is just not on, I reckon. Maybe I’m revealing some prejudices here but when have you ever liked someone who shadow golfs? Back in Ranchi, Glenn Maxwell has reached 87, the so-called unlucky number of Australian cricket. So unlucky, in fact, it was the year they won a world cup.
92nd over: Australia 308-4 (Smith 122, Maxwell 86)
As expected, Ishant Sharma pairs with Yadav to begin the day and he gets the same treatment from Smith as Umesh got from Maxwell; the Aussie skipper glides him down to the vacant third man boundary when his line strays a little wide outside off stump. Ishant approaches Maxwell from wide on the crease, firing it in on a middle stump line, but Maxwell is forward and defending with Dravidesque impenetrability, then sways out the way of a bouncer. Dad joke time:
@rustyjacko Maxwell batting on a "masala" pitch: does he have the tikka?
— Bill Keane (@BillKeane1) March 17, 2017
91st over: Australia 303-4 (Smith 117, Maxwell 86)
Umesh Yadav is granted the task of bowling the first delivery of day two and it SNAPS GLENN MAXWELL’S BAT IN HALF! OK, perhaps I should temper my enthusiasm here; it was only 137 kmph and Maxwell was playing a confident forward defence when it happened. Bizarre. It was a bit like the Ryan Harris-Michael Carberry one during the 2013-14 Ashes, though perhaps far less metaphoric in its ominous qualities.
“No batsman likes to change his bat once the runs are flowing,” says Matthew Hayden. Maxwell survives OK, but one delivery keeps very low and he’s very awkward in the act of keeping it out. Far better is what he does with the final delivery – square-driving to perfection to pick up four runs. That’s a superb start, and Australia pass 300 in the process.
We’re a few minutes away from the opening delivery
...and The Guardian’s own Paul Connolly writes in. “I need to spend more time in the shadow nets when it comes to my shadow batting,” he says. “Keep getting inside edges onto the stumps. I blame the warped floorboards.”
This is so revealing of Mr Connolly’s psyche, don’t you think? Getting out in your own shadow batting fantasies is truly grim stuff. I’m always slog-sweeping sixes in mine.
The pitch
“All in all, it looks like a good wicket to me,” says Brett Lee. “This is a masala pitch,” adds Sunil Gavaskar, at which point his audio cuts out. I assume he means that in a positive sense? Who knows? What is certain is that batting first is a decent advantage in this game, and Australia are surely setting their sights on 450+. Another few hours of Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell batting and that should be a cinch.
Shadow-batting time
And there is surely no more fun thing to do in your office/living room/train carriage, is there? I’m a big fan of shadow-bowling, as well. In the two years I’ve lived in my current house, I reckon I’ve taken at least 275 imaginary wickets down the long, narrow hallway. A word of warning: always make sure the coast is clear. There is nothing worse for guests than copping the full force of your delivery stride when you’re trying to dismiss imaginary Graeme Smith. It also stops you from dismissing imaginary Graeme Smith, of course.
Maxwell shadow batting in the middle while the teams warm up around him. Play resumes here at JSCA Stadium in about half an hour. #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/96S8FzSzkk
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) March 17, 2017
Other things to look forward to
Virat Kohli’s return? He’s warming up on the ground at the moment, but he’s also wearing Wayfarer-style sunglasses, rather than yer wraparound type favoured by most players. Casual sunglasses! Is this a sign? Maybe.
Soon after Ishant Sharma drops by for a chat. “It doesn’t worry me,” he says of his lack of wickets yesterday. “You can’t see too far forward,” he adds, before promising that he’ll hit his “areas” today. Phew, I’d been worried he was planning to spray them all over the place. Will Virat Kohli bat? “Hopefully,” says the big paceman. He’s not giving much away.
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Preamble
Hello all and welcome to day two of this Ranchi Test between Australia and India – the match that might decide this series. Russell Jackson here to take you through the first session, before Geoff Lemon and JP Howcroft swing by to mop up the tail.
Today promises something unprecedented: a Glenn Maxwell Test century. I don’t know about you, but I’m so excited I could barely sleep last night. So what did I do instead? I went searching for Maxwell-themed YouTube clips to play you. Unfortunately, I’ve since had to classify the entire musical output of neo-soul artist “Maxwell” a load of cobblers, so you’ll have to make do with Maxwell Smart’s entrance music. Back soon with some actual cricket.
Russell will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on all the details from day one:
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