The Mohali Miss

A new post on the agony and the ecstasy of the Mohali test has gone up at Different Strokes.

Australia hand out knockout blows

Many things going wrong for India. Gambhir gets a dodgy decision. Dravid chases a ball. Sehwag confirms fourth innings incompetence (plus short ball willies). Raina shows he still cannot face short ball. Laxman out with bad back. And now, finally, to rub it all in, the captain decides to send out a nightwatchman. Really, MSD, really? (Sorry, I used that line yesterday too). This pushes two recognized batsmen further down the batting order. And again, it shows lack of backbone by the captain. Face the music, calm the nerves. Lead from the front. And all that.

Australia well ahead now (especially as they are past masters in creating pressure in precisely these kinds of situations), and the presence of SRT isn't really enough at this moment.

India move ahead, need third power of 6

An Indian fast bowler cleans up the tail. Does anyone have any idea how satisfying that sounds? Any idea whatsoever? To see an opposition side go from 170-8 to 192 all out might not seem like much to many folks but trust me, its very comforting for moi.

Anyway, Australia 192 all out, India need 216 to run. Game set up nicely, given the vagaries of fourth innings, the slight lowness of this pitch, Aussie determination to not go down easily.

And as I write this, we have a contender for the Worst LBW Decision of 2010, as Bowden decides to get clever and hand out a sexy "pad first, then the bat" decision, not realizing that those are best left alone for the likes of Simon Taufel and Ian Gould. What makes that decision truly comical was that it was missing off as well. Poor Gambhir.

Did I say a lot depends on Viru?

Advantage Australia Fair (just a bit)

354-4 to 405 all out. With that slide, India handed back the advantage again to Australia, especially as they (the Indians) will bat last. Truth be told, I don't understand Manjrekar's claim that this game is "petering out into a draw". Really, Sanjay, really? First innings completed by the end of the third day on a pitch that is playing a little unevenly low, with one flaky batting side (Australia) and another one carrying an injured bat? I don't think so. In fact, I'd say all three results are possible right now. Australia could very easily set India an awkward chase of 280 on the last day (if Australia are bowled out, I don't think they will declare in this game). And Australia could fall to Ojha and Zaheer tomorrow (I'm not optimistic about Harbhajan).

Still, in fairness to Manjrekar, a draw is perhaps just a little more likely than the other two options just because I think Australia will not a) score quickly enough to set India a target that they will comfortable with given that Sehwag is in the opposition) and b) get bowled out quickly enough to give India a target that they could chase without Sehwag firing (and unfortunately, Viru hasn't come through often enough in fourth innings for me to feel confident that he will come through here).

From a purely cricketing perspective the best thing that could happen is that Australia get bowled out for 280-300 tomorrow setting India a target that they *might* be tempted to chase, and yet that would be awkward to keep Australia in the hunt as well. As before, I don't think we'll see a declaration tomorrow. If at all, one on the fifth day for a 75-over squirm.

Mohali testing, testing

From 224-5 to 428 is a job well done. Pity I didn't write a post yesterday saying something like "Australia's 224-5 could easily turn into 425 all out", because that was on my mind, and this morning, when I staggered out sleepily into the kitchen, my fears were confirmed. A few seconds later, I had that thought which most Indian fans must have had: "So long as Viru is there, all is not lost". Well, that little comfort was gone by the end of the day, and Australia had inched ahead just a bit.

When battle resumes tomorrow, India will hope they can score enough to exploit the seeming degradation in bounce in the Mohali pitch. Under these circumstances, all bowlers will be a handful in the second innings so it is crucial that a decent lead be obtained for some scoreboard pressure to do its usual magic. On the plus side for India, Laxman, Tendulkar and Raina are all capable of scoring quickly, and the Australian attack is still not as threatening of years gone by. Game very much on.

Lastly, despite the slow pace of scoring on the first day, there was plenty to cheer about for the old-fashioned fan like me. Australia's defensiveness in the third session meant that a wicket would really set them back, and it was fascinating to watch them walk into a trap of their own making. Had Dhoni held on to the chance from Paine, the cat would truly have been amongst the proverbial pigeons. Test wickets are precious; as each falls, five percent of the task is done. A skipper should do better.

A good test promises many, many swings in momentum and advantage. This one has already had two subtle shifts. An early wicket tomorrow might not swing it any more Australia's way, but two definitely will. And another very intriguing battle awaits: Suresh Raina goes up against the Aussies. Go forth, young man, and meet your Antipodean foes. The stage is set.