India vs Australia - Test Series {R}

[OldFanatic]

India 101-2 at lunch, with Veeru Sehwag on 61 not-out. If India can manage to put decent runs for the remaining 2 sessions today, and get past the new ball attack from McGrath/Dizzy, they could somehow level this series.

[ScouseCat]

Shane Warne has passed Muttiah Muralitharan as the leading wicket-taker in test cricket. His second wicket in India's first innings has moved him up to 533 wickets, one ahead of Muralitharan.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,5001,388549,00.jpg

[OldFanatic]

Veeru, Veeru, Veeru!!!!!!!

Another century for the mercurial Sehwag. :) I'm off to bed now. What an impressive manner of smashing 2 boundaries while on 95 to complete the 100.

[OldFanatic]

Virender Sehwag salutes his return to form as he smashed a century in the second Test at Chennai

http://www.cricinfo.com/perl/picture.cgi/055078/inline

[OldFanatic]

Despite Damien Martyn's resitance (with his century), India now only need 229 runs with more than a day's play.

Barring unlikely rain tomorrow, or a crazy batting collapse, I would be shocked if India doesn't level this series now. That's why I love these India - Australia series. Pretty competitive stuff.

How about Kumble taking 6 wickets in the second inning? Combined with the 7 in the 1st inning, he has got impressive numbers for the match.

http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/OCT/075328_INDAUS2004-05_17OCT2004.html

[Andy TAUS]

I hope the wicket plays like it was designed to do, crumble.

That should put the cat amongst the Indians, especially with Warnie up one end !

:p

[OldFanatic]

Well, the target is down to 210 runs with all wickets in hand then. :D It would take a miracle of crumbling wickets for Australia not to lose now.

BTW, the wicket was not designed to crumble.

The wicket was designed to Kumble.

:p

[Caesar]

No team has ever chased more than 155 in the fourth to win a Test at Chepauk. Let's hope this is no exception.

[OldFanatic]

Barring unlikely rain tomorrow.........

Unfortunately the news is not good, it has been pouring down since early morning. All the covers are in place and it doesn't look good at the moment.

Update (4:30 GMT) - Still raining quite heavily here, 3/4th of the ground is under covers. Even if it stops raining now it is highly unlikely that play will start before lunch. Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 86F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60% is the weather forecast for the day.



I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.............. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....:mad: :(

[OldFanatic]

Update (5:15 GMT) - Unfortunately things have gone worse here. At the moment it's bucketing down and chances of any play happening today looks very bleak!

Bloody hell. Such is the pain associated with following sports that are so weather/rain dependent (cricket, baseball, tennis, etc.) I'm devastated. Similar to baseball and tennis, maybe there needs to be a provision for a buffer day, wherein if a day is completely rained out, play could be made up on another day. Considering how busy the international calender is these days, I'm afraid this isn't very easy to accomodate.

[OldFanatic]

Well, that's it. It's been officially called off. What a letdown after 4 exhilarating days of roller-coaster ride. I want my money back (tongue-in-cheek).

[Andy TAUS]

It would take a miracle of crumbling wickets for Australia not to lose now.Chandu,

Can rain in India be termed a miracle ????

:p :D :p :D

Anything is ALWAYS possible in Test Cricket.

[ScouseCat]

The straw-coloured green-top

Several reporters arrived in Nagpur with their heads full of dramatic thoughts about the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium and it would have been understandable had they sued for anti-climax. Reports about the greenness of the pitch had nearly toppled the little big man's tennis elbow as the main story in the sports pages. When the reporters saw it for themselves, there was grass, but it was straw-coloured, not green.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/OCT/083524_AUS_25OCT2004.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/PICTURES/DB/102004/055351.jpg

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Australia ready to combat Tendulkar threat

There were things Sourav Ganguly and Adam Gilchrist agreed on but, on the eve of the third Test at Nagpur the jury was still out on what the pitch would do. As a result, neither captain was able to tell journalists exactly which XI they each hoped to play, and yet there was still plenty to talk about.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/OCT/083424_AUS_25OCT2004.html

http://aus.cricinfo.com/perl/picture.cgi/055063/inline

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Gilchrist warns of Dravid and Laxman

Adam Gilchrist expects the underperforming Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman "to fire a shot at some stage" as Australia attempt to end their 35-year Indian drought in the third Test at Nagpur.

Australia, chasing their first series win in India since 1969, lead the four-match contest 1-0, but Sachin Tendulkar is back for India, and they know Dravid and Laxman are due for runs. Dravid and Laxman hounded Australia in 2001, making a combined 841 runs in three Tests, and they did it again last summer, racking up 1413 runs from four Tests. Their contribution in the first two matches has been 124 runs.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/OCT/083077_AUS_25OCT2004.html

[ScouseCat]

Australia won the toss and decided to bat first.

Approaching Lunch on the opening day, we're 1 for 71 with Justin Langer and Simon Katich at the wicket. Matthew Hayden was the man out, dismissed for 23 after once again getting a start but not going on with it.

[ScouseCat]

Australia have started well in this game, scoring 362 runs on the opening day. The only worry is a hamstring injury to Darren Lehmann, which will keep him out for 3 weeks. At least that makes selection for the 4th test easier, with captain Ricky Ponting set to make his return.

STUMPS - DAY ONE

Australia: 7 for 362
Martyn 114, Lehmann 70, Clarke 73 not out
Kartik 3 for 57, Khan 2 for 77

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/PICTURES/DB/102004/055412.jpg
Damien Martyn celebrates his century

[ScouseCat]

Michael Clarke was the last man out for Australia, falling 9 runs short of his second test century.

Australia 1st Innings: 398 all out
Martyn 114, Clarke 91, Lehmann 70, Langer 44
Khan 4 for 95, Kartik 3 for 57

India 1st Innings: 0 for 0

[ScouseCat]

The Aussies are right on top after the first 3 days of this game, thanks to some good batting and accurate fast bowling from Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath.

Australia 1st Innings: 398 all out
Martyn 114, Clarke 91, Lehmann 70, Langer 44
Khan 4 for 95, Kartik 3 for 57

India 1st Innings: 185 all out
Kaif 55, Sehwag 22, Dravid 21
Gillespie 5 for 56, McGrath 3 for 27, Warne 2 for 47

Australia 2nd Innings: 3 for 202 (lead 415)
Katich 99, Langer 30, Martyn 41 not out
Kartik 2 for 50

[ScouseCat]

Australia 1st Innings: 398 all out
Martyn 114, Clarke 91, Lehmann 70, Langer 44
Khan 4 for 95, Kartik 3 for 57

India 1st Innings: 185 all out
Kaif 55, Sehwag 22, Dravid 21
Gillespie 5 for 56, McGrath 3 for 27, Warne 2 for 47

Australia 2nd Innings: 5 declared for 329 (lead 542)
Katich 99, Martyn 97, Clarke 73, Langer 30
Khan 2 for 64, Kartik 2 for 74

India 2nd Innings: 0 for 1

[Andy TAUS]

Australia 1st Innings: 398 all out
Martyn 114, Clarke 91, Lehmann 70, Langer 44
Khan 4 for 95, Kartik 3 for 57

India 1st Innings: 185 all out
Kaif 55, Sehwag 22, Dravid 21
Gillespie 5 for 56, McGrath 3 for 27, Warne 2 for 47

Australia 2nd Innings: 5 declared for 329 (lead 542)
Katich 99, Martyn 97, Clarke 73, Langer 30
Khan 2 for 64, Kartik 2 for 74

India 2nd Innings: 0 for 1 :eek:

India 2nd Innings: 200 all out

AUS wins game by 342 runs & the series 2-0 with 1 game to go.

:D

[ScouseCat]

:D
I couldn't have summed it up better myself...

What a fantastic effort by the Aussies to win over in India, something we hadn't done since 1969. It was nice to see Adam Gilchrist pay credit to Steve Waugh, who did so much to promote the Australia vs India series as "the final fronteer" while he was our captain.

The final test on Wednesday is now a dead rubber, although the talk coming from the Australian camp is that they don't want to let India off the hook.