Australia v India: fifth males’s cricket Check, day one – dwell | Australia cricket group

thirty seventh over: India 78-4 (Pant 12, Jadeja 3) Pant hit within the helmet! Starc bashed that into the pitch at 145kph and Pant blinked, dropped his arms and let the ball cannon into the hole between his shoulder and helmet grille. Starc reveals fast concern for the batter in a tremendous act of sportsmanship. After a concussion take a look at, pant is said AOK. he takes two runs to show it however then leaves one which whispers to the varnish on off stump. Shut!

We talked about earlier that Peter Handscomb, Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann have been known as into the broader Australia squad with a view to touring Sri Lanka later this month. That squad shall be named shortly after this sequence ends however the darkish horse for a Check recall is Glenn Maxwell. Did you see The Huge Present’s catch the opposite evening?

thirty sixth over: India 76-4 (Pant 10, Jadeja 3) India’s run charge at present is 2.16. Scott Boland, with 2-14 from his 10 overs to this point, isn’t going to launch the valve. he slides one previous Jadeja’s exterior edge to a wave of OOOHs from the group. No different bowler has discovered the motion of the 35-year-old Gulidjan man from Melbourne. His 48 Check wickets have come each 41 balls at a median of underneath 19. He delivers one other menacing maiden.

thirty fifth over: India 76-4 (Pant 10, Jadeja 3) Ravindra Jadeja has been given a life by Steve Smith. Can he make nit depend? The 36-year-old allrounder from Saurashtra stills sit No 1 because the world’s greatest ranked allrounder though Pat Cummins is thee large mover, now sitting fourth after his 49 and 41 with the bat within the fourth Check. Mitchell Starc is again – and HOW! He thumps his third supply into Pant’s forearm who reels from the contact and requires the medics. Ice packs, chilly drinks, soothing phrases of consolation. Pant will get the Florence Nightingale therapy earlier than dealing with up once more. However Starc is snarling and straight. A fourth consecutive maiden.

thirty fourth over: India 76-4 (Pant 10, Jadeja 3) DROPPED! Smith spills a sitter. That was a thick edge from Jadeja from one other candy supply by Boland and Smith at second slip appeared uncertain whether or not to go fingers up or down. In the long run, he received caught in two minds and jumped because the ball cannoned by way of his palms and into his chest.

Jadeja lives twice!

thirty third over: India 76-4 (Pant 10, Jadeja 3) Cummins continues to be wicketless however every of the 4 dismissals has been aided by his nagging line on the different finish. Now he attracts Rishabh Pant into dashing a straight ball. Harmful! Pant miscues the heave and the ball backside edges in direction of the stumps earlier than off-breaking again the opposite means. That’s the type of mind explosion that price Pant his wicket in Melbourne and despatched India down the tubes.

thirty second over: India 76-4 (Pant 8, Jadeja 3) One other nice over from Boland and a second spectacular catch by Beau Webster. Kohli gave Pant an extended glare after that dismissal. I believe he had the pip about being despatched again on a single the earlier ball. Ego pricked, Kohi erred subsequent ball and is now again within the sheds. Ravi Jadeja is the brand new batter and breezily tonks a 3 to get off the mark.

WICKET! Kohli c Webster b Boland 17 (72-4)

thirty first over: India 71-3 (Kohli 17, Pant 8) Cummins v Kohli. What a duel we have now right here. Kohli is aware of it too, tries to make an announcement by driving on the first. No runs once more. He stabs on the second too however it’s on him faster this time and it lobs dangerously for a second earlier than falling wanting mid-off. Cummins is into his tenth over. As soon as once more he has this group on his again dragging them to glory. Kohli sense the problem and on drives a full ball efficiently this time. He will get three. Pant digs one out of his navel for a single and Sean Abbott the substitute fielder reels it in.

thirtieth over: India 65-3 (Kohli 13, Pant 6) Nearly bowled! Boland angled it at again at Pant’s midriff and he chopped down laborious and watched aghast because the ball inside edged, fizzed backwards and bounced simply over the bails. Shut! Boland has India on the hop and the ball nipping and Pat Cummins brings Travis Head into brief leg to up the ante additional. Australia now has three slips and two gullies as they press for a fourth wicket.

twenty ninth over: India 64-3 (Kohli 12, Pant 6) Glanced for FOUR! Good shot by Pant. It breaks the drought for India. Till that shot, that they had solely hit three boundaries from 28 overs. Pat Cummins cops it candy, places the subsequent few previous Pant’s jugular at 138kph.

twenty eighth over: India 60-3 (Kohli 12, Pant 2) Boland is aiming for his fourth consecutive maiden. He has 1-5 to this point after nearly having 2-0 in his first over. Pant works a single from the third ball however Kohli can’t get going. His 12 has from 60 balls and he hasn’t scored from the final 27 balls. He shimmies one off the hip and units off however Konstas swoops to chop off the run. Screws turning on India.

twenty seventh over: India 59-3 (Kohli 12, Pant 1) Rishabh Pant faces up. His reckless slog within the fourth Check was a present to Travis Head after Mitchell Marsh took a tremendous tumbling catch within the outer. That sparked a clatter of wickets and value India a shot at a draw. Can he make amends at present? Pant is in his forty third Check and has a median of 43 so he’s definitely succesful. He takes a single to plot his redemption arc as Kohli tries to counter Cummins. An enormous off drive to the final however it’s straight to mid-off.

twenty sixth over: India 58-3 (Kohli 12), Pant 0) How was your lunch? I’m nonetheless occurring Christmas ham despite the fact that that once-pink haunch is wanting just a little inexperienced across the Shubmans. The one factor greener may be India’s No 3 himself whose last-ball dismissal earlier than the break may need turned his meals to ash earlier than he swallowed it.

Scott Boland has the ball and Virat Kohli in his sights. Huge Scotty is bang on line and Kohli digests all six with out having a waft at any of them. A maiden.

There have been a swathe of emails through the first session. Thanks for all these and apologies for not attending to them sooner.

Sam from New Zealand says the third umpire made the correct name disallowing the Kohli catch: “Mark Waugh is having a little bit of a meltdown on the TV. They appear to assume Smith having a finger underneath the ball makes it not out, however the rule clearly states that if the ball is transferring whereas touching the bottom (which the proof confirmed) then it must be not out. If Smith had a clear grasp on the ball he would have held it, not flicked it up.”

Rowan Sweeney has a darker principle: “Did Australia steal Joel Wilson’s girlfriend or one thing? At this level it appears private.”

In the meantime, Geoff Wignall is questioning whether or not Rohit Sharma’s determination to relaxation himself from this fifth Check has added stability to the India XI – or despatched it skew-whiff. “On latest kind, Sharma ‘resting himself’ must strengthen the Indian batting; however Jadeja at 6 and Bumrah at 9? Hmm…”

Thanks Geoff. Given Bumrah scored a pair within the final Check, I believe India ought to have dropped him 😉 Rohit’s “relaxation” would possibly nicely be Bumrah’s salvation!

LUNCH: India are 56-3 (Kohli 12 not out)

WICKET! Gill c Smith b Lyon 20 (India 56-3)

twenty fifth over: India 56-2 (Gill 20, Kohli 11) Lyon to Kohli. Will we see some spark in these remaining moments?

twenty fourth over: India 56-2 (Gill 20, Kohli 11) More and more blue skies are piercing the morning’s heavy cloud cowl on the SCG to see Beau Webster’s fourth over. India are inching alongside at simply over two per over but when they make the protection of lunch two-down they’ll take into account it an ethical victory. One other maiden.

twenty third over: India 56-2 (Gill 20, Kohli 11) Are available spinner. Nathan Lyon will get a whirl earlier than lunch. He has a long-running duel with Virat Kohli and it resumes now. Kohli watches the primary couple earlier than skipping down a step with a wristy whip that runs sq.. Sam Konstas, who copped a shoulder cost from Kohli his boyhood hero on the MCG, is there to cease runs. The Lyon experiment begins with a maiden.

twenty second over: India 56-2 (Gill 20, Kohli 11) Webster is in a pleasant groove right here. Nerves are settling and he’s discovered a candy spot exterior off stump that has Shubman Gill considering laborious. A nicely bowled maiden for the debutant.

twenty first over: India 56-2 (Gill 20, Kohli 11) Edged however protected! Gill flashed at Starc’s first ball however he flashed laborious sufficient to ship it over slips and to the boundary for 4. Starc’s pace isn’t getting past 140kph and there’s nonetheless no swing on supply. A single from the final final takes the partnership to 39. A little bit of blue sky poking by way of on the SCG now.

twentieth over: India 51-2 (Gill 15, Kohli 11) Second over for Beau Webster whose silver earring is catching the sunshine and the attention underneath the SCG lights. Gill faucets a single from the second. Now The Slug has The King on strike however straight and full delivers 4 dots.

nineteenth over: India 50-2 (Gill 14, Kohli 11) As Mitchell Starc returns to the assault, the Kohli-Gill partnership strikes to 26 runs from 65 balls. That’s 64 balls greater than it appeared to have survived after Kohli edged the primary ball he confronted to Steve Smith. The choice to disallow that catch continues to be being debated on the floor and all around the world. However the truth stays: Kohli continues to be batting. India steal 4 byes when Starc sends a bouncer flying past Alex Carey’s attain. Gill then takes two off the bat with a punch down the bottom.

18th over: India 43-2 (Gill 14, Kohli 9) Beau Webster has the ball for his first over in Check cricket. His first ball… is a no ball. His second is pushed to mid-off however Cummins stops runs. The 200cm allrounder is sending them down at 125kph and from a peak of roughly three metres. There’s a shout for lbw towards Gill on ball 5 however umpire shakes his head. Down leg aspect. Six dots to shut. A tidy welcome to Check cricket for the person they name “The Slug from Comfortable”.

seventeenth over: India 42-2 (Gill 14, Kohli 9) Cummins is into his seventh over. Can’t be lengthy till Beau Webster will get a bowl right here. He has already taken a beautiful catch to assist dismiss Yashasvi Jaiswal. Can his proper arm medium-fast make an affect at present?

We’re getting phrase that Todd Murphy, Matt Kuhnemann and Peter Handscomb have been known as to Sydney to affix the squad forward of the tour of Sri Lanka

sixteenth over: India 42-2 (Gill 14, Kohli 9) One other 4 to tremendous leg. This Boland supply angles throughout Gill and catches sufficient thigh pad to run to the rope. Smith doesn’t assume a legit shot was supplied however the runs are on the scoreboard.

fifteenth over: India 38-2 (Gill 14, Kohli 9) Shut! However Shubman Gill’s inside edge sails simply over the bails and runs for 4. Cummins, already a bit snakey after that Kohli catch was denied, swivels shortly and returns to his mark. Subsequent ball is within the hall and Gill needs to pounce however watches it cross. He then walks throughout his stumps to steer a run to sq. leg. Sam Konstas fields with that now trademark grin. I believe the child from Kogarah has formally taken Daniel Ricciardo’s mantle as Biggest Smile in Australian Sport.

14th over: India 33-2 (Gill 9, Kohli 9) If Kohli is feeling fortunate after that shut name, it isn’t exhibiting. Like a real King he assume it’s his sovereign proper to let the folks watch him bat at present. And so we’ll. However he can’t take Scott Boland for a run on this over.

thirteenth over: India 33-2 (Gill 9, Kohli 9) Loads of debate raging within the drinks break. As if this crowd wasn’t buzzing anyway, they now have the Biggest Catch By no means Taken to speak about. Finish outcome: Virat Kohli continues to be batting and Steve Smith continues to be is shaking his head. The King takes a single from Cummins so as to add a grain of salt to the wound.

twelfth over: India 32-2 (Gill 9, Kohli 8) Boland will get clipped for a single by Gill. Kohli does likewise to the fourth however offers it extra mustard. Solely a valiant dive by Sam Konstas saves the boundary. However Kohli has moved to eight runs from his 12 deliveries. And now an enormous enchantment for lbw. Umpire has dominated not out however Australia overview…. NOT OUT. Replays present the ball crusing over the stumps.

eleventh over: India 28-2 (Gill 8, Kohli 5) Pat Cummins continues. And Gill off-drives him down the bottom for 3. Good-looking shot and there’s a way that India are going to journey their luck now, with each batters exhibiting a willingness to assault the bowling.

tenth over: India 23-2 (Gill 4, Kohli 4) Boland returns with 1-0. However it was millimetres from being 2-0 and placing him on a hat-trick. What a second which may’ve been. And what a speaking level on this Check already. Smith definitely believed his catching hand by no means made contact with the bottom. However India followers will probably see it as karma after they had been on the fallacious aspect of what they perceived to be line-ball selections in Melbourne. Kohli is off the mark with a pushed two and a straight drive to mid-off.

ninth over: India 22-2 (Gill 3, Kohli 4) Virat Kohli has survived that catch/ no catch controversy. Can he kick on? The TV pictures confirmed Smith diving full stretch low to his proper. He received the grippers underneath the ball it appeared however laborious contact with the turf bobbled the ball up and flicked it to Labuschagne at gully. The Australians went loopy however umpire Joel Wilson within the third umpire’s chair stated the ball brushed the bottom.

eighth over: India 17-2 (Gill 2, Kohli 0) Has Boland carried out it once more?! Strike me pink! Kohli has received an edge first ball and Smith has received his fingers underneath it and despatched it as much as Webster to catch. Golden duck for King Kohli?! Boland on a hat trick?! Grasp on, we’ll overview this … third umpire says NO. Controversy reigns!

WICKET! Jaiswal c Webster b Boland 10 (India 17-2)

seventh over: India 16-1 (Jaiswal 10, Gill 2) The primary three days of this SCG Check are bought out and a sturdy crowd have charged on this morning. They see Starc angling in at Jaiswal’s legs. The primary two are too straight to have a lash at however the third is fractionally vast down the leg aspect and permits a run. The “resting” former India captain Rohit Sharma is watching forlornly from the stately SCG customer’s dressing room alongside Virat Kohlu whio is probably going taking part in his remaining Check in Australia. Gill steals a single from the final.

Tim Marsland writes in from New Zealand to tell me that my typo has hidden that means: “A notice re the Over 7 feedback ..right here in NZ a “ whio” is a local “blue duck “. …a brand new descriptor for an incredible batsman on their means down the stream?”

sixth over: India 14-1 (Jaiswal 9, Gill 1) Shubman Gill is the brand new batter. He was considerably controversially omitted from the fourth Check however is available in for the “resting” Rohit Sharma. He averages 42 in India however solely 28 away. There’s no doubting his expertise however his 32 Assessments to this point have yielded solely a median of 35. He will get off the mark well right here. A Boland misfield on the final will get Jaiswal one other run and retention of the strike.

WICKET! Rahul c Konstas b Starc 4 (India 11-1)

Fifth over: India 11-0 (Jaiswal 7, Rahul 4) Starc has his tempo as much as 140kph. Given he’s performed all 5 Assessments and the rib niggle he suffered by way of in Melbourne, Starc will need to ease into his work to final the 5 days. Australia have Scott Boland as first change and Beau Webster subsequent along with his skill to bowl medium tempo and off spin. He beats Rahul with a lifting supply after which goes inside a tally-ho of the bat. Stress rising t the SCG.

4th over: India 11-0 (Jaiswal 7, Rahul 4) Cummins will get a contemporary take a look at Rahul. This inexperienced pitch nonetheless appears just a little delicate however that arduous core will quickly make itself recognized if we get the excessive warmth forecast for days two and three. Rahul takes one off his hip for a run. Jaiswal is then crushed for a fourth time by Cummins. Lastly a touch of swing as Jaiswal shoulders arms to a ball that veers again to cross over the stumps. A harmful, if profitable, go away.

third over: India 10-0 (Jaiswal 7, Rahul 3) Jaiswal takes a run from Starc. Huge Mitch is slowly getting his radar proper. Rahul watches a number of fly previous the sting. Nonetheless no discernible swing from Starc as he slides it proper to left throughout the correct hander. Rahul leans properly into the broader remaining ball, driving to simply contained in the rope for 3.

2nd over: India 6-0 (Jaiswal 6, Rahul 0) Pat Cummins to KL Rahul. Captain Pat’s first ball rears up however Jaiswal’s delicate palms and a excessive elbow preserve it down. This SCG pitch seems to be greener than regular with loads of dwell grass bristling on the floor. Right here’s a dwell one as Jaiswal is crushed by the third. The fourth ball is a cross seam peach that slides previous the bat and seams in after passing the batter. One other excellent lifter leaves Jaiswal swatting air. Lastly, Cummins loses his line and Rahul takes it off the pad to get off the mark.

1st over: India 5-0 (Jaiswal 5, Rahul 0) Starc steams in to Jaiswal who will get a agency bat on the primary two. Beau Webster has arrange camp at third slip and along with his 200cm body and big wingspan he’ll be an asset in that space. Jaiswal banks his first asset of the day, spanking an tried yorker on a leg stump line to the boundary. No swing for Starc but however good carry on the fifth will get Jaiswal hopping. He tamps it into the turf and runs a single. Good play from the teen who averages 55+ from his 19 Assessments.

The Australian group huddle has damaged, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are striding to the center and Mitchell Starc has the ball. The primary Check of 2025 is about to start.

Batten ‘em down and buckle ‘em up, of us… right here we go.

The didj is ringing out and Gadigal elder Alen Madden has our Welcome to Nation underneath means. “For my first tune…” he begins to laughter across the floor.

An enormous Sydney crowd, who’ve been early to their seats, give Allen a rousing spherical of aplause and stand reverent as Shanul Sharma delivers a wonderful nationwide anthem of India. Time for Australia to reply…

Under overcast but rain-free skies, huge queues are snaking into the SCG. Plenty will be disappointed not to be seeing hometown sensation Sam Konstas bat but watching local heroes Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc open the bowling isn’t a bad second prize.

Cummins sees potential in the elements: “Overcast conditions so hopefully we can get the ball to swing around a bit. All the boys have pulled up well after a short turnaround.”

Players are about to set foot on the hallowed Sydney turf for the pre-match ceremonies. India legend Ravi Shastri and former Australia captain Mark Taylor are bringing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the podium.

Here are the starting XIs

Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Sam Konstas, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Travis Head, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna

As expected for India, KL Rahul has been elevated to opener to replace Rohit Sharma. Shubman Gill returns to the side after missing the side in Melbourne and Prasidh Krishna, the 28-year-old quick from Bangalore, will play his third Test.

India have won the toss and will bat at the Sydney Cricket Ground

Last week debutant Sam Konstas lit up the cricket world. The new face in Australia’s XI today is Beau Webster, a 31-year-old allrounder from the town of Snug, Tasmania.

Webster was presented with Baggy Green #469 this morning by the great Mark Waugh and his ascension has been widely praised. Webster has averaged 57.1 with the bat at first-class level since March 2022 and taken 81 wickets at 31.7 in the same period.

Last summer, he scored 938 runs at 58.62 in Sheffield Shield, including three centuries, while also bagging 30 wickets to help Tasmania reach the final. Only one cricketer has bettered those numbers in a Shield campaign – some bloke called Sir Garfield Sobers 😉

This is the Pink Test, a proud tradition since 2009 in which Cricket Australia and the SCG Trust combine with the McGrath Foundation to raise awareness and much needed funds for breast cancer.

Jane McGrath, wife of Australia Test legend Glenn, was a beloved figure. Jane passed away from the disease in 2008 but her legacy is mighty and this week we honour it. The McGrath Foundation has supported more than 150,000 families across Australia and in 2024, it supported 15,720 new families. So farIf you’d like to support the cause please donate. You can buy a Virtual Pink Seat here for the five days of the Test.

Australia’s players have their pink caps on and will present them to Glenn McGrath shortly whereupon they’ll be auctioned off. The cause is close to their hearts and clearly inspires their efforts on the field. Of the 17 Pink Tests, Australia has won nine, drawn seven (including the one India made in the 2020/21 tour) and lost just once.

There has been major intrigue in the India camp all week with conjecture of a team divided and captain Rohit Sharma about to a) “rest” himself for the Test, b) fall on his sword and resign and/ or retire, c) be axed by selectors for the fifth Test, or d) be retained at the behest of higher powers at the BCCI.

Amidst all the action and emotion it’s easy to forget that Sharma missed the first Test in Perth, where Jasprit Bumrah led India to a magnificent win and a 1-0 series lead. Since the 37-year-old Sharma’s arrival, India have looked unbalanced and the once imperious strokeplay of the skipper has been MIA, with scores of 3, 6, 10, 3 and 9.

The plot thickened yesterday when Sharma didn’t show up to the official press conference and India coach Gautam Gambhir did the duties. Gambhir was spotted in long discussions with Bumrah later that day as rumours heated up that Sharma was out. Nor did Sharma field in slips at India’s training session on the SCG yesterday.

Given it’s the first Test of a new year, the Australia and India squads were hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Kirribilli House on the first day of 2025.

The weather? It isn’t raining in Sydney although a heavy dew fell overnight and skies are currently grey. There is a slight chance (20%, I’m told) of an early shower but the latest news from the Bureau is that Day One will likely be uninterrupted: a 26C day with light winds of 15-20kph. For the first three days at least, the forecast is all clear.

Given Sydney’s fickle meteorology – 26 days have been washed out at SCG Tests compared with nine for MCG Tests – that’s a great result. Days four and five look dicier, with a typically tempestuous mix of high heat, rain bombs and lightning. But hey, let’s live for the day and worry about that if/ when it happens.

Australia and India have been battling it out on the cricket field since 1947 when Don Bradman (715 runs at 178.75) and Ray Lindwall (18 wickets at 16.88) led Australia to a 4-0 victory.

Over 111 Tests, Australia have won 47, India 33 with 30 draws and one tie. India’s series victories in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21 shifted the balance of power but Australia’s famous victory at the MCG may signal a new era of dominance.

Regardless of how the next five days play out, both proud nations can set aside their rivalry and declare the cliche as rolled gold truth: Test cricket has been the big winner.

Preamble

Angus Fontaine