The Day 1 belonged to India despite Australia scoring 131 for 1 before lunch break. Before the first session, it seemed like that batting was pretty easy at Dharamsala pitch but the game was about to turn, thanks to debutant Kuldeep Yadav. The Chinaman got the breakthrough India needed by getting Warner out soon after a lunch break. He had tears of happiness in his eyes when he got the wicket of Warner but that was about to change as he was going to make Australian batsmen cry in the middle.
He took the wicket of Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins enforcing a batting collapse. Shaun Marsh too got out to a foolish shot as Umesh Yadav picked up his second wicket after rattling the stumps of Matthew Renshaw in the first innings. Steven Smith scored another century in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Smith was running out of partners as that made him give in and get out to Ashwin.
That’s stumps! Rahul makes it through the final over after a terrific fightback from India’s bowlers: https://t.co/1HG79qHddv #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/Ma4cj2h5pU
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
Shreyas Iyer who was denied a debut at Dharamsala contributed too as he enforced a run out coming in place of Murali Vijay as the substitute fielder. Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar too helped in mopping up the Australian tail. Australia got all out for 300 all out. Indian openers too came out to bat but it was Rahul who faced the only over of Josh Hazlewood. India trail by 300 runs at the end of Day 1.
Day 1, Stumps!
16:31 IST Josh Hazlewood comes in to bowl, Rahul on strike, he lets the first one go into Wade’s gloves. He plays the second one with confidence right from the middle of the bat. Next ball, another one in the middle of the bat, another dot ball. He leaves the rest of the deliveries. Rahul survives the first over of the innings and the last over of Day 1. The Umpires call it a day.
16:25 IST Murali Vijay and KL Rahul make their way out to the middle.
From 131 for 1 to 300 all out. Australian batting lineup suffered a batting collapse after David Warner’s wicket. Kuldeep Yadav dugged deep into the Australian batting lineup. Steven Smith too succumbed to the pressure and got out to Ashwin. Every bowler who bowled today took a wicket. The Dharamsala Test is off to a tremendous with India turning the Test upside down after the first session. It will be interesting to witness how India replies to a lowly first innings score.
Innings Break!
16:16 IST WICKET! Nathan Lyon c Cheteshwar Pujara b Bhuvneshwar Kumar 13(28) An inswinging delivery flicked by Lyon carries to Pujara who dived forward to take the catch.
16:14 IST Josh Hazlewood comes in to bat, he defends the first ball and edges the next one towards third man, picks up a couple of runs.
16:10 IST WICKET! Mathew Wade b Ravindra Jadeja 57(125) Wade tries to sweep that one but the ball turned fiercely and got underneath his bat and straight into the wickets. Jadeja is delighted as he gets his first wicket. He was frustrated as he threw the ball wildly earlier in the over which went for a boundary.
16:07 IST Ashwin replaces Kuldeep Yadav, Wade on strike, he plays the first ball with a straight bat. He is not taking any chances against Ashwin, takes a single on the fifth delivery as he manages to get the ball past him. Ashwin having a chat with Rahane before bowling to Lyon, he plays the last ball towards mid-on, no run.
16:03 IST Just a single from Jadeja’s over as Lyon makes sure he does not try to hit the ball against the spin. Wade got poff strike off the first ball, he is showing confidence in Lyon giving him an entire over to play.
16:00 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Wade on strike. He takes a single on the second ball. Lyon on strike, he sweeps and the ball takes a top edge but safe, wait, what? Umesh Yadav lets it go past the boundary, misfields as the ball turns away from him on the bounce. FOUR! A perfect sweep from Lyon, back-to-back boundaries from him, 9 runs from Kuldee’s over.
15:57 IST Jadeja is back into the attack, Lyon on strike. A maiden over for Jadeja as Lyon looks to defend, he is trying to support Wade who has been scoring runs from the other end.
FIFTY! It’s been more than four years since Matthew Wade’s last Test half-century and he delivers when Australia needed it today #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/6l8ZAzxEU8
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
15:55 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Lyon on strike, he gives Wade the strike on the third delivery. Wade is just 2 runs away from the half-century. FIFTY! Wade takes a couple of runs on the last ball of the over and gets to his fifty, a well fought one for him.
15:51 IST Ashwin continues, Wade on strike, he pushes the first ball but could not middle it, no run. FOUR! drifted down the leg side, hits the pads and runs away for four. Two more singles from the over, Wade is inching closer to his half-century, playing on 48 from 110 balls.
15:47 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Rahane gives him the ball after a long chat. Wade takes a single off the second ball. Lyon on strike, creating problems for the new batsman, one more single of the over.
15:43 IST Nathan Lyon comes into bat, Mathew Wade is running out of partners. 2 singles off the over as Lyon gets off the mark.
15:39 IST WICKET! Steve O’Keefe run out (Shreyas Iyer/ Wriddhiman Saha) 8(18) Slight mix up meant that Iyer will rocket a flat throw to Saha’s end and get rid of O’Keefe. Iyer gets his name on the scorecard.
15:32 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Wade on strike, he is keeping the left-hander busy in an attempt to take a single. He succeeds in fourth attemp as Wade takes a single towards backward point. O’Keefe on strike, he blocks that one on the back foot. Another dot delivery to end the over, just a single from it.
15:28 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Wade on strike, he takes a single on the second delivery. O’Keefe is on strike, he is trying to push the ball past covers or work it away on the onside but Umesh is bowling according to the field. Followed up a bouncer from Umesh, O’Keefe ducks it, no run. As expected a fuller delivery to follow after that, FOUR! O’Keefe was up for the challenge as he hits that one for a boundary.
15:23 IST Kuldeep Yadav to Wade. He becomes the first batsman to attack the chinaman, struck that one over the bowler’s head with the spin. FOUR! Wade has moved into 40s now. He takes a single on the fifth delivery. O’Keefe on strike for the last ball of the over. Change of field. He hits it back to the bowler, slight mix-up but he gets back in time, 5 runs from the over.
15:19 IST Umesh Yadav to Wade, he shoulders arms on that occasion, no run. Edged and four! That one went through the slips, bounced in front of Karun Nair who could not catch hold of that. Nair has been sloppy today in the field. Wade takes a single off the next ball, brings O’Keefe on strike. FOUR! That ball was asking to be punished, pitched on the pads, O’Keefe does well to guide it where it belonged. Just 9 runs from the over.
15:15 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Wade on strike. A couple of runs from the fourth ball as Kuldeep keeps Wade busy bowling googlies and giving the ball air to do it’s bit. Wade takes a single off the last ball to retain strike, 3 runs from the over.
15:11 IST Umesh Yadav has been brought back into the attack, Yadavs from both ends now. Wade takes a single off the second delivery. O’Keefe on strike, he dabs the ball towards mid-wicket, no run. He goes for a back foot cover drive on the fifth ball but finds the fielder. He goes again but this time misses the ball. Another dot to end the over, just one run from it.
Steve O’Keefe comes in to bat.
15:03 IST WICKET! Pat Cummins c & b Kuldeep Yadav 21(40) A soft dismissal as Kuldeep lures him into drive, Cummins mistimes it and gives a simple catch to Kuldeep, he takes his 4th wicket.
15:01 IST Ashwin continues, Wade takes a single on the second delivery. Two more singles off the over as both the batsmen refrain from playing an attacking shot. 3 runs from Ashwin’s over.
14:58 IST Kuldeep Yadav is back into the attack. So far so good for Cummins, he has been able to survive Kuldeep’s over managing to defend googlies and the ones turning in. But, Kuldeep has managed to keep him quiet, that will create pressure on him.
14:56 IST Ashwin continues, Wade on strike, another maiden for him. Wade could not find a single or a boundary as Ashwin bowls a tight line darting deliveries and turning them away, slowing a few in the air and bowling with pace. Wade manages to keep him quiet.
14:54 IST Jadeja continues, Wade takes a single off the third ball to bring Cummins on strike. FOUR! He is attacking Jadeja, hits that one towards mid-wicket boundary for four. He is clearly doing Starc’s work. FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries for Cummins as he hits that one towards long-on. 9 runs from the over.
14:50 IST Wade and Cummins are looking to rotate strike now. They pick up three singles from Ashwin’s over. Cummins seem to have no problem at all, batting with confidence.
14:48 IST Ashwin-Jadeja are trying to make Australians surrender to pressure. Wade is determined to take the score forward whereas Cummins is picking a loose ball and hittting for a boundary. India need to get a wicket soon or the momentum will shift from them to the tourists.
14:42 IST Jadeja continues, Wade on strike. Just a boundary from his over as Wade came down the track and flicked the ball towards mid-wicket boundary. He is playing well today, Kuldeep Yadav might be introduced into the attack soon.
14:38 IST Ashwin continues, Cummins on strike. SIX! He scores big on the fourth ball, Cummins is trying to do what Mitchell Starc did in first two Tests, hits him for a huge six over long-on boundary. Just six runs from the over.
14:36 IST Jadeja from the other end, Wade on strike, he is showing good application out there sweeping the ball and not letting it spin that much. He picks up a couple of runs two times. He would not be able to play tha shot against Kuldeep Yadav.
14:33 IST Ashwin continues, Pat Cummins on strike. He bowls a maiden over to Cummins, he is playing with caution. From the looks of it India might bundle out Australia before Day 1. Will Australia play otherwise?
Kuldeep Yadav wreaks havoc on Australian batsmen and turns the Dharamsala Test upside down in a matter of one session. David Warner’s wicket provided them with the opening they were looking for. One can notice a tear slip out of his eye when he got his first wicket. Shaun Marsh too departed to a rather nothing delivery down the leg side from Umesh Yadav.
Kuldeep Yadav bowled a rather magical delivery to get rid of Peter Handscomb and later Glenn Maxwell. Steven Smith was running out of partners and it seemed like to Rahane to bring Ashwin into the attack. What seemed like became reality as Smith got out after scoring his century to Ashwin.
That’s tea! What a fightback from India. Smith’s 100 crucial for Australia, but Kuldeep has 3-41 on debut: https://t.co/1HG79qHddv #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/iMzvoqhrCa
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
Tea Break!
14:11 IST Kuldeep Yadav comes back into the attack, Wade on strike, he is trying to keep his wicket intact before the tea break. A lot of ooh and aah going around the pitch as Wade is barely surviving. Anil Kumble stands up and claps as Indian bowlers dominate second session. 77 runs and 5 wickets from this session.
14:06 IST WICKET! Steven Smith c Ajinkya Rahane b Ravichandran Ashwin 111(173)
14:06 IST Ashwin continues, Wade on strike, he tries to slog that one but the ball took a fierce spin, misses the ball completely. Next ball, he plays that one defensively. no run. He defends the next one as well. Shout for catch it! but the ball was well away from the bat. Next ball, OUT! Smith departs as he edges the ball to slip-fielder Rahane. India have got the breakthrough, will look to bundle up the Australian innings now. With that wicket Ashwin became the bowler with most wickets in a season 79.
14:02 IST Jadeja to Smith, he almost got his wicket by stump out on the third delivery as it turned away fiercely. This is going to be tough from Smith, he takes a single on the fourth delivery. Wade on strike, he flicks the ball towards square leg and takes a single. Smith is back on strike, that one came back in, no run.
13:59 IST Ashwin to Wade, he is trying to find the gap and get off strike. Ashwin denies him any room to work with and rotate the strike. A maiden over from him.
13:58 IST Jadeja replaces Kuldeep Yadav, Wade on strike, he takes a single off the first ball. Smith on strike, Jadeja was able to beat him a couple of times in his first spell. Two more singles from the over, three runs from it. 200 up for Australia!
13:54 IST Ashwin continues, Smith on strike. He is not doing anything to give the Indians a chance to dominate, takes a single off the third ball. Wade on strike, Ashwin is trying to attack the new batsmen, he sweeps the last ball for a single and retains strike.
13:52 IST Kuldeep Yadav to Wade, he is not letting the wicketkeeper-batsman get off easily. He finally gets a single on the fourth delivery. Smith is looking rather comfortable against him, takes a single, rotates strike. Wade plays another dot delivery, 2 runs from the over.
13:49 IST Ashwin is introduced into the attack, it is a perfect time for him to take control. Ashwin bowls a good length, concedes just two singles from the over.
13:45 IST Smith takes a single on the second ball as Kuldeep Yadav continues. Wade on strike, he is having it rough out there not being able to pick the trajectory of the ball. It is not going to be easy for the Aussies to tackle him, just a single from his over.
13:43 IST Umesh Yadav to Mathew Wade, he is bowling round the wicket to the left-hander. Wade plays the first four deliveries but could not score a run as Umesh is targetting the stumps. SIX! Short ball from Umesh and Wade pulls it for a six towards fine leg. He plays the next one with caution, 6 runs from the over.
13:37 IST Smith and Wade rotate strike off Kuldeep Yadav. FOUR! Smith reaches another century, he has been outstanding in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 6 runs from this over.
Half man, half amazing#INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/eW6KtAfyVD
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
13:35 IST Century for Steven Smith!, reaches his ton in 150 balls. As long as he is out there, Australia have a good chance to post a fighting first inning score.
13:34 IST Mathew Wade comes into bat though he is off strike, Umesh Yadav comes into the attack. Smith takes a single off the first ball. Umesh coming round the wicket to Wade, no runs scored of the rest of the deliveries as Umesh is causing problems for Wade. Rahane is trying to put more and more pressure on the Aussie batsmen. Smith continues to run out of partners.
13:28 IST WICKET! Glenn Maxwell b Kuldeep Yadav 8(17) Oh boy! This young lad is making the Aussies crumble. Maxwell could not decide what to do with that ball as he went back and forth. The ball went into the stumps, another wicket for Kuldeep, he is having a ball today! Two runs and a wicket in that over.
13:24 IST Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues, Maxwell was surprised by the short ball, does well to let that go. He plays the next one towards mid-wicket. He takes a single off the next ball, Smith on strike. Outside offstump line from Bhuvneshwar as he invites Smith to drive, he leaves the last three deliveries alone, just a single from the over.
13:20 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, another tight over from him as Maxwell and Smith take a single each from the over. Smith is currently batting on 94, he needs to be there if he wants to prevent Australia from a batting collapse.
13:16 IST Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues, Maxwell on strike. A maiden over from him, Steven Smith is running out of partners. He will be expecting Maxwell to stick around like he did at Ranchi in the first innings.
13:11 IST Glenn Maxwell comes into bat, takes a single on the first ball towards covers, just two runs and a wicket off Kuldeep’s over.
13:07 IST WICKET! Peter Handscomb b Kuldeep Yadav 8(23) OMG! That was a ripper, Handscomb goes for a drive but the ball came back in fiercelrattlinging the stumps. Yadav is on a rampage, gets his second wicket!
13:05 IST Bhuvneshwar continues, Smith takes a single off the first ball. Meanwhile, Iyer can be seen in the field as a substitute fielder, he did not get an opportunity to play in the decider. Handscomb on strike, he is not taking any chances against Bhuvneshwar as he is going deep into the crease to tackle his inswingers. Whoa! He nearly got Handscomb, beats the edge. Just one run from his over.
13:00 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Smith on strike, he gets off strike first ball as he guides the ball towards backward square leg. Handscomb takes a single towards square leg as the ball took an offside edge when he offered a front foot block. Smith takes a single off the fifth ball, Handscomb on strike. FOUR! He plays the ball on the full, first boundary for him.
12:57 IST Bhuvneshwar Kumar into the attack, Handscomb takes a single on the first ball. Smith on strike, with a single he moves into the 90s again in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Handscomb plays out the rest of the over cautiously, 2 runs from the over.
12:52 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Smith on strike, he takes a single on the second delivery. A bit overcast conditions at Dharamsala. Handscomb on strike, the fourth ball of the over kept low, he survives. He takes a single off the last ball and retains strike.
12:49 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Handscomb on strike, he takes a single off the first ball towards covers. Smith on strike, he takes a single off the last ball towards backward square leg. The flow runs has slowed down after the lunch break.
12:44 IST Smith on strike, Kuldeep Yadav continues, a maiden over for him as Smith could not find the gap there. Two quick wickets have got Indians on the toes. WIll this session belong to India?
12:42 IST Smith takes a single off the third ball, Yadav is not giving any loose deliveries now. OUT! That one was down the leg side but Marsh tries to glance it away, brushes his gloves and carries to Saha. Marsh immediately walks off the field. The Yadavs seem to be dominating the Aussies. Peter Handscomb comes into bat, he plays out the over. Indian bowlers will be looking to capitalise on two wickets.
12:38 IST WICKET! Shaun Marsh c Wriddhiman Saha b Umesh Yadav 4(14)
12:37 IST Kuldeep continues, he has been creating problems for Marsh. He takes a single off the second ball, Smith returns the favour. Marsh on strike again, he cautiously plays the rest of the over, just 2 runs from it.
12:34 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Marsh and Smith have not encountered any problem in facing the fast bowler, pick up two singles from the over. Will Rahane introduce spin from both ends?
12:28 IST An eventful over from Kuldeep. Shaun Marsh comes into bat. He too seems to be having trouble against the batsman. He takes a single on the fifth ball. Smith on strike, he picks up a couple of runs.
12:25 IST WICKET! David Warner c Ajinkya Rahane b Kuldeep Yadav 56 (67) Extra bounce gets the better of Warner, he went for the cut shot but it went a bit straight as Warner edged it to Rahane who took it comfortably. What a way to open his wicket tally, Kuldeep Yadav strikes.
12:24 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Smith on strike. Whoa! He beats Smith for the first time on Day 1, lack of foot movement from the Australian skipper there. FOUR! Smith moves across and guides the ball towards deep mid-wicket boundary. Rahul puts in a dive but could not cut that off. Edged and safe! The ball falls short of Rahane in slip position. Another dot ball to follow. Smith plays the next one defensively as well, no run. Short ball, Smith pulls that one wide off mid-wicket fielder as the ball raises away for FOUR!
12:19 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Yadavs from both ends. Smith takes a single on the first ball. Warner on strike, Kuldeep is taking the ball away from Warner. He is bowling a good line not giving much room to Warner to hit boundaries, just a single from his over.
12:15 IST Umesh Yadav comes into the attack, Aussies seem to take it easy early in the second session as they pick up four singles from the over. It seems like they are liking the ball coming onto the bat. Seamers have not troubled Smith-Warner after initial start.
12:11 IST Players are back into the field for the second session of play.
The first session of the decider at Dharamsala belonged to Australia. Smith as usual scores another half century and extends his lead over other batsmen as the leading run-scorer of the Test series. But, the highlight of the first session was David Warner. Though he got dropped off the first ball but he made good use of the second chance and went on to score his first half-century on this tour. He will be ecstatic to get his 24th century.
The pitch helped the seamers early on as Umesh Yadav rattled Matthew Renshaw’s stumps to sent him packing back to the pavilion. But, from there on Smith and Warner dominated Indian fast bowlers. Smith started hitting boundaries and dominating seamers and that’s when the spin bowling from both ends was introduced.
That’s lunch! A brilliant start from the Aussies, going to the break at 1-131. Warner 54* and Smith cruising on 72* #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/0YtBXsaMSh
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
The spinners Ashwin-Jadeja did a really great job to slow down the flow of runs early on creating pressure on both the batsmen. The pitch too provided them with bounce which helped them beat the batsmen on various occasions. But, they started attacking them as well after settling in. Kuldeep Yadav too bowled a couple of overs, it will be interesting to see how he bowls in the second session.
Lunch Break!
11:31 IST Kuldeep Yadav continues, Smith son strike, he plays the first ball towards mid-off, no run. Next ball, Smith gets down the track trying to work it away but it goes back to the bowler. FOUR! Smith scores another boundary towards covers, was in the air for a while but lands safe. Last ball before lunch, played towards mid-wicket, no run.
11:28 IST Ashwin continues, Warner on strike, he takes a single off the third delivery. That brings Smith on strike, he is being cautious as they will be heading to lunch after next over. Smith takes a single and retains strike.
Fifty in the Baggy Green. You beauty, Davey #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/SHat3kFhEr
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
11:26 IST Kuldeep Yadav to bowl his first over of the debut. Warner edges the second ball and it runs away for a boundary. He gets to his 24th Test century, his first fifty on this tour. A single more from the over, Kuldeep can be lethal, you can sense that from the way he is bowling.
FIFTY! Dropped on the first ball of the Test, David Warner now brings up his first fifty of the series off 72 balls #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/uNg08bRuif
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
11:22 IST Ashwin continues, Warner is looking to score runs now but not in a hurried manner. FOUR! Warner gets back into the crease again and hits the ball for a boundary towards covers. He takes a single off the next, five runs from the over as Smith defends the last ball.
11:18 IST Smith takes a single off the first ball of Jadeja’s over. 100 run partnership between Smith and Warner. FOUR! Warner rocks back into the crease and flashes his blade on that occasion, the ball runs away to the boundary. Warner has entered the 40s now. He takes a single off the next ball, Smith on strike. He too gets down the track but finds the mid-on fielder, no run. Another dot delivery to end the over.
11:16 IST Ashwin continues, Smith on strike, rather good line and length from him. Smith takes a single on the third ball. Warner on strike, he presents a dead bat on that one, no run. SIX! This rivalry is getting fierce as Warner plays with the spin and whacks the ball for a maximu over long-on boundary. He plays a dot ball to end the over.
11:12 IST Jadeja continues, Warner on strike, he flashes his bat on the second ball, takes and edge and runs away towards the boundary for FOUR! He is being cautious now, not trying to attack too soon. Jadeja is not giving him room to work the ball.
11:10 IST Ashwin continues, Smith on strike, he watches the first one closely go into Saha’s hands. Smith plays the next one towards mid-wicket, no run. FOUR! Smith comes down the track and hits the ball over the top for a boundary towards straight on. FOUR! Another boundary as he makes room for himself and punches the ball past cover fielder for a boundary. He comes round the wicket, a dot ball to finish off the over.
11:07 IST Jadeja continues, Smith is coming forward and staying in his crease defending the darted in deliveries in the area of uncertainties. He takes a single on the fourth delivery. Warner is happy to defend and play out the over, just a single from the over.
11:04 IST Jadeja and Ashwin have been able to slow down the flow of runs. They have been bowling tight lines to get the better of Australian batsmen. Will be see Kuldeep Yadav bowling before lunch break?
FIFTY! Just another day at the office for Steven Peter Devereux Smith. His 21st Test 50 coming off 67 balls https://t.co/1HG79qHddv #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/tW40zycuTy
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
11:00 IST Ashwin to Warner, he takes a single on the third delivery, not being able to attack the off-spinner. Smith gets to another fifty, he is having a great season. He raises his bat in acknowledgement, the leading run scorer of Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
10:58 IST Jadeja continues, Smith on strike, not so easy going against the spinners, he is beating him on several occasions. A couple of runs off the over. It is not going to be easy for Smith to tackle Jadeja around the wicket.
10:56 IST Ashwin continues, Smith takes a single on the first delivery. Warner on strike, he has not been provided with any room in this over, not that easy to attack Ashwin when he is bowling a tight line. Just a single from his over.
10:52 IST Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack, he causes problems from Smith. He manages to take a single on the fifth delivery. Warner too is being cautious against him as he got his wicket in the previous match.
10:50 IST Ashwin continues, surprisingly he has not been troubled that much by the off-spinner. Three singles from the over as Warner-Smith look to rotate strike.
10:45 IST Bhuvneshwar continues, Smith on strike. FOUR! Plenty of width offered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the ball races towards the boundary for four, the lightning quick outfield making sure that no fielder gets to it. He shoulders arms on the next two deliveries. Another nice looking cover drive from Smith, picks up a couple of runs. He finds the gap again and takes a single. A front foot block from Warner to end the over.
10:41 IST Ashwin continues, Warner on strike, this is going to be one epic battle. He takes a single, Ashwin is not happy to let go off Warner. Smith on strike, he too takes a single on the second ball. Last ball of the over, onto the stumps, not giving Warner any room to work with, just 2 runs scored off Ashwin’s over.
10:38 IST Bhuvneshwar continues, Smith on strike, he is the leading run-scorer of the tournament for a reason. He has played a flawless inning till now. Smith defends the first one and lets the next one go into Saha’s gloves. He takes a single towards third man for a single. Warner on strike, he pushes the ball towards point for a single. FOUR! Smith scores another boundary and moves on to 35. A dot ball to end the over.
Time for a beverage with the Aussies 1-59 after 12 overs. Warner 24* and Smith 30*. Umesh has the wicket: https://t.co/1HG79qHddv #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/BOqiukKcAa
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
Drinks Break!
10:30 IST Ravichandran Ashwin comes into the attack, Warner on strike, will he take his wicket again? Starts off with a decent delivery, Warner does well to defend it. Next ball, extra bounce there, survives. He comes down the track on the next ball but does not hit it over the top. He defends the next. Warner goes down the track again but mistimes it, the ball lands safe, he takes a single. Another single to end the over as Smith retains strike.
10:27 IST Bhuvneshwar to Warner, he takes a single off the second ball, he is not looking to attack as Smith is doing that. Smith is on strike, he is playing Bhuvneshwar carefully as he knows the damage he can do early on. FOUR! Smith has moved on to 29 from 35 balls, expect a run riot today.
10:21 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Warner on strike, he gets off strike on the second ball, takes a single. Smith on strike, he has been hitting the ball in the middle of the bat. FOUR! Pierces the field in square and scores a boundary, he is looking dangerous now. Takes a couple more runs off the last ball, driving the ball towards covers. 7 runs from the over.
10:17 IST Bhuvneshwar continues, Smith shoulders arms on the first two deliveries, not willing to go fishing outside off stump on a swinging delivery. Smith was surprised by the extra bounce on the next delivery as he manages to defend that one, no run. A blunt edge off the next delivery, no run. He shoulders arms on the next one. Bhuvneshwar ends his over with a dot ball, good line and length from him.
10:13 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Smith on strike. FOUR! A nice looking cover drive from Smith pierces the field and goes towards the boundary! FOUR! No need to run for that, Umesh bowled a delivery which was asking to be smashed. Smith slaps the ball for a boundary. He shoulders arms on the next ball. Good running from Smith and Warner as he takes a couple of runs. Short ball, Smith was surprised there! In the air and safe, Smith survives as the ball lands in no man’s land, takes a single and retains strike.
10:08 IST Bhuvneshwar continues, Warner on strike, that one was pitched on the pads, the ball beats him and goes towards the boundary for FOUR! Warner is being cautious trying to play out the new ball. FOUR! He was surprised again on the fifth delivery with the extra bounce off the pitch. Edged and safe, as the ball goes past the slips. A dot ball to end the over.
10:05 IST The ball has been changed. Yadav runs in again and bowls a short delivery, Warne gets into an awkward position but manages to defend it, no run. He takes a single of the last delivery, retains strike.
Virat loving it out there #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/qHe62jgqwf
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
Virat Kohli turns water boy as he comes in to talk to Rahane and team!
10:01 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Warner takes a single off the second ball after playing a defensive shot off the previous delivery. Smith on strike, he too picks up a couple of runs dabbing the ball towards backward square leg. Meanwhile, Rahane is having a chat with Saha, there is some concern over the ball. The Umpires are having a look at it.
9:58 IST Bhuvneshwar continues, Smith on strike, he is taking his time to adjust to the inswingers from India’s swing bowler. He succeeds it picking up a couple of runs two times in the over by shuffling across the crease in his typical fashion and turning the ball away towards mid-wicket. Bhuvneshwar too in order to encounter that came round the wicket, two dot deliveries to end the over.
9:55 IST Umesh Yadav continues, Warner on strike, he lets the first one go into Saha’s gloves, no run. The next ball was shaped into the pads, Warner stays in his crease and defends it. He takes a single on the second ball. Smith too rotates the strike and gets off the mark. FOUR! Warner hits another boundary, India made a horrible mistake dropping his catch on the first ball.
9:48 IST Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues, Warner on strike, he starts off with a defensive shot off the fullish delivery. No driving on that occasion. Warner takes a single on the third ball and gets Smith on strike. Smith is not having it easy here, Bhuvneshwar is giving him a hard time, just a single of the over.
9:44 IST Skipper Steven Smith comes in to bat, he plays the next two balls cautiously. A wicket-maiden for Umesh Yadav!
9:41 IST WICKET! Matthew Renshaw b Umesh Yadav 1(6) Bowled! inswinging delivery decieves Renshaw as it goes between bat and pads wrecking the stumps!
9:41 IST Umesh Yadav to open the bowling from the other end. Renshaw on strike, he shoulders arms on that one, no run. A short of the length delivery from Umesh, Renshaw pushes it towards offside, no run. Next ball, Renshaw does well this time as he gets behind the short ball and defends it, no run.
9:37 IST First ball, edged and dropped! Whoa! nice swing there, Warner went into the drive, edges it to Karun Nair at third slip. Not a good start to the day. Warner is cautious the next time as he lets the next one go into Saha’s gloves. Next ball, was pushed towards short mid-wicket for a quick single.
Renshaw on strike, he plays that one on the leg side but fielded inside the 30-yard circle, no run. Renshaw takes a single off the next ball. Warner on strike, nice looking delivery driven towards covers for four! Rubbing salt on Bhuvneshwar’s wounds.
9:32 IST Here we go, Bhuvneshwar runs in, Warner on strike.
9:30 IST Bhuvneshwar Kumar to open the bowling for India!
9:28 IST Openers Matthew Renshaw and David Warner to start the proceedings of Day 1.
9:24 IST Players walk out in the middle for their respective national anthems!
9:09 IST Two changes in the Indian side as Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaces Ishant Sharma and debutant Kuldeep Yadav in lieu of injured Virat Kohli.
What the captains had to say-
Ajinkya Rahane: Hats off to Virat for his commitment. Anyone who isn’t fit (in our team) usually opts out and that is what he did. It looks like a good track and should be the case for the first two days. It is important for us to start off well because we are playing with five bowlers. A few early wickets and the game will then change. The preparation has been really good and everyone has contributed well over the course of this series. Bhuvneshwar comes in place of Ishant and Kuldeep Yadav comes in place of Kohli.
India’s new captain #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/oM2beNjIsr
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
Steven Smith: We’ll have a bat. The stage has been set for a fantastic match. A beautiful place to play with the mountain in the background and let’s hope the cricket would be up there. The wickets at the back were beautiful. It looks like a nice wicket. Just a hint of grass. Could be some more bounce than what we’ve seen all tour but I’ve been proved wrong time and again out here. We’ll wait to get out there and will have to adjust to the conditions. The boys are ready and we are in with an unchanged eleven.
Australia gonna bat first on this #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/xKrXslL5Pe
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
Playing XI India: Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav
Playing XI Australia: Matt Renshaw, David Warner, Steven Smith(c), Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade(wk), Pat Cummins, Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Australia wins the toss, to bat first in the fourth and final Test at Dharamsala #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/dgKns1lMMS
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 25, 2017
9:00 IST TOSS! Steven Smith wins the toss and elects to bat first
8:59 IST It’s confirmed, Ajinkya Rahane will be captaining the side as Virat Kohli is not fit to play the decider Test.
8:51 IST According to former cricketer VVS Laxman the team winning the toss should bat first. Nothing new there as the story in the Test series has been the same, captain winning the toss opting to bat first.
8:47 IST Bad news for Virat Kohli fans, he is with the team in the ground but not stretching. Ajinkya Rahane has a huge responsibility on his shoulders in the virtual final of Border-Gavaskar Trophy!
Ajinkya Rahane in the captain’s blazer. Toss in five #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/7ozMbmas8v
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 25, 2017
8:42 IST Surprise entry! Leg spinner Kuldeep Yadav gets an entry into the team for the Dharamshala Test. He got the Test cap this morning, he has had a brilliant run in the season. He played well against the Australians in the warm-up game as well. Let’s see what he does with the ball at Dharamshala.
Welcome to inUth’s digital coverage of India vs Australia Dharamsala Test, you would not miss out on any action as we bring you the live score updates and commentary. India and Australia are all set for the virtual final of Border-Gavaskar Trophy as it is currently poised at 1-1. There is no second opinion that the Dharamsala Test is set to grab the headlines again as the focus shifts back to cricket after trash talk from players, media etc.
Huge moment this for young @imkuldeep18 as he receives his Test cap #INDvAUS #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/GvRQVUAfj8
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 25, 2017
Virat Kohli’s availability
Kohli’s availability is less likely in the Dharamsala Test as he revealed that he still has to go under the fitness Test like everyone else. Although the physio will take the final call as Kohli had an impact injury. He will only play if the magnitude of the risks are low as he takes the field. If he does not play, there are chances that Shreyas Iyer might make his Test debut.
Just getting a feel of things here captain @imVkohli #TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/r2Wfrvll7E
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 24, 2017
Pitch Report:
The Dharamsala pitch will not be anything like the previous three pitches we have encountered so far. It will be a wicket which will help the fast bowlers too, not just a rank turner which will wreak havoc on Day 3. Expect the ball to come nicely on the bat and the batsmen being rewarded for their shots. One can expect a mammoth total in the first innings only if they survive the new ball with wickets intact.
NEWS ALERT – Mohammed Shami & Shreyas Iyer included in the Indian team for Dharamsala Test against Australia #TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/U5BJbyo1S3
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 24, 2017
Weather Report:
The weather at Dharamsala is fit for cricket as it will be a rather sunny day, though there might be a few clouds hovering in the hills with 21 degrees being the highest temperature and 12 being the lowest. The weather forecast shows no chances of rain.
Batting preps on Test match eve #INDvAUS #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/2oqvZfwX3Q
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 24, 2017
Squads:
India: Lokesh Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Abhinav Mukund, Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia: David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Steve O’Keefe, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Jackson Bird, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Agar, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Marcus Stoinis
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