Interesting by the Indians picking 5 bowlers and batting one of them (Pathan) at opener. Paid off to an extent with India looking solid at 1/59 even though Pathan is out. As always it looks a good batting deck, but once again Dravid looks to have dropped anchor out there.

His anchor just got hoisted

Tendulkar in, the game starts now.

Now that Dravid is out, having Sehwag and the Little Master in together should be more exciting.

plebs game

ty for posting, you can move on now.

Gonna suggest that Australia might lose this test, as the wicket will crumble on the 4th day when Australia will likely be batting for a second time. Gilchrist to fail again and the Aussie selectors to finally accept that a test average of only 30 since the Ashes in England really isn't up to scratch with talent like Brad Haddin waiting in the wings.

last edited by Fade2Black at 13:53:12 24/Jan/08

last edited by Fade2Black at 13:53:24 24/Jan/08

do you touch brad's crotch often fade ? :p

makes you wonder why poor old sehwag didnt get a run in the first two games;

his bowling is a bonus, but his batting is the real goodness;

scores at a good rate, looks to go on the attack, just like an australian!

Thats a pretty big call F2B since in the last game he got the second highest score (55) and an average score(15). The game before he was a bit less than average but the game before that he was again, middle of the pack.Given his place in the line up, Gilly is expected to be a wicket keeper. Anything else is a pure bonus.

I think i've seen Brad Haddin(he wickied for Australia A in the old ODI right?) before but it'd have been long enough ago that it wouldn't be a fair impression. However his stats don't scream "pick me" to me.

I daresay he'll be watched but one poor game and one pretty ordinary game in the last 3 in a secondary role isn't really enough for the axe to fall.

This is the key partnership, Laxman and Tendulkar have been the form batsmen for India and could potentially be the difference between 300 and 400+. Good to see Johnson bowling reasonably well and picking up a few wickets too.

Around about 2/90 in both sessions so far, that's probably just advantage Australia. But it's always harder at the end of a day in the field, so it'll be interesting to see if that changes in the last session. Alternatively as you said eK, breaking this partnership early could swing things clearly Australia's way.

Did India win the toss?

Yeah Trog they did.

Keepers aren't picked just because they can keep any more, their batting plays a big part in the decision. You can blame Gilchrist (and Healy to a lesser extent) for that. Just like there is an expectation for bowlers to work on their batting, I think the expectation is higher for a keeper.

Keepers aren't picked just because they can keep any more, their batting plays a big part in the decision. You can blame Gilchrist (and Healy to a lesser extent) for that. Just like there is an expectation for bowlers to work on their batting, I think the expectation is higher for a keeper.

Funny you mention that, was reading a paper yesterday(might have been mx but still) that gave Michael Slater's comment on "is Gilchrist for the axe?" was that ultimately he's got to keep focused on his keeping. His runs have always been a bit of a bonus when they occur but if his keeping game slides because he's worrying about being a batsman then that'll be the end of it. So i think you're overstating the selectors' expectations here.

And again i say, where he's batting he's doing just fine. If he was an opening batsman or even top 4 then there is an expectation to act like a batting keeper. But i daresay his current position at "Just before the bowlers" is the response to his somewhat ordinary batting form.

Well it's relatively in the balance at the moment and 6/359. Anything under 400 and you'd probably say Australia are on the front foot, anything over and you'd say India would be the favourite.

I know i'm repeating myself, but it's so good to see Johnson picking up crucial wickets...he's still got a long way to go, but unlike Tait he's managing to pick wickets up at fairly regular intervals.

Tendulkar out!!!!

Hmm India reached the 400 mark.....interesting

Now they've reached the 500 mark.... depressing. Given the form of some of our top batsman in this series (Ponting, Gilchrist) I'm a little concerned. Hopefully now Haydos is back he'll reprezent and we'll start out strongly, but unless our middle order delivers it's going to be messy.

ouch.. 500 is a strong total.

Nice batting to India.

Good test of character for the aussie side.

LOLOLOLOLOLOOL KUMBLE IS GOING TO MAKE A CENTURY.

9/525

ROFLCOPTER

edit:

I don't think its so much that our players are out of form, just that they can't handle the quality swing bowling.

last edited by mongie at 16:44:06 25/Jan/08

KUMBLE IS GOING TO MAKE A CENTURY.

You so jinxed him.

Shame on you.

Australia will be relieved to get off the field, they dropped as many as six catches in the innings.

(From the baggygreen online commentry)

OK... i've always said that when the Aussie catching and fielding is under par they're f***ed. I'm not sure if that 6 include the not-really-a-chances but assuming not... hard row to hoe.

That being said... I saw the series is 2-1 aussie favour so we can't win this one or the 5th test is pointless. So no worries.

suggestions of dropping Gilchrist are ludicrous.

are we talking about the same guy that smashed 150 in the world cup final and made 100 off 57 balls in the Ashes only 6 tests ago?

aussies are going along ok so far today

i just need jacques to score 400/500 runs this innings to get me back in my fantasy comp

i know he can do it!!!!

edit: ffs, just as i post this he gets out

last edited by Spook at 14:21:14 26/Jan/08

Hayden centuries

Just said on channel 9 that adam gilchrist is retiring from test match cricket, but not one day.

i'm sure f2b the hater will be happy

If that's true, going to take some aggressive batting and bowling to send him out a winner in this test. Can't really see it heading for anything other than a draw, possibly an Indian win.

Looks like it

ADAM Gilchrist will his evening drop a bombshell on Australian cricket by announcing his retirement from the international game.

he's gonna play the cb one day series and then finish after that. Hopefully he can crank out some big scores in the one-dayers.

Exceptional innings so far by Michael Clarke, might see Australia in the lead in an hour or so.

gilchrist :(

yer, whats up with him retiring?

didnt he just say he wanted to play on?

seems to me he still has plenty to give . .. .

its clearly one of two things.

1) he saw my post, and realised his time was up

2) he was under pressure to retire before getting dropped so he took the initiative and beat the selectors to it.

Apparently there is something he will be announcing after the test match - something related to his retirement.

I hope it isn't something health-related. :(

I hope it isn't something heath-related. :(

Fixed.

its clearly one of two things.

1) he saw my post, and realised his time was up

2) he was under pressure to retire before getting dropped so he took the initiative and beat the selectors to it.

Or he just likes banging his wife and spending time with his three kids?

3 crappy overseas tours coming up, I can see why he pulled the pin.

great catches hayden! we might to be drawn today.

Man what a great hayden catch!

Game over, Series win to Australia....but more importantly

Goodbye Gilly

gilly :(