4th Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, 15 - 19 Jan 2021

[social]

Don't know where from now to Australia. They have bunch of great players and the team was on the rise since the ashes but this will absolutely shatter them. No offense to India but Australia are expected to beat a full strength Indian team at home leave aside basically a second xi. Any hope of WTC final is also sailed and rightly so they don't deserve that.

I know this tag is thrown around a lot and well played to India and all but this is truly the lowest point and eclipsed Sri Lanka white wash I think

We have fit Warner, Labu, Smith, Green, Cummins & Haze

That’s a lot of holes to fill

 

[Shady Slim]

and here's another classic Stray Observation; today was the culmination of india's efforts throughout the series led by pujara to bat time. even cummins in those last couple of overs was looking fatigued, and you don't get that unless you've continuously and systematically put overs into him for a very long time.

the ashwin and vihari resistance on day five in sydney, for example, immediately preceding this test on the short turnaround, definitely would have factored in to the mileage in the legs of the aussie bowlers.

 

[Shady Slim]

and here's another classic Stray Observation; today was the culmination of india's efforts throughout the series led by pujara to bat time. even cummins in those last couple of overs was looking fatigued, and you don't get that unless you've continuously and systematically put overs into him for a very long time.

the ashwin and vihari resistance on day five in sydney, for example, immediately preceding this test on the short turnaround, definitely would have factored in to the mileage in the legs of the aussie bowlers.

would love to see how many balls pujara faced for the series. i said all series long that even though india was batting slowly they were seeing rewards coming from the fatigue factor it would endow on the aussie bowlers and i think that's been pretty well comprehensively shown to be the case, if i do allow myself some self indulgence for my rare Good Take.

 

[Burgey]

something happened in Chennai

Fortunately, nothing ever happens in Chennai.

 

[morgieb]

and here's another classic Stray Observation; today was the culmination of india's efforts throughout the series led by pujara to bat time. even cummins in those last couple of overs was looking fatigued, and you don't get that unless you've continuously and systematically put overs into him for a very long time.

the ashwin and vihari resistance on day five in sydney, for example, immediately preceding this test on the short turnaround, definitely would have factored in to the mileage in the legs of the aussie bowlers.

Very true. It's why I was a little bit surprised Neser wasn't rotated in. How effective he would've been is another question but if Thakur could take 7 wickets.....

 

[hazsa19]

Don't know where from now to Australia. They have bunch of great players and the team was on the rise since the ashes but this will absolutely shatter them. No offense to India but Australia are expected to beat a full strength Indian team at home leave aside basically a second xi. Any hope of WTC final is also sailed and rightly so they don't deserve that.

I know this tag is thrown around a lot and well played to India and all but this is truly the lowest point and eclipsed Sri Lanka white wash I think

Best thing they can do is not over react I guess. They’ll probably win in SA then thrash us in the Ashes. They’re still a very good team with 3 world class bats and a quality set of bowlers. Thankfully for everyone else they have a few weaknesses too.

 

[TimAngas]

Think this probably ranks as #2 in the last decade or so of against the odds series wins, just behind SL in SA 2019.

Maybe England in India 2012 is also thereabouts.

 

[morgieb]

think that the 1-1 draw with the bangers was worse tbh even though one could argue for the same reasons it was equally foreseeable

Honestly I don't think we played that badly that series. It looks bad on paper but Shakib was on fire first Test and it ended up being very close.

 

[Burner]

What an incredible end to an incredible series. Never thought that India could pull this off. This is the gutsiest performance I've ever seen from a side. Props to Rahane, he's been brilliant.

 

[Athlai]

Hey @OverratedSanity

View attachment 26874

Very Very Stupid

Pujara runout after lunch looking for an unneccesary 2 when there was only one available, calling it now. And I will blame vvs for it.

I want to see what's more powerful - OS's hate for #intent whingers or OS's love for Laxman.

EDIT: Okay so it's the former

The #intent brigade don't realize that it's easy to have #intent when you have Hayden, Ponting, Hussey, Gilchrist in your batting and Warne and McGrath in your bowling. It's not a matter of a mindset, its a matter of having players who are simply better skilled than the opposition.

India about to prove that in 2021 spin no longer actually exists, that it was all a shared dream and then Warne will be banished back to the realm of eternal baldness.

only I believed

 

[Gnske]

only I believed

And me.

I always knew I was your **** multi.

 

[Burgey]

Daily reminder that Chennai > Brisbane.

Brisbane is a toilet, but this is a bad take.

 

[Athlai]

Someone needs to sig SS quote there with the lead in of ‘Hours before an Indian C team beats Australia on the 5th day chasing 328’

 

[Shady Slim]

Very true. It's why I was a little bit surprised Neser wasn't rotated in. How effective he would've been is another question but if Thakur could take 7 wickets.....

great day for the neser hive was today hehe

i mean it would've strengthened the batting too. i know that like, when if's and but's become veggies and nuts only then can we end world hunger but neser could've made a valuable difference, and he gets wickets by bowling at the stumps

 

[Gob]

the difference between this and the SL white wash is realistically given where australian cricket was at the time and given how invincible rangana was that point in time, that was entirely predictable to a close follower of the game tbh

felt a lot worse than it objectively was

Australia were ranked number 1 coming off a series win in NZ and SL hadn't won **** for so long. Additionally Aust had previously beaten a much stronger SL side with Herath with a considerably worse side

 

[Senile Sentry]

Before this Test he hadn't played a First Class game since he was 18. I was concerned he might go totally down the white ball specialist/T20 mercenary route. What a strange set of circumstances to avoid that, but I'll take it.

And he has looked so compact and reassuring as a batmsan.. even in pressure cooker situation. Took the initiative with a tiring Pant at the other end and nearly got them over the line.

What a star. India just like that unearthed a very good AR.

 

[Spikey]

only I believed

They won with plenty of time to spare. Purjara's intent was fine

 

[Prince EWS]

only I believed

To be fair they basically did exactly what we said they should at the start of the day - don't worry about the target and just bat normally until tea, then think about having a crack if they're only 2 or 3 down. There was no need for Pujara to do anything other than what he did for the first session, as we found out. Laxman is basically tasting the fact that they won tbh.

I think only Rahane's innings was particularly... adventurous. Pant has a Test strike rate of 68 and had 35 off 80 balls.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

only I believed

Lol if this hastens the eternal death of finger spinners. The Uncut Gems meme except its Burgey.

 

[Senile Sentry]

oh my ****ing god they're giving lyon a signed shirt. holy ****ing ****. oh my god

Probably as a send off. Can't see Lyon playing another test. He was stinking **** when it mattered in this series.