**Official** 1st Test @ Perth, 22nd-26th November

[trundler]

We're only 9 sixes away from a lead here.

Only 50 overs from taking the lead at the current tempo

 

[Son Of Coco]

Only 50 overs from taking the lead at the current tempo

We're getting miles in the bowlers' legs!

 

[honestbharani]

Starc is potentially playing THE match winning innings here. Extremely responsible batting from him. Getting miles into the Indian fast bowlers' legs as well. We are very much gonna collapse in the 3rd innings as well. I mean even if we play to our potential we may score just about 200 here and I dont think the Aussies will collapse twice in their home conditions.

On another note, I have noticed India do this thing with their slip cordon which I dont think I have seen any other side ever do. They move their regular first slip fielder out when they dont need 3 slips. They move Virat, who is usually second slip, to some kind of 1.5 slip and then the usual 3rd slip stands round about 2.75 slip. And I am pretty sure that is what cost us the Starc wicket earlier off Bumrah.

Usually when its 3 slips, you will see Gill as the first slip and now in this game it was DDP. But that stupid positioning of the cordon, which I have seen us doing for a while now has bitten us bad.

 

[cnerd123]

Innings defeat still on the cards here

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

I suppose this crawl plays into India's hands with one eye on the pitch deteriorating but this game has moved too fast and our upcoming batting too unreliable to make it matter.

 

[Spark]

Gotta say, Starc must be in a good headspace in general on top of his good bowling rhythm. Just looks really untroubled and calm.

 

[sayon basak]

Why not bowl a yorker?

 

[Spark]

I suppose this crawl plays into India's hands with one eye on the pitch deteriorating but this game has moved too fast and our upcoming batting too unreliable to make it matter.

Open question whether this pitch does meaningfully deteriorate tbh. Drop-ins tend not to and the deterioration in previous Optus games has been divoting more than anything else. Still very early days at this ground

 

[OverratedSanity]

Match winning partnership imo

 

[eroticfishcake]

That was frustrating but it's over now

 

[Spark]

There we go. That was probably what Bumrah was expecting to happen about ten overs ago

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

****ing hell, finally. Not too unhappy with that, all said. Sets our losers up to bat in easier conditions too.

 

[honestbharani]

Open question whether this pitch does meaningfully deteriorate tbh. Drop-ins tend not to and the deterioration in previous Optus games has been divoting more than anything else. Still very early days at this ground

If it does divot, that will make it very hard to chase in the 4th innings though which is also something I have seen in this ground in 2018. Maybe it has improved since but my thinking is that if it does, it will make it harder for Australia.

That was good timing for the last wicket at this point tbh. They can take lunch happily now.

Dont see how we make more than 150 now either and as I said, Aus will fancy chasing 200 here.

 

[trundler]

Who'd have thought just hanging in there indefinitely is not a plan. Still great stuff from Starc though. Not his job but he fought well. Big lead for India.

 

[Burgey]

God this would annoy the living **** out of me as the fielding skipper

 

[smellcricketintheair]

bodes well for India.. opening bowlers are tired . 100 loading for jaiswal.

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

There we go. That was probably what Bumrah was expecting to happen about ten overs ago

Poor if that were to be the case. Hanging back, letting the last pair bat out a hundred balls given what's transpired here so far. My complaint is he wasn't even doing the bare minimum for these situations, bringing the field in for the last two balls to Starc, etc.

 

[Spark]

If it does divot, that will make it very hard to chase in the 4th innings though which is also something I have seen in this ground in 2018. Maybe it has improved since but my thinking is that if it does, it will make it harder for Australia.

That was good timing for the last wicket at this point tbh. They can take lunch happily now.

Dont see how we make more than 150 now either and as I said, Aus will fancy chasing 200 here.

If it's divoted then they might as well shake hands now, India have won. What I heard though is that this wicket block is a lot harder than last year's though so it probably won't and they hadn't observed any divots yesterday. But only time will tell

 

[King Kane]

A handy first innings lead of 46 for India in a low scoring match so far, they probably weren't expecting that when they got rolled for 150 yesterday.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Innings defeat still on the cards here

India to score -50 in the second innings?+