India v Australia, Third Test, Chandigarh

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1st Test
Fri Feb 22 - Tue Feb 26
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
12:00 WST | 14:30 CST | 15:00 EST
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

2nd Test
Sat Mar 2 - Wed Mar 6
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
12:00 WST | 14:30 CST | 15:00 EST
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

3rd Test
Thu Mar 14 - Mon Mar 18
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
12:00 WST | 14:30 CST | 15:00 EST
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

4th Test
Fri Mar 22 - Tue Mar 26
04:00 GMT | 09:30 local
12:00 WST | 14:30 CST | 15:00 EST
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi


India:
Shikhar Dhawan, Murli Vijay, Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, M S Dhoni (c),
Rabindra Jadeja, Bhubhneshwar Kumar, Ravi Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda

Australia:
Michael Clarke (c), Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell,
Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon, Xavier Doherty, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird

The new ball's taken, but Henriques continues to play his shots.

been a fantastic effort from Henriques with the bat in this game, and Lyon is supporting him well here..

Prolonging the agony!

How many more do you think they'll need before Clarke makes a declaration?

Good to see some fight from the tail : Lyon is no stylist but he doesn't throw his wicket away easily. And Henriques has certainly justified his (perhaps surprising ?) elevation to the XI with two determined batting efforts.
Not likely to run through too many international lineups with the ball , so his place outside the subcontinent may be in question , but I think he has stitched up that 6/7 spot for this series. Which won't be good news for Maxwell.

Not suggesting it will be a miracle cure for Australia's limited bowling options in these conditions , but if the next pitch is anything like this one I think Doherty has to play. Two quicks , two spinners , plus Henriques.

And just hope Clarke can win another toss and steer his troops to 450-500...

Yeah Alfie, we have to have two spinners.

OK, we cant field 2 as good as Swanny + Monty but we need to try this option at least. Full credit to India for exposing the obvious weakness which everybody knew before a ball was bowled. Surely, the selectors + captain must have known this from past tours? Also, the batting is a huge worry. Clueless or terribly unlucky... take your pick.

Indeed , not much point in taking Doherty over there if they won't pick him on this sort of pitch.
It isn't just a matter of demanding the spinners work miracles : sometimes the opposition get set and whoever bowls they are going to get plenty. But if you keep bashing away with three quicks in these conditions they'll all be knackered before the series is halfway over anyway...lord knows there have been enough casualties this year already and I don't want to see Pattinson stretchered off any time soon...

What do people think about the pitch??

I think this type of pitch makes for good cricket (remember, India made 500 at a good rate on it yesterday so it isn't impossible to score runs). But a few Aussies seem to be outraged at the BCCI's conspiracy to produce a pitch suiting their team...

Australia leading by 40 at the end of the day. A very determined last wicket partnership of 57 between Lyon and Henriques. If they add another 50-60, there would be enough to cause some significant flutters in the Indian camp.
It would be a massive miracle if that happens, India should rap it up before lunch tomorrow.
But a fine effort nevertheless from Henriques.

I would most certainly consider this as a good pitch for good cricket. There was turn from day one, so the toss wasn't too important. There has been plenty of help for spinners throughout the match. But batsmen who are good at playing spin in spinning conditions could score, so I would say very good indeed. Way better than those obnoxious flat monsters for sure.

Bear in mind England won on these kind of pitches by having better spinners. If the Aussies were dumb enough to turn up with just one frontline spinner (having obviously not watched englands first test) then thats their see too. Or perhaps their lack of a top class spinner and any real test class second spinner.
Im sure next time India are facing a 4 man 90mph+ bowling attack on a bouncy wicket in the Rolf Harris Stadium theyll be quick to laugh at Barry Kumar and Ian Sharmas attempts to fight fire with fire.
Its not even like these Indian spinners are mystical all time greats, Englands "mentally incapable" batsmen coped with them for the most part...and Aus arent even facing the best of them.

They couldve recalled Warne *shrug*

Looks to be a fine win for India, barring a miraculous comeback (which would probably require another 80 runs minimum). I can't see Australia coming back this series in truth, they lack the quality spin bowling that is a must in this part of the World.

Nathan Lyon is an honest trier, a decent offspinner, the best available for Australia. But he's no Graeme Swann, and England's 2nd spinner is also better than what Australia can offer at this stage. There was a time when Stuart McGill couldn't make the squad, but that is in the past.......
Said that perhaps Doherty would have made more of an impact than what either Siddle or Starc managed. I was expecting more from Starc in particular, but he bowled far too much round the wicket in the first innings, and then came under an MS Dhoni charge with the 2nd new ball.
England had James Anderson who was making a good impact and both their spinners made full use of the lively tracks. A more significant point is that they have Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen in the batting lineup with seriously good supporting acts from Matt Prior and Nick Compton. Australia didn't have anyone beyond Clarke and Henriques. When England batted they had very good scores from there they could maintain the pressure. If Cook doesn't get you, KP surely would, and if he too manage to fail, then they had Prior, and by the end of the series Root as well.
So unless the likes of Watson and Warner pull their weight significantly, it would remain dificult for Australia. Their seamers, with their extra pace, could make some kind of impact with the ball, but the batting needs to fire consistently.

India win by 8 wickets. Sachin Tendulkar, who smashed the first 2 balls he faced for 6, and Cheteshwar Pujara were at the end to see them through the chase of 50.
As expected, the Indian openers had their more than fair share of trouble. Vijay was out to Pattinson for 6, and Virender Sehwag was out trying to defend a spinner! would you believe it?
An emphatic win for India. Sachin Tendulkar is back among runs, and his approach looks refreshingly positive. In the first innings 3 out of the first 4 balls were hit to the boundary as he came in at 12-2, second time round the first couple of balls disappeared over the boundary. When Sachin plays a positive game, its the sign of his good form.
Cheteshwar Pujara looked good before he lost focus in the first innings, Virat Kohli played a fine knock in the first innings, and the Indian skipper is taking to the number 6 spot in fine style.
Ravindra Jadeja couldn't produce a substantial score with the bat, but he was very good with the ball, picking up 5 wickets in the match. R Ashwin is back to his wicket taking ways, and the technical work he put in together with the former Tamil Nadu spinner Sunil Subramaniam seems to have done him a lot of good. Harbhajan Singh did look half decent in the 2nd innings, and perhaps he might get another game, considering India won the first game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was impressive with the kind of temprament he showed with the bat, he should play test cricket for India, but with his lowish pace, he has to find other ways to get test wickets, it won't be as easy as it is at the domestic level. Ishant Sharma didn't do anything of note throughout the match, in fact, he couldn't even keep the runs down when that was what was expected of him in the first innings.
The middle order was quite good, the spin bowling unit worked effectively. But the openers continue to be a major worry. Sehwag really seems to have lost it. Perhaps time out of the side would help him, Perhaps it may not....... Vijay didn't take his chance either. Will Shikhar Dhawan get a game in the next match?

India have got themselves in a bit of a muddle with Vijay I think... they would surely have picked Dhawan or Rahane, but having had him in the squad v England it becomes very difficult to deny him a recall. I expect him to play at least the 2nd Test now, and the batting to remain unchanged.

Ojha should probably replace Harbhajan (but, clearly, there is a case for retaining Bhajji after bowling better in the 2nd innings).

----

Aussie selection is impossible to predict these days.

My best guess is that the batting will be unchanged, but that Doherty will come in for Starc. Is Ashton Agar still out there? I wouldn't put it past them to give him a go either. Lyon is fading fast: it would now be a surprise if he makes the Ashes tour.

So if Lyon doesn't make the Ashes tour which spinner would they bring? Hauritz? McGain?!

Think we should prepare 5 rank turners for that series anyway. Of course we won't though, we'll probably roll out some fast bouncy tracks and give the Aussies every chance.

I heard this afternoon they are trying to fast track Ahmed into the Ashes squad.

I hope I spelled his name right.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/605811.html

"When he's qualified, he'll play for Australia pretty quickly, I'd imagine," said Victoria's captain Cameron White. "It's pretty simple. He's one of the better leg-spinners - if not the best - I've seen in first class cricket outside [Stuart] MacGill and [Shane] Warne."

So what he's really saying is he's better than Bryce McGain, Steven Smith and err, Cameron White himself. Its not the most convincing argument I've ever heard!

No he's not saying that at all. Read it again.

The bit I don't understand is the "August 17" date. So he would miss a few Tests... 4 of them at least?

Ah I get it - better than Benaud

He overrates himself!

Leggies have been known to struggle when stepping up a level, but Aussie pitches have been spinners graveyards lately so if he's doing well (and his figures suggest he's doing OK) he's not a terrible idea.

I'd go back to Hauritz who did what was required of him in England last time. I maintain that he's been the best since Warne (though that's not saying much).

Of course, it wouldn't be a surprise if they play 4 seamers. After all, that strategy was used for both of Australia's last 2 wins over England.

Well played India, but just on a note they started similarly against England only to lose the series badly, so I hope that kinda concentration lapse don't happen again.

It was not just laps in focus that did India in against England, it was superb batting from the likes of Cook and Pietersen who played spin quite well, and couple of quality spinners in Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.
Nevertheless India should stay really focused, the Australian seamers are quality, and James Pattinson proved that with accurate and lively pace bowling, you can trouble the Indian batsmen even in these conditions. Michael Clarke is in the form of his life, and Moises Henriques has already taken a liking to these conditions in his very first test series. If a coupple more batsmen get their act together, Australia could certainly come back into the series, and they can do it even without the likes of Swann and Monty.......

Lyon and Haurtiz should both be in the aussie side for this trip, Haurtiz is better than Doherty....Doherty is good odi bowler but Poopie in tests.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2013/content/story/622848.html

Lesson 6:
Going into a Test match in India with only one half-baked spinner is asking for trouble!

Mickey Arthur seems to concur with me and others.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2013/content/story/622767.html

LB do you see Doherty making it to the starting 11 tomorrow?

Cricinfo reports that Australia are likely to go in with the same side that played the first test, meaning Xavier Doherty has a very limited chance to make it to the playing side for the 2nd test.

Sorry mate, I was out at a rugby match.

No idea of what the final team line-up will be. If the pitch in Hyderabad is that little bit more favourable for seam bowling (compared to Chennai) then I think they may indeed name the same XI, however I'm still of the belief that we need 2 spinners - it's just that our spin options are so limited and maybe Arthur has a point about the fast guys getting just about all of our wickets in the 1st Test - therefore they should have another go and see if they can do better.

Going in with the same XI would seem like hope > experience...

Can be a bit stubborn at times , Australian selectors. At the very least you would think Johnson would replace Starc who was very poor in Chennai ?

I get that the spin alternatives aren't exactly in the Warne class (who is ?) but Doherty would at least enable them to get through their overs at a decent rate , which would take a bit of pressure off Clarke. I would not expect him to take a lot of wickets , but one might hope he could provide a little control , in the light of his useful performances in the one day games. And this might enable the fast bowlers to operate in short bursts - in which indeed Pattinson may still take the most wickets...

Just struck me that the attack they used last time was always going to run into the problem of extreme tiredness sapping the strike bowlers' effectiveness if the Indian innings lasted beyond five or six hours...and either Dhoni or someone else was going to cash in. Having your strike bowlers do a lot of the donkey work seems to defeat the object of picking an allrounder.

Probably just trying to confuse India and we'll see four changes tomorrow

I heard they may rest Pattinson... so they may well give Mitch the nod?
Bird has flown home with bone stress injury. They're playing mind games with everyone.

This is what cricinfo shows:

Australia:
1 David Warner, 2 Ed Cowan, 3 Phillip Hughes, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Moises Henriques,
8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc/Mitchell Johnson/Xavier Doherty, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Nathan Lyon

Thought Clarke said he was pretty sure Pattinson would be fine...but that they wouldn't name the team until close to the toss...mind games indeed.
I am not a big Johnson fan , but I do think he might be a better bet than Starc in Indian conditions. I would certainly never have both of them in the same team !
His batting could be useful too.

Johnson has had some experience in these conditions, and he could offer some lower order batting support as well. Considering Starc didn't have a good game in the first test, Johnson won't be a bad option.
I think Stark has the makings of a terrific bowler, but he's still learning his craft, and these are tough conditions for a young emerging quicky.
Anyways the Australian policy regarding rest and rotation doesn't seem to work all that great, now Bird has flown back home, having played not much of serious cricket in the tour.

As for India, the important question is regarding Pragyan Ojha. Its his home ground, and in India's previous series, he was the side's top wicket taker. Will he get to play before his home crowd?
People say a lot of things about Ravindra Jadeja, that he's too bits-and-pieces......... But Jadeja has taken 8 wickets from the 2 tests he played and has gone at an economy rate of under 2 having bowled close to 150 overs. His batting hasn't delivered, but he can certainly bat and he's terrific in the field.
As Dhoni said, including him as the all-rounder provides the team with good balance, Dhoni can call upon the services of 2 seam bowlers if needed, and there would be 3 decent spin options. Playing 4 spinners might just prove counterproductive.
So if Ojha has to play, it has to be in place of Harbhajan Singh. Harbhajan was just OK in the last test. But considering his past record, as well as the presence of many lefties in the Australian lineup Harbhajan might get another chance. Tough on Ojha, and I would say lucky for Harbhajan, but that's how things stand now, and if Harbhajan doesn't deliver significant performences soon, this would be the last test series he would play for India.
The opening combination is another problem area, but I expect both Virender Sehwag and Murali Vijay to get another chance, any change would happen after this game. Another poor performance might see Sehwag getting dropped.

Matthew Wade is an injury concern going into the match tomorrow. He suffered what appears to be a minor injury during training today. Seems the Australian camp is confident he would be ready by tomorrow, if not Philip Hughes is tipped to take the gloves.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2013/content/current/story/623122.html

2nd test tomorrow..

Doherty for Siddle or Starc surely...

Australia won the toss and are batting. They are 49-2 at the moment.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the wickets for India. David Warner was out to an absolute ripper, a ball that went across the batsman with the angle then came back in after pitching, Warner got an inside edge to that to be bowled.
Then Ed Cowan was given out LBW to Kumar in the next over, the ball was indeed hitting the stumps, but it had pitched outside leg, so unfortunate for Cowan.
Since then, Shane Watson and Philip Hughes has carried on, both playing their shots. Ravichandran Ashwin's first over itself showed there is turn for the spinner on day one itself.
India are unchanged, meaning Pragyan Ojha has to sit out on his home ground, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag getting another opportunity.
Australia have made some interesting selections. Matthew Wade is playing, broken cheekbone and all!. Nathan Lyon is dropped for Xavier Doherty. Don't think many saw it coming. Glenn Maxwell is making his debut, in place of Mitchell Starc. That would certainly strengthen the batting, what would happen at the bowling front remains to be seen.

Now Bhuvneshwar gets Watson LBW, he was looking good. Australia 57-3.

Watson went for 23 of 31 balls. So that's another unconverted start added to that growing list.

Clarke joins Hughes. I think he should bat up the order in India. He's the best player of spin in this side, and he's in the form of his life. That top order is very inconsistent, so more often than not, he comes into a pressure cooker situation. If he bats up at least at 4, that would give the lineup greater solidity as well.

Australia are 83-4 at lunch. Philip Hughes the last man out, well caught by Dhoni of Ashwin for 19.
Matthew Wade on 2, is giving company to his skipper who has moved along to 20.
India's session, without a doubt. But Clarke is still there, and he has got going. India would hope that won't be too much of a bad news.

Clarke and Wade putting up a good partnership here. They so far have put on 60. Clarke on 43, Wade on 17.
Ishant is getting the ball to reverse a bit, but Harbhajan is looking lackluster again.

Clarke and Wade winning the 2nd session for Australia. 15 minutes to go to tea, and Australia are 178-4, a far cry from 63-4 when Hughes was out. Clarke on 63, Wade on 51. Excellent partnership, and Australia have recovered well from the top order no-show.

Special knock from Wade, batting with a broken cheekbone.

Good session for Australia. We needed that. Wade is a tough little number.

Australia 187-4. Clarke and Wade batting through the session. Clarke on 68, Wade on 55. Clarke had survived a sharp chance of Ashwin when Pujara failed to take a dificult bat-pad offering when he was on 52, but otherwise these are in good control.
Ashwin wasn't as effective as he was in the morning, Sharma did get the ball to reverse a bit but no wickets, both Jadeja and Harbhajan kept the runs down but didn't look like breaking through.
With Maxwell also in, that batting lineup is extended, and Pattinson and Siddle are also capable of hanging in there. So things are turning out to be very challenging for India.
Another hour of Clarke and Wade, India will have to then play lots of catchup cricket thereafter.

Still no Ojha?! Doesn't seem to matter, Australia are in a bit of bother.

Australia 233-7, Jadeja gets his 2nd, Maxwell gone on 13 on debut. Clarke fighting on not out on 88.
India bouncing back in this session, first Matthew Wade gave it away by playing a rash shot at Harbhajan that was well caught by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, aand then Jadeja produced a ripper to get Henriques bowled, and now he has accounted for Maxwell, caught behind, by the Indian captain.

Australia have declared!!.
This is terrific from Clarke, there will be massive pressure on the Indian openers.

237-9.

Clarke vs England this summer