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

Hughes seems absolutely determined to play as many shots as possible while he's there. He's really taking all his frustrations out on the seamers here.

Australia are 25-1 after 4 overs. Hughes has done most of the damage, he's on 17 with 4 boundaries.

Well, Kumar is off, Ashwin with an early bowl, and Hughes on strike.

This track is holding together quite well even now, there is not a great deal for the spinners here, but Australia have to be on top of the mental stuff, they shouldn't let spin get into their heads.

By the way Hughes managed a boundary against Ashwin, the first time in the series!.

Kumar back on from the other end, replacing Ishant.

A critical period in the match, and Australia have done well to score quickly although they lost a wicket in the first over. They are going at 5 an over, 35-1 at the moment.

Oh big wicket!, big wicket for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ed Cowan gone, LBW!. Australia 35-2.

Its not Michael Clarke, its Steve Smith at 4.

Jadeja on and he's troubling Smith right away. Smith has to show some patience here, Australia can't afford to lose another wicket today.

Don't think India will mind a few quick runs being scored tonight if they can grab some erly wickets ...two gone already and how long can Hughes survive ...

Hughes is on a determined mission to redeem himself, and so far, he has been very very good. He's on 35 already. He's trying to take Jadeja on, hit him for a big 6 of a ball that actually pitched in the rough. Really looking good, Phil Hughes I have to say.

Bhuvi has done a good job with the new ball, there is not much shape on the ball from him now, think its time to bring spin on from both ends. Ashwin's back on for Jadeja.

Australia 55-2 at the moment. Still 36 away. But they have done well at least to get the score moving, thanks to Hughes. Australia have bat till tea tomorrow to save this match. If they manage that, they should be ahead by 180-200, and its unlikely India would go for the chase. Anything less, Australia will be in trouble.
And another one goes down, Kumar on fire, he has cleaned up Steve Smith. Australia 55-3.

Well, Australia have send out a nightwatchman. Nathan Lyon in, and he has to survive another 7 overs. Lyon can hang around for sure, perhaps Clarke needs some more time to be able to bat.

Aussies on the rack. In no mood to dig in for the draw.... Going down all pea shooters blazing...

Hughes continues to try and take the attack to the bowlers.

Pace bowlers doing the damage for a change.

Australia will need a lot of batting from Clarke and Haddin tomorrow to get out of this.

The runs are coming freely for Australia, one good partnership can take them away from the Indians.

Hughes is scoring at a run a ball, he has scored 47 out of the 68 that Australia have scored.

msp83 wrote:The runs are coming freely for Australia, one good partnership can take them away from the Indians.

Need to be a big one though : they are still behind , and there will be another 100 overs in this match. And I reckon India could chase a target at five/ six an over judging by the first innings.
Australia will surely have to bat close to tea to be safe.

Last over of the day coming up. Hughes on Strike. Lyon has done his job, he has played out 17 balls. Australia 75-3.

The ball is gripping on the pitch and turning a bit more, Australian batsmen will have to show good application. 75-3 it is.
Match interestingly placed.
An Australian win looks the least likely outcome despite India's ability to collapse, but they can very much draw this one, India have a good chance to win this.

This pitch, like the one in Hyderabad, offers more for the spinners with the relatively older ball. So it was important that the seamers do some damage up front, and Bhuvneshwar did more than that with those 3 wickets.

Looked like it was starting to happen for the spinners late in the day. Going to be hard work for the Australian batsmen in the morning.
Hughes has been really going for everything and I am not sure he can continue to get away with it for long tomorrow. How comfortable will Clarke be batting ?

You never know , Australia may dig in and frustrate India , but I sort of expect to see them bowled out some little while after lunch , and India chasing 100-120 to win...

Could be an interesting day to watch ... Hope they get a decent crowd in for it.

Well, bizarre things are happening, first Phillip Hughes scored runs against spin and remained not out after more than an hour at the wicket, now Shahid Afridi is hitting them out of South Africa all the way to Pakistan!!. Who knows, perhaps there will be something for Australia to hope for beyond a draw after all!.

KUmar's opening spell was fantastic, he is a serious threat with the new ball!!

Bhuvneshwar Kumar could be very handy with the new ball, and in conditions like in England, he should really thrive like the other Kumar Praveen, his state senior.

Shelsey93 wrote:I'm a bit surprised at that team Shanky.

Assuming no Sachin (and, actually, he might well play now - retirement talk has cooled), I'd say:

1. Dhawan 2. Vijay/ Gambhir/ Rahane 3. Pujara 4. Rahane/ Gambhir 5. Kohli 6. Dhoni 7. Jadeja/ Rahane 8. Ashwin 9. B. Kumar 10. Ishant 11. Yadav

I'm not convinced of Vijay despite recent scores. I also think Rahane must play Tests at some point - his average is ridiculous (OK, Indian conditions) and he can bat anywhere in the top 6. And Gautam might just have got the kick he needs by being left out. Jadeja needs some runs before SA (his bowling would be a useful 5th option, but he can't get in as a bowler away from Asia). Ishant hasn't been too awful this winter and, without that much else, surely needs to play. Ashwin has an excellent record - don't really understand the negativity around him. Ojha a little unlucky. Harbhajan/ Zaheer/ Sreesanth/ Sehwag need to be forgotten about I'm afraid.

Jadeja at 7 away from home?

Shelsey93 wrote:I'm a bit surprised at that team Shanky.

Assuming no Sachin (and, actually, he might well play now - retirement talk has cooled), I'd say:

1. Dhawan 2. Vijay/ Gambhir/ Rahane 3. Pujara 4. Rahane/ Gambhir 5. Kohli 6. Dhoni 7. Jadeja/ Rahane 8. Ashwin 9. B. Kumar 10. Ishant 11. Yadav

I'm not convinced of Vijay despite recent scores. I also think Rahane must play Tests at some point - his average is ridiculous (OK, Indian conditions) and he can bat anywhere in the top 6. And Gautam might just have got the kick he needs by being left out. Jadeja needs some runs before SA (his bowling would be a useful 5th option, but he can't get in as a bowler away from Asia). Ishant hasn't been too awful this winter and, without that much else, surely needs to play. Ashwin has an excellent record - don't really understand the negativity around him. Ojha a little unlucky. Harbhajan/ Zaheer/ Sreesanth/ Sehwag need to be forgotten about I'm afraid.

Rahane isn't an opener btw. He himself has said that he doesn't want to open and seeing his ODI apperances, I can see why. Regarding Ishant, I don't think he's ever been awful (he is not someone who will have the terrible tests that the likes of Sreesanth have) but the problem with him is that he's mediocre. In simple words, he just doesn't take enough wickets. Sree is mad and can leak runs but the man can win you Test matches, he's been instrumental in India's only 2 Test wins in SA. Ishant, at his worst, isn't as bad but he won't win you Test matches, need to take 20 wickets

Both ishant and Sree are poor

if only, Zaheer, Praveen,Yadav were all fit and firing!

Bhuvi is pretty good, I think.

Bhuvi does look pretty decent at the moment and he'll certainly be a handful in swinging conditions. He gets a bit of movement with the new ball even in Indian conditions, and although he doesn't offer much with the old ball at the moment, he can provide early wickets up front. Ones Umesh is back, he can reverse at serious pace with the old ball. I just hope he stays fit.

Its 5th time for jadeja. India going for Diwali in Mohali. Australia 28/5

India is doing the same to australia on what is said to be the perth of india that they did to us back in 2012 at WACA.

Have been away for most of the day, but now I see India are being held up by a pesky last wicket partnership. Another half hour of Starc and Doherty, Australia should be very close to saving the game.

Only 34 overs remaining, and Australia are a head by 120. Another 20 runs, another 5-6 overs, it will be very difficult for India.

India need 132 to win of 28 overs. They are 14 without loss after 3 overs. Pujara has come out to open with Vijay. As I missed major parts of the game today, I have to go through cricinfo commentary to find out as to what happened to Shikhar Dhawan.

OK, Dhawan was off the field with a hand injury so Pujara promoted to open.

Australia will have to bowl 15 overs in the last hour. There is another 10 minute to tea.

Australia haven't really made any attempt at slowing the game down. In fact Lyon was even given an early bowl for a change of ends for Starc.

India 33-0. Pujara just getting away with one here, a catch at slip of the pad through an inside edge. He was wrongly given out LBW in the first innings despite an edge, and now his wrongly given not out caught when he got an edge.

Doherty gets a wicket, Murali Vijay gone, stumped by Haddin for 26. India 42-1.

Kohli in at 3, meaning Tendulkar would stay at 4 despite the change in the batting order due to Dhawan's injury.

Why is Tendulker still playing??

Another half hour before the mandatory 15 overs. India need another 84 to win with 9 wickets remaining.

I would expect India to knock these runs off pretty easily now . They should be able to get the target down to under four per over in the last fifteen without too much trouble , and from there they can make it with their eyes shut...

Australia needed a lot better effort from the top order last night. This is a very ordinary batting team.

With the last hour fast approaching and India still needing 63, Cheteshwar Pujara is gone for 28, LBW to Nathan Lyon. India 70-2, Sachin Tendulkar joining Kohli.
Doherty is bowling a restrictive leg side line, Kohli has so far taken his time without trying anything innovative so far.

Clarke is trying to now slow things down a little bit, but won't make much of a difference, they anyways will have to bowl the 15 mandatory overs and the target is within India's reach and would need the Indians to do a real royal mess up not to reach there.

One more over before the mandatory 15 it looks like. India 80-2. Need another 53.