Live updates: India broke their opening match hoodoo by taking a 1-0 lead in Adelaide and seem to have all bases covered. However, the pitch the Perth is green, lively, and will offer plenty of assistance to the bowlers. Captain Virat Kohli has already said that this excites him and his bowlers, and now the batsmen will have to step up and be counted. Australia, who are under pressure, will come out fighting and this sets up a thrilling Test match. (Full scorecard)
That’s lunch
Marcus Harris leaves the ball outside off, tucks the bat and walks back to the pavilion after a job well done.
India have toiled hard and this could be a long day on the field.
Australia: 66/0 at Lunch
Stat attack
· 1st fifty partnership between Finch and Harris.
· 1st fifty stand for 1st wicket by any team against India in 8 innings.
· 6th fifty stand for opening wicket by Australia in 2018 — 2nd most after India (7) this year.
· 5th fifty stand for opening wicket conceded by India in 2018 — joint 2nd most by any opposition in 2018 along with Pakistan.
o South Africa holds the top spot by conceding 6 fifty stand for 1st wicket in 2018
· 1st fifty stand for 1st wicket by Australia in 5 innings.
· 1st fifty stand for 1st wicket by Australia against India in 6 innings.
Stunning over by Bumrah
The fast bowler had Aaron Finch reaching out and splashing around that over. He beat him thrice, got him to nick once, but then could not get a wicket
Correct bowling attack?
Going in with 4 seamers is one thing, without Ashwin or Jadeja it makes the batting a little lighter that none of the #TeamIndia seamers can make a realistic Batting contribution #AUSvIND #PerthTest
— subramani badrinath (@s_badrinath) December 14, 2018
50 partnership up for the first wicket
Excellent start to the Test for the hosts with the openers looking very good after weathering the initial storm. India will have to keep hitting the areas and keep the spirits high
Drinks
The first hour ticks by and Australia have started really well. The openers have buckled down perfectly and they should not capitalise on the platform
Good start by Shami
Hitting the line and the perfect length there Shami. India have been inconsistent so far this morning, but Shami has made a promising start
Openers looking good
There is assistance, but then the Aussie openers have weathered the initial storm and are now looking rather good. The drives are coming and the strike rotation has been perfect
No luck for Ishant
In the second innings at Adelaide, 29% of Ishant’s new ball bowling was full; today, it’s 69%. He’s determined to pitch it up – but he’s had no luck with wickets so far. #AUSvIND
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) December 14, 2018
Struggling to find control
Ishant wants to pitch the ball up, but he is struggling to find control with the length and is pushing the ball down the leg side. Australia unscathed at the moment
Finch gets cracking
Bumrah was testing the middle of the pitch and Aaron Finch was perfectly set up to slap a shortish ball away to mid-wicket to get off the mark
Anthems have been played
We are all set to get cracking. Kohli is out there, his side is spreading all over the place. The Aussie openers saunter out. A decent crowd is expected
Teams are out
IND XI: L Rahul, M Vijay, C Pujara, V Kohli, A Rahane, H Vihari, R Pant, I Sharma, M Shami, U Yadav, J Bumrah
AUS XI: A Finch, M Harris, U Khawaja, S Marsh, P Handscomb, T Head, T Paine, M Starc, P Cummins, N Lyon, J Hazlewood
Australia win the toss and bat first
Tim Paine has won the toss and he has decided to bat first. Virat says he would have batted first as well, but does not mind bowling first on the green track
Pitch report
Look at the amount of live green grass and that will encourage the fast bowlers. Expect plenty of movement and bounce. I’d rather be a bowler this week: Michael Vaughan with his assessment
Meet the Green Mamba….I’ve never seen this much grass on a cricket pitch 🙈🙏 #AusvInd #7cricket @7Cricket pic.twitter.com/JLLr8EycPH
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 14, 2018
Hmmm, Warne has fired a salvo
Good luck to both teams in Perth today for the second test ! Sorry to all my Indian fans, but given the pitch conditions, a hard, green bouncy & fast pitch – I think the Aussies will blow India away ! I hope Starc finds his form & gets 10 for the match !!!! 👍
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) December 14, 2018
Trivia time
Perth Stadium will become the 10th venue in Australia to host a Men’s Test match
Joining the MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval, Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Gabba (Brisbane), WACA Ground (Perth), Blundstone Arena (Hobart), TIO Stadium (Darwin) and Cazaly’s Stadium (Cairns)
Captain Kohli is excited
“We certainly get more excited than nervous looking at lively pitches now because we understand that we do have a bowling attack that can bowl the opposition out as much as they are confident about their attack,” Kohli said on the eve of the match.
More on what he said can be read here.
Curator speaks out – We’ve been told to make it fast
“We’ve just been told make it fast, make it bouncy if you can and run with it,” Sipthorpe was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “We’re just trying to produce the bounciest pitch we can.”
More about the story here
No more WACA
We are at the new ground in Perth and the stadium is a gorgeous sight to behold.
The beautiful Perth stadium readies itself for its first Test 🤙🏻✌🏻😎 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/zaeIpmv67p
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 14, 2018
The big player battles to look forward to
A green top is what can be expected at Perth and there are several big battles to look out for in the second Test match as Virat Kohli and India look to consolidate their lead while the Aussies will aim to hit back hard.
Here is how we see the different contests within the contest.
Hello and welcome
The caravan has now moved to Perth. The cricket has moved away from the WACA and this new stadium and this new pitch has got everyone excited. India have named their 13-man squad and the visitors could well go with an all-pace attack. Ah, the joys and vagaries of Test cricket
Credit: Source link
