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Join The Roar from 1:30pm AEST each day for live commentary and scores, as Australia’s astounding performance continues in the third cricket Test against India at the WACA in Perth.
At stumps, it is difficult to conceive of a more abjectly humiliating day for the Indian side, or a more dominant one for Australia. Australia bowled the tourists out for just 161 after captain Michael Clarke won the toss and sent them in to bat. By stumps, Australia were only 12 runs behind India’s score, and hadn’t lost a wicket.
This morning, both sides had elected to go with a four-man pace attack, and would both have been hoping to bowl first on a green and bouncy WACA pitch. Spinners Nathan Lyon and Ravi Ashwin were replaced by Mitchell Starc and Vinay Kumar repsectively, while Ryan Harris had already come in for Australian to replace the injured James Pattinson. Struggling batsmen Shaun Marsh and Virat Kohli were retained.
The move to send India in paid immediate dividends, with Virender Sehwag pushing uncertainly at a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery to be caught at slip. From there, India did not show the requisite fight or concentration on a pitch that offered great pace and carry but was far from unplayable.
WACA curator Cameron Sutherland had predicted as much despite the green tinge. “It’s a high fibre content in the leaves, so it just holds its colour for longer,” Sutherland said. “It’s very fine leaf, it’s almost like a carpet, so it doesn’t seam too much. In Shield cricket, I know we’ve been referred to having green seamers or green-top Shield wickets, but they haven’t seamed around much at all.”
Australia found some movement and swing, but took their wickets through disciplined partnership bowling. Rahul Dravid was unluckily bowled by Peter Siddle from a ricochet off his pads, Gautam Gambhir made a dogged 31 before being surprised by a Hilfenhaus lifter outside off and prodding to Brad Haddin, and Harris got the prize wicket when Sachin Tendulkar played unnecessarily across the line and missed an inswinger to be leg before wicket for 15, his lowest score of the tour.
India were 4/73 at lunch. Some rebuilding was done in the following session as Virat Kohli and VVS Laxman added 68, but that was as good as it got. They were both out in the last few overs before tea, and India lost 6 for 30 to end the innings. This after a start of 4 for 63.
Australia’s bowling was admirable. Hilfenhaus got four wickets, Siddle three, Starc two tailenders after an ordinary day, and Harris got one, but it was Tendulkar, who is probably worth about 20 career wickets as far as most bowlers are concerned. The full bowling figures are below.
Notwithstanding, it was a dire performance from India’s batsmen. We had great expectations when India began their tour here, the batting greats of a generation on our shores, but they’ve given us little. It’s all been rather embarrassing. But it was Australia’s innings that was the real wound. Before it began, it was easy to convince yourself that India had struggled on a tough bowling pitch, and that they might make inroads into an Australian team.
No such luck.
David Warner played positively right from the start – proper shots, not slogs, but with intent. He had 20 runs after five overs, 34 after eight, and brought up a half-century from the first ball of the eleventh.After 13 overs he was 70. Ed Cowan started more slowly but began to play some shots too, his own way. After 15 overs he had 33 from 34 balls.
When Warner was on 80, a fast bouncer from Umesh Yadav crashed into his plastic ear-guard, hurting him quite seriously. He was in the hands of the trainer for a good five minutes or more. He looked dazed. We wondered if he would retire hurt. He decided to continue. We wondered if that were wise, if a yorker would rattle his stumps. He took guard, hit the next two balls for four, then one for two, to enter the 90s.
In just the 20th over, he hit Vinay Kumar for four to go to 95, then two balls later, for a monstrous six to raise a hundred. The hits had been big, but the batting had not been T20. It had been thought through, precise, and largely risk free.
India end the day in an unimaginably poor position, and will be at long odds to salvage anything – even a shred of pride – out of a Test match. Prepare for Australia to resume tomorrow, with Warner aiming to emulate Michael Clarke in outscoring the fabled Indian batting line-up singlehanded.