Australia are in a prime position to win their first Test in India since 2004 after scything through the home side’s batting line-up thanks to a phenomenal six-wicket spell by Steve O’Keefe.
As I wrote yesterday, Australia’s first innings score of 260 at Pune was a solid total on a pitch which was offering wild turn and bounce and fostering reverse swing for the quicks.
It became much better than solid when India capitulated for 105, handing Australia a 155-run lead. By stumps, Australia had extended that lead to an imposing 298.
Captain Steve Smith led the way with a fluent knock of 59 not out, countering the difficult conditions by showing aggression and putting pressure on the Indian spinners. He received fine support from rookie opener Matt Renshaw, who backed up his wonderful knock of 68 in the first innings by making a valuable 31.
Earlier, O’Keefe turned in the best spell by a visiting spinner in India since Michael Clarke snared 6-9 back in 2004.
Strangely enough, O’Keefe started the innings horribly – in his first six overs he was uncharacteristically wayward, spraying the ball all over the pitch.
Predictably, Shane Warne started tearing apart O’Keefe on the TV commentary and fans swarmed the internet to claim they’d been proven right and the spinner was, in fact, useless.
An hour later O’Keefe’s battalion of critics were left gasping for air after he destroyed the Indian batting line-up during a spell of 6-5 from 4.2 overs.
But it was far from a single-handed performance by O’Keefe – all the Australian bowlers were brilliant. The rot was started by the world’s top-ranked Test paceman Josh Hazlewood. The uber-accurate seamer was denied the new ball, which was instead given to O’Keefe and Mitchell Starc.
When he got the ball in the seventh over he immediately found some reverse swing, enough to defeat classy Indian opener Murali Vijay, who has an exceptional Test record against Australia.
Hazlewood conceded just 11 runs from his seven overs and built pressure upon which his colleagues capitalised. After being blunted with the new ball, Starc returned and also exploited the reverse movement.
First he undid Cheteshwar Pujara with a savage delivery which reared off a length and took Pujara’s glove on the way through to keeper Matthew Wade.
Then he sucked in Virat Kohli with a wide, juicy delivery. The Indian captain, who has dominated the Test format over the past 12 months, launched an airy drive and succeeded only in feeding Peter Handscomb at second slip.
With their three most important batsmen gone, India looked shellshocked at 3-44. Cavalier opener KL Rahul and reliable middle order man Ajinkya Rahane settled things down, putting on a 50-run stand.
That’s when the carnage began. Rahul had been flirting with danger by throwing his hands at wide deliveries from the quicks.
Then he charged O’Keefe and tried to slog him over long off. The ball ballooned up in the air and landed safely in the mitts of David Warner.
Two balls later O’Keefe managed to square up Rahane and earn an edge to second slip. The Aussie spinner incredibly made it three wickets in the over when he coaxed a nervous prod from keeper Wriddhiman Saha, who also edged to slip.
Soon after, Wade belied his reputation as a poor gloveman by executing the sharpest of stumpings off O’Keefe, catching Jayant Yadav just short of his ground.
By the time Ravi Jadeja and Umesh Yadav gifted their wickets with wild slogs O’Keefe had completed the most astonishing spell.
While O’Keefe was the one with the eye-catching figures, his spin counterpart Lyon was also very impressive. The off spinner maintained a perfect in-between length, leaving the Indian batsmen unsure as to whether to go forward or back.
He actually looked much more threatening than O’Keefe up until the left armer’s devastating burst. But, across the five Tests they have played together, O’Keefe has massively outperformed Lyon, taking 20 wickets at 25, compared to Lyon’s 16 wickets at 43.
Regardless, Australia will be delighted to see their spin duo proving so effective in their first outing of what shapes as a massively challenging series.
This Test is not yet over as India’s batting line-up is commanding and deep. But O’Keefe’s beguiling spell has left Australia on the verge of what would be a famous victory.
Don Freo
Guest
C'mon John...that was a very fast, very good stumping. Do you play indoor cricket on a turning, spitting pitch with a cricket ball? For everyone who lays it on the coaching team and the selectors, you can see improvement in Wade's keeping. All the work he has put in with the gloves has cost his batting but he is improving behind the stumps. He still shouldn't be there but he is...and that was a very good effort.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Watch indoor cricket if you want to see slick stumpings. Wade's was good but any test keeper should take that chance every time. Ball always outside batsman's body line and spinning past the outside edge. Doesn't get easier unless the batsman has advanced and is yards out of his crease.
Don Freo
Guest
Taylor, of course, used a term that was already in common usage. She didn't coin the term.
Rob
Guest
Good pickup Dogs.
Don Freo
Guest
The bigger issue for you haters of the West is finding someone to halt the WA parade towards the Shield. They win regardless of the personnel. Such depth.
Don Freo
Guest
Yes...but you needn't expect people to like him. No one with values likes such an attitude. Why does he have critics? Because he has gathered critics over the years. Let's hope he sustains his sportsmanship.
Don Freo
Guest
Read my comments. Nothing wrong with SOK's efforts...AND...Lyon was brilliant. He did, again, what his critics say he doesn't do.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
Superb win from Australia. Outplayed India in every department of the game. O'Keefe was absolutely superb as some of you said he would be (I haven't seen him play before). Complete lack of application from the Indian batsmen. This match may not reflect the final series score line as someone here said, but this is a victory Australia should savour for a long time. Bravo Steve Smith and team!
Eden
Guest
Guess you'll be eating your words" it will be 4-0 and it will be ugly". Bad call mate.
Eden
Guest
How bout eating your words."it will be 4-0 and it will be ugly". Bad call mate.
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
This morning Australia given a target of 441 to India by getting all-out for 285. I do not think India can reach even 241, Australia will win by 200+ runs for sure. Actually India were all-out for 107 and Australia won by 333 runs. Man of the Match Steve OKeefe got 12 for 70 only.
bearfax
Guest
Warne was a great spin bowler and along with Benaud, the best spin bowler since WW2 for Australia. But as a commentator he's an amateur. If I, a simple cricket supporter, could see O'keefe was something special several years ago and destined for test cricket, how is it such a special bowler as Warne, can be such a poor judge of the same spin bowler as a commentator. Just goes to show that being a champion in a specific area doesn't make you a great judge of those performing the same skills. A simple cricket supporter can outperform a champion at assessing player's worth. Goes to show that champion players are oft ten no better than a Joe Blow supporter, and in fact sometimes poorer. Important lesson to those who besmirch the talents of your average supporter when it comes to judgement of talents. Supporters are often more astute than selectors, and I'm not being frivolous
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Perry SOK may not be a world beater in all conditions. But people like myself that have been advocating for SOK's selection for a long time have now been vindicated by saying he is by far and away the best spinner in Australia. It's staggering SOK has played so few tests and Lyon has played so many. The selectors of yesterday year and even now have just been shown to the world as incompetent. Warne may have been the GOAT spinner of all time but geez he's a poor judge of one in others.
Peebo
Guest
The Marshes need to step up for WA, Don. They need to atone for Voges being so soft.
qwetzen
Guest
A biased Aus commentator? They're the majority mate. Have you never listened to Lawry, Taylor, Slater, Maxwell, Haddin & M Waugh? It's State first, daylight second with these yokels.
qwetzen
Guest
Proving that popes aren't actually infallible Pope Paul VII said; "The pitch is not so bad."
qwetzen
Guest
Bol-lux.
Rob
Guest
It's all about arse kissing. I don't think you should be nice to opposition players to be considered a good spinner but it would explain Lyons selection in front of SOK. Playing for Australia in cricket is not like entering a miss Universe comp. Not many good cricketers would win a popularity contest. Is this how the Marsh brothers get selected?
Armchair Expert
Guest
And yes Don, you should be celebrating and acknowledging SOK's bag of wickets (8 at last count), rather than saying Lyon bowled better.
Armchair Expert
Guest
Point taken Pope.