India are here for a four-Test series! Great news, because following some in-depth investigation, I can exclusively reveal India is a cricket-obsessed nation. Or perhaps cricket is an India-obsessed sport.
Either way, here are the ratings for the First Test between Australia and India.
Coverage
Grade: C+
The Test was broadcast on both Foxtel and Seven, as well as a multitude of radio stations. Each media outlet had dozens of former international cricketers working for them, resulting in Adelaide Oval being overrun with ex-cricketers. Just as the Bible (aka Wisden) foretold.
Channel Nine, meanwhile, had Ellen, which was where Michael Clarke somehow ended up.
Both television stations had their good points. For example, Channel Seven had the innovation of showing a watermarked score during ad breaks. Clever! Foxtel, on the other hand, just didn’t show ad breaks at all. Cleverer!
But they also had their bad points. For example, an annoying tendency for commentators to refer to the Australian side as ‘we’ or ‘us’. Perhaps any commentator who continues to talk in such a fashion should be forced to play in the Second Test. Bonus: In Mark Waugh’s case, it would almost certainly strengthen the batting.
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Between the two commentary teams, there was probably one really excellent team that could be put together. Maybe we can convince the heads of Seven and Foxtel to build such a commentary superteam. If only so we can hate-watch the leftovers on the other channel.
Australia’s Fielding
Grade: A-
Virat Kohli won the toss and India batted, losing four wickets in the opening session.
The big wicket was Kohli, who was snared by an outstanding catch by Usman Khawaja. Yes, you read that right. Khawaja has improved his fielding immensely over the last year or so. Indeed, his fielding is now so good that he was able to disrupt a Fox Cricket drinks break interview with Marcus Harris on the fourth day by lobbing an ice cube down the back of his shirt. Such an improved player.
(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Khawaja took the catch off Pat Cummins’ bowling, who at that point had the impressive record of having taken Kohli’s wicket twice in the four balls he’d bowled to him. Still, on the bright side for Kohli, Cummins had also bowled two balls to him that hadn’t taken his wicket. So, y’know, glass half full.
The day ended with Cummins running out Cheteshwar Pujara, hurling the stumps down from side-on while flying through the air like the superhuman he almost certainly is. It was so amazing that Major League Baseball social media went crazy for it, which is the only fielding metric that most fans consider valid these days.
Shaun Marsh
Grade: B-
One ball into the second day, Australia were batting, in pursuit of India’s first innings total of 250. All the talk, despite Aaron Finch’s best efforts, was of Shaun Marsh’s dismissal.
Marsh dragged a wide ball from Ravi Ashwin back onto his stumps to be dismissed for just 2. It meant he’d scored six single-figure scores in a row at Test level, making him the first top-five Australian batsman since 1888 to achieve such a ‘feat’. I imagine that the baseball folk excitedly covered this tidbit as well.
As always, unlucky for Marsh, who’d been hitting them well in the nets and who looks so good once he gets going. Is it his fault that he’d exhibited both poor shot selection and poor shot execution? Of course not.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The odds against such a combination are immense. What Marsh needs is an extended run at Test level, with the full support of both coach and selectors. Give him a chance. That’s all we Shaun Marsh fans have ever asked for.
But it wasn’t just Marsh who looked uncomfortable. All the Australian batsmen struggled, to the point where commentator and Twitter troll Michael Vaughan claimed that he’d ‘never seen an Aussie team at home play with so much trepidation.’
Well, of course not, Michael. You’re usually only over here when England tour.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Grade: A-
Taking a fifteen-run lead on the first innings, India started to pull away, thanks to a combination of successful DRS reviewing and excellent batting from Pujara.
The reviews were particularly frustrating for Australian fans. Remember when we were able to laugh at dud decisions against India because they refused to use DRS? That was great fun.
Cricket is always better with a healthy dose of schadenfreude. I guess we just have to settle for the schadenfreude of Australia being terrible with the bat this summer due to entirely self-inflicted reasons.
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Pujara, who’d made a first-innings century, again top-scored for India in the second innings. He made 71 before being caught by Finch off the bowling of Nathan Lyon. Finch, in fact, ended up with three catches at short leg off Lyon (including one from big-hitting wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, where short leg is required to field at cow corner).
Pujara’s ongoing refusal to throw his wicket away with a mindless shot is a pretty disgraceful display of unsportsmanlike behaviour, in my opinion. If he continues with such batting, I can see this series becoming a powder keg.
Still, wonderful misdirection from India to have everybody in Australia fretting about Kohli and His Magnificent Net Batting™ while Pujara snuck in virtually undetected. No wonder India are the number one team in the world.
Consistency
Grade: B+
Chasing 323 for victory, Finch channelled ‘big duck energy’ to be dismissed for a pair. Luckily for him, the wicket was overturned by an Ishant Sharma no ball, allowing him to make eleven more runs.
Meanwhile, Harris became the most consistent batsman in Test history, matching his 26 in the first innings with 26 in the second innings. With Khawaja and Peter Handscomb also falling, Australia needed 219 runs on the last day with six wickets in hand.
Could the embattled Marsh guide Australia home and redeem himself against all the h8ers?
Ha ha ha. Of course not. Instead, he joined the entire bottom half of the batting order in combining for partnerships of 35-odd that each looked incredibly comfortable right up until the point they were broken. As a result, Australia fell a heartbreaking 31 runs short of an against-the-odds tie.
But Marsh did make enough runs to secure his spot for the rest of the series. And, ultimately, isn’t that the most important thing?
dan ced
Guest
I'd settle with a 50 and a 30 next shield game to prove his form is back. He's been shocking so far this season.
pakistanstar
Roar Rookie
He scored over 800 runs last season and has hit more FC centuries in 2018 than anyone else (overall he has 10 tons from 48 FC matches, more than Finch, Harris and Head). What more do you want?
Kurt S
Roar Pro
An excellent result from you to open your 18/19 account, Dan. A super commentary team. Hmm.. If you can get a well known tool manufacturer on board as a sponsor, you might be able to come up with a very catchy name that instills a bit of history.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Surely the greatest issue with the batting of Finch, Khawaja et al was that it made S Marsh look good. That’s a terrible thing to do.
Ben
Roar Rookie
Renshaw is struggling to make runs and needs a full shield season with runs before being picked. Maxwell and burns for finch and handscomb
Matt H
Roar Guru
Michael Vaughan, the gift that keeps on giving.
Jason
Roar Rookie
Finch is not an opening or a test quality bat, he is poor even at shield level. Handscomb unfortunately , has an obvious weakness that has been worked out at this level. I would be happy for Burns and Renshaw to come in with an extended chance. Renshaw and Harris to build an opening combination and Burns to bat at 5. Head I really am not sure and don't know an obvious replacement, Patterson maybe ? Maxwell, have to make a decision, either turn him into a test player or for the two shorter formats, don't think you can do both anymore ? As for Marsh, it is such a shame, he has all the tools and looks like the classiest bat we have, unfortunately he just isn't consistent enough. Keeps his spot for now though. We really are lacking batsmen in the country at this time.
Brett Carson
Guest
together with his batting, it was definite a plus. The guy was not dismissed.
Ben
Roar Rookie
Shaun marsh should get another opportunity in Perth but it’s finch and handscomb that should make way for burns and Maxwell unless they get a decent score in Perth. Both average 40 in first class and were cruelly denied apportunities to pay in India and UAE. I would pick Maxwell before Burns as he is a excellent fielder and can bowl. M marsh had a chance to make runs and failed twise. He should play the whole shield season and get his average above 40 before getting picked again.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Lyon batted nicely in the second innings, which has to count for something, but his bowling I think is a bit overrated here because, while he got a 6-for in the second innings, just about all those wickets were picked up during the period where India started throwing the bat for quick runs. He was hard enough to hit that he picked up the wickets when they started doing that, but if it wasn't for that careless slogging, his figures would have looked a lot worse.
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Let's compromise and give the GOAT N.Lyon a 9/10. His bowling was very good and batting was better than many of the so-called specialist batsmen in the team. He put in 70 overs, got 8 wickets for less than 3 runs an over and troubled all the Indian batsmen at one stage or another. And this was against top quality batsmen who are weaned on spin bowling. If I remember right, India won the test in Adelaide in 2003. R.Ponting and R.Dravid both got double centuries in the 1st digs and Australia collapsed in the 2nd innings. Both teams had great batsmen but the series was ruined with roads served up and double centuries everywhere. I don't know why but SKW nor G.McGrath did not play one match. S.McGill was the Aussie leggie for the whole series. Anyway I only mention that series as IMHO only J.Hazelwood and N.Lyon would get in that team. Not one of our current batsmen would get a look-in, not even as bat cleaner/vaseline applicator. :)
Marees
Guest
I am a smarsh fan. I can vouch, that, I am neither Dan Liebke, nor a bot
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
What strangely hasn't been picked up upon was C.Pujura, when he was on 89no, was caught by T.Paine off a quickie (can't remember which but I think it was P.Cummins). It was the faintest of snicks off the near bottom of the bat as Pujura took at almighty slash at a ball bouncing almost-shoulder high and wideish. The bowler stopped and weakly appealed, Paine put in an unsure appeal, the umpire ruled no contact, everyone hummed and ahhed and decided not to appeal the DRS. I was flabbergasted that they didn't chance their DRS-arm as India at the time were 8 down and one wicket then would have finished the Indian first innings at about 210. OFC the television hotspot replay showed there was a snick and it was a good one. Pujura went on to make 34 more runs (123) and India another 40. T.Paine can wear that bad judgement as of all people he should have known, crowd noise or not. Considering India won the match by 31 runs, one could surmise that had the Aussies appealed and got Pujura out then they would have won the match. Of course in reality it just would have meant that S.Marsh would have had to keep his current form and score about 40 less runs in his 2nd dig. :)
JayG
Guest
Zen, those stats will sure inspire fear in the Indians
Zenn
Roar Rookie
Thank you for your reply Mr Burns. If anyone is going to replace Shaun Marsh, it has to be Mitchell Marsh. Anyone can pick players in form. Only a discerning selector can choose a player on potential (and family character) rather than form. Mitchell dominated the most recent round of Sheffield Shield matches scoring 32 across two innings as well as bowling figures of 1/102, which is just the kind of player that Australia needs to beat India. PS Anon
VIKRAM
Guest
on lyons 10/10 when we think about greats .....SW like it was 8/10 for me.
VIKRAM
Guest
TRUE about pujara ....... INDIAN TEST IS LIKE THAT PUJARA AND VIJAY IN BATING SAME WITH LIKE OF SAMI with ball
Patrick the pom
Guest
Big duck energy. You sir are a genius
anon
Roar Pro
"The odds against such a combination are immense. What Marsh needs is an extended run at Test level, with the full support of both coach and selectors. Give him a chance. That’s all we Shaun Marsh fans have ever asked for." He's played every Test match this year. Despite the worst form of an Aussie batsman in 130 years, they kept backing him despite being 35 years old, having a 35 career average. This wasn't Steve Smith with an average of 60 having a lean run. No, it was Marsh with an average of 35. That's a lot of faith to show in an old player with a somewhat ordinary Test average for a number 4. Joe Burns is much younger and has a similar average to Marsh, yet can't get a look in. Marsh is still on thin ice. Two failures in Perth will be it for him. Finch has to be dropped. Rush Joe Burns into the line up.
DTM
Guest
Dan, Judging by most other comments on the Roar, there is no "we" in Shaun Marsh fans - it's just you!!