Albo sledged for 'political rally', Uzzy makes India pay for blunders with ton, Waugh blasts pitch ploy - Talking Points

The final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series started after a bizarre political rally before the match involving the prime ministers of both countries, Anthony Albanese, and Narendra Modi, who the 132,000-capacity stadium is named after.

The toss of the coin was delayed by four minutes to accommodate the extravagant meeting between Modi and Albanese.

Both leaders did a lap of honour in a hovercraft with bats and stumps on the back of it as they celebrated “75 years of friendship through cricket”.

Albanese then stood alongside stand-in skipper Steve Smith for the national anthem, linking arms with the batter.

Both politicians copped plenty of criticism on social media for grandstanding at a sporting event.

The players were not allowed to warm up on the ground before play, forced to limber up on an external field, due to the security arrangements.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pose with Australian captain Steve Smith and Indian captain Rohit Sharma. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Fans were told to be seated inside the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium well before the leaders of the two countries arrived about an hour prior to play.

Albanese and Modi were taken through the India-Australia Platinum Hall of Fame within the stadium before the prime ministers met the players after their lap of honour around the ground.

A number of influential Australian business leaders, including Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, Fortescue Metals boss Andrew Forrest and Commonwealth Bank chief executive Matt Comyn, have joined Albanese on his first trip to India as prime minister.

Initial fears that travelling Australian spectators could be locked out of having access to watch the start of the match were eased this week after they’d previously only been able to purchase tickets for days two to five.

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After a near five-year rebuild, the stadium in the capital of the Indian state of Gujarat, reopened in February 2020.

The first event in the stadium was a political event when Donald Trump arrived in India, with the former US president infamously mispronouncing the names of cricket icons Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli during a speech.

The ground, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, was renamed after Modi ahead of the 2021 Test between India and England.

The attendance record for the stadium is 101,566 when Gujarat Titans defeated the Rajasthan Royals in last year’s Indian Premier League final.

Khawaja cashes in with ton after India’s clangers

Usman Khawaja stroked a superb century to put Australia on top at stumps after India produced a couple of early clangers to let Australia get away to a solid start on day one of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad.

Khawaja brought up his ton in the last over before stumps as the Aussies ended on 4-255 with Cameron Green unbeaten on 49 after a 64-ball cameo in the last session.

The 36-year-old opener showed tremendous mental stamina to face 251 deliveries for his 104 not out.

India were a little sloppy in the field and started the day sluggishly.

Recalled fast bowler Mohammed Shami had the radar awry from the first ball, spraying the opening delivery of the match to Virat Kohli at second slip and then sending another outswinger well wide of keeper KS Bharat, this time to the boundary.

Bharat then came up with an even worse blunder when he dropped Australia opener Travis Head despite receiving one of the easiest chances a wicketkeepr could ask for.

Head nicked at a delivery outside off stump from Umesh Yadav and the waist-high regulation chance was spilled by Bharat.

He had both gloves cupped for the catch but the ball went through them, bounced off his midriff and straight to the turf.

“That’s as easy as they come,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said in commentary on Star Sports. “No catch is easy but have a look at this. In and it goes down.”

Head should have been on his way for five with the first wicket down at 23 but he managed to last nearly another 10 overs before he chipped Ravichandran Ashwin to mid-on for 32 as the opening stand with Usman Khawaja reached 61.

Marnus Labuschagne went cheaply for just three when he dragged Shami onto his stumps to make it 2-72 in the 23rd over.

Steve Smith and Khawaja navigated their way to lunch and then for the first time this series, they went through a session without a wicket falling, taking the touring team’s score from 2-75 to 2-149 at tea.

Khawaja looked untroubled in reaching 65 off 180 deliveries, hitting 10 fours along the way while Smith was also patient, heading to tea on 38 from 129 balls faced.

Smith was bowled for 38 and Peter Handscomb fell the same way for 17 before Green and Khawaja combined for an 85-run stand.

Waugh fumes over India’s latest pitch ploy

Australia retained the same team which registered a rousing win at Indore last week but India made changes in a bid to regain the momentum for the final Border-Gavaskar Test at Ahmedabad.

Smith, who is again leading Australia after Pat Cummins told the team at the start of the week that he would be remaining home with his gravely ill mother, won the toss and elected to bat.

Mitchell Starc will be the sole fast bowler with all-rounder Cameron Green also on hand to bowl seamers with Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann to form a spin trio for the third straight Test.

The Indians brought Shami back into their attack at the expense of Mohammed Siraj

The pitch – the one the curators have chosen after preparing two strips – looks much flatter than the motley surfaces which were dished up for the first three matches.

“It looks like a nice surface,” Smith said at the toss. “It does look like a good wicket. This wicket will take spin as the game goes on.”

Fox Cricket analyst Mark Waugh couldn’t believe that India had prepared differing strips to cater for the wishes of the team.

“I don’t know how much say the BCCI does have on the pitches but by all reports, they send a couple of curators to each Test match to help the local curator out,” Waugh said.

“This is not on,” he added in reference to multiple options being prepared. “I don’t know how you don’t know what pitch you’re playing on.

“In Australia, I think the groundsman and curators are told months in advance, so they set up the pitch for the camera, the sidescreen, the spectators. But in India, it’s different.

“It’s a bit like county cricket. You used to turn up to county grounds and there would be three pitches prepared depending on who turned up for the opposition side and then they would decide.

“I don’t know what’s going on here but I think something needs to be done about this.”