Grandstand brought you all the coverage as it happened on day one of the second Test between Australia and India from the SCG.
5.54pm: India looked to have given up for the day. Ashwin is brought into the attack but Dhoni goes defensive and even has a deep point. Part-timer Sehwag has been thrown the ball from the other end. Jim and Kerry say the skipper is not being proactive enough as the shadows grow.
5.40pm: Glorious batting by Clarke. He punishes Yadav for three consecutive boundaries. One delightful square drive, another well-timed pull shot and a glorious straight drive. The captain is now on 37 off 43 balls with seven fours. No movement through the air or off the pitch for the Indians. Australia 3-94.
5.20pm: Michael Clarke has raced to 25 with four boundaries, including an elegantly timed flick off his pads to the midwicket boundary off Sharma. Ponting is not too far behind with a vintage cover drive and pull shot off Yadav. These two looking good during a testing period.
5.11pm: STAT ATTACK - As we mentioned earlier, Ricky Ponting was named in the SCG Australian XI along with the likes of Victor Trumper, David Boon, Sir Donald Bradmann and Greg Chappell. The former Aussie skipper has brought up more centuries at the SCG than any other batsman (5) and has scored 1,346 runs at an average of 64.10 in Sydney. Here are the Australian and World XIs.
5.04pm: DRINKS - Australia 3-54 (M Clarke 15*, R Ponting 14*, Z Khan 3-25)
5.01pm: Yadav is back into the attack with Zaheer given a spell. First ball is a rank full toss. Second is a classic, seam bolt upright delivery that beats Clarke's edge.
4.50pm: Michael Clarke, a long-time Slazenger man, has no stickers on his bat. He hasn't been in that poor form has he? Perhaps it is a throwback bat (a throwbat?) to commemorate the 100th SCG Test.
4.44pm: WICKET! - E Cowan 16 (Australia 3-37, Ponting 12*) - Listen to the dismissal.
Zaheer continues his early damage with a third wicket. Works it in with some fantastic shape, pitches it outside the line but it smashes Cowan on the pad in line with the off stump. Umpire Ian Gould raises the finger. Cowan looks a bit shocked but that was hardly a howler of a decision. Michael Clarke to join Ponting at the crease.
4.35pm: Ishant Sharma has replaced Yadav and almost has Ponting caught down the leg side. MS Dhoni dives to his left but the ball breaks through his outstretched glove. Umpire Erasmus gives leg byes. Would have been contentious if the Indian skipper held onto that.
4.28pm: Cowan and Ponting have steadied the ship, somewhat. Zaheer is fancying his chances to the left-handed Cowan while Umesh Yadav, who impressed at the MCG, has yet to find any outswing to the right-hander. Australia 2-26.
4.12pm: WICKET! - S Marsh c. Laxman b. Zaheer 0 (Australia 2-8, Cowan 0*) - Listen to the dimissal.
First ball of Zaheer's next over and he has Marsh with another jaffa. This time VVS holds on. That's Marsh's third duck in his last four innings. Wickets galore at the Randwick End as this Test match takes a drastic turn. Ponting faces out the hat-trick ball, the second for today.
4.05pm: WICKET! - D Warner c. Tendulkar b. Zaheer 8 (Australia 1-8, Cowan 0*) - Listen to the dismissal.
After a ferocious start, Warner goes hard at a beautiful leg-cutter from Zaheer which flies to VVS Laxman at second slip. He can't take it but luckily Tendulkar at first reacts quickly to catch the rebound before it hits the deck. What a start. Assist for Laxman? We'll give it to him, he needs the stats at the moment.
4.03pm: Australian openers David Warner and Ed Cowan are out in the middle and Zaheer Khan has the new ball. Warner helps himself to eight off the first over until...
3.50pm: WICKET! - U Yadav c. Haddin b. Siddle 0 (India 191) - Listen to the dismissal.
India is all out for 191. Siddle picks up his third wicket of the innings and his 100th in Test cricket. Another brilliant pace bowling performance from the hosts. They have obviously done their homework and they executed their plans perfectly. India's aging batting line-up failed to show up and their shortcomings have left their side with an uphill battle. Can the Australian top order carry on the good work of their bowlers?
3.37pm: WICKET! - I Sharma c. Cowan b. Hilfenhaus 0 (India 9-186, Dhoni 52*) - Listen to the dismissal.
Better late than never. Hilfenhaus gets his third with another great bouncer to the towering Sharma. Cowan picks up his third catch of the innings under the helmet. He'll be busy with the bat as well very soon.
3.34pm: Dhoni brings up his 50 - Listen here.
3.29pm: Hilfenhaus's hat-trick ball after tea is not out. Ishant Sharma keeps out a delivery that would have sent his off stump cartwheeling. The young India quick kept it conservative unlike his fast bowling predecessor Javagal Srinath who swung wildly at Damien Fleming's hat-trick ball in Adelaide. But we all know what happened that day...
3.09pm: WICKET! - Z Khan c. Cowan b. Hilfenhaus 0 (India 8-178, Dhoni 44*) - Listen to the dismissal.
Hilfenhaus will be on a hat-trick after the tea break and it is nothing short of what he deserves. He welcomes Zaheer to the crease with a pinpoint bouncer and it balloons off the fast bowler's gloves into the waiting hands of Ed Cowan close in. A great finish to the session for Australia. They will be batting by the end of the day.
3.06pm: WICKET! - R Ashwin c. Clarke b. Hilfenhaus 20 (India 7-178, Dhoni 44*) - Listen to the dimissal.
What a relief for the hard-working Tasmanian. Similar dismissal to that of Ghambir's. Ashwin plays across the line a touch but the edge zings away to Clarke who holds on at first slip.
3.02pm: 50 partnership for Dhoni and Ashwin (who has a Test century to his name). Valuable runs down the order. Hussey has replaced Lyon for his obligatory little trundle before the break to try and tempt Dhoni.
2.59pm: The Indian skipper chases one and a diving Shaun Marsh at cover gets a hand on it but cannot pull off what would have been the best catch of the summer. No prizes for guessing who the bowler was. Hilfenhaus's face is in his hands as he continues the search for his first wicket.
2.56pm: Dhoni is mixing patience outside off stump with some brutal stroke play. He moves to 39 and he and Ashwin (15) have put on the highest partnership of the Indian innings. That says it all, really.
2.42pm: Dhoni pounces on a loose one by Hilfenhaus for his fourth and best boundary of his innings. The Indian skipper has looked much better when he strikes confidently instead of poking at the ball. It rubs off on Ashwin, who dances down the wicket and drives Lyon beautifully through the covers to the fence.
2.30pm: Pattinson is hooked after his four-over spell produced the vital scalp of Sachin and Hilfenhaus is back into the attack. Nathan Lyon, who is bowling with some nice drift, continues at the other end.
2.19pm: India's partnerships today: 0, 30, 25, 4, 37, 28. Plenty of starts but no answer to Australia's pace attack which continues to take regular wickets.
2.14pm: WICKET! - S Tendulkar b. Pattinson 41 (India 6-124, MS Dhoni 12*) - Listen to the dismissal.
Massive wicket just before drinks and yet again it's Pattinson (4 for 39) who delivers the goods. The Little Master was looking comfortable enough, playing his patented uppercut over the slips, but he drags one onto his stumps. Kerry O'Keeffe believes the bottom hand was too dominant on that attempted cover drive and the 38-year-old is not in as greater touch as it would appear. The crowd stands again but it's not the reception Tendulkar wants. The wait continues. India slides further into the mire.
2.05pm: MS Dhoni plays a dab through the covers for a single and end up getting four after he runs three overthrows. Siddle fields and has a shy at the non-striker's end and umpire Ian Gould obstructs Lyon from backing up. Unfortunate, but the Australian's haven't been at their best in the field today.
1.59pm: Now skipper Michael Clarke has thrown the ball to off spinner Nathan Lyon for his first spell of the match, giving Hilfenhaus a rest. There is a slip, forward short leg and catching man at silly mid on.
1.55pm: But for now Siddle has been replaced by his Bushrangers buddy James Pattinson, who is charging in from the Paddington End looking to add to his three wickets. Dhoni is the new batsman and desperately needs to find some form for his side.
1.51pm: That last wicket was Siddle's 99th in Test cricket in his 29th match. He'll likely crack 100 at the SCG. Our resident statistician @RicFinlay tells us that Grandstand's Geoff Lawson reached the 100 mark in just 25 Tests. Fellow commentator Danny Morrison was just four Tests behind. Here is the complete list.
1.39pm: WICKET! - V Kohli c. Haddin b. Siddle 23 (India 5-96, Tendulkar 32*) - Listen to the dismissal.
Spoke too soon. A peach of a ball from Siddle finds the edge of Kohli's bat. Disappointing by the youngster. He had his eye in and should have left that one, but could not help have a nibble after the Victorian forced him onto the back foot with some shorter stuff. Yet again, more intelligent bowling by Australia.
1.30pm: That last little compliment for Kohli did him no harm as he moves to 23 with two boundaries off Siddle in one over. Sachin follows the lead of his 23-year-old partner by dispatching a rare, wide delivery by Hilfenhaus. Better signs for India at 4-95.
1.22pm: Tendulkar with a lovely cut shot to the boundary. Kohli at the other end is also looking much more assured compared to his failures at the MCG. India 4-79.
1.10pm: We are back after lunch. Siddle resumes from the Paddington End with Hilfenhaus from the Southern End. Australia will no doubt be zeroing in on the vital wicket of one Sachin Tendulkar.
12.26pm: Michael Hussey on to bowl the last over before the lunch break. Despite offering just gentle medium pacers, Hussey is always greeted with a tad of hesitation by top-class batsmen of late.
12.07pm: WICKET! - VVS Laxman c. Marsh b. Pattinson 2 (India 4-59, Tendulkar 20*) - Listen to the dismissal.
Well VVS will not be scoring a century in the first innings. He becomes yet another victim of James Pattinson's (3 for 20) gnawing line and length and India is in deep trouble. Laxman played inside the line of that one after Patto buttered him up with some straighter deliveries earlier in the over (the tourists seemed to be struggling off their pads too on the quicker pitch). Shaun Marsh takes the catch at third slip.
12.02pm: STAT ATTACK - Tendulkar and Laxman are at the crease. Both were earlier today named in the SCG Trust's World XI in honour of their respective records at the iconic ground. Tendulkar has scored 664 runs at the phenomenal average of 221.33 from seven innings, while Laxman (481 runs at 96.20) has notched a century in his last three visits to the ground. They are just two of the superstars named in the two sides:
Australia:
Victor Trumper (NSW), David Boon (Tas), Don Bradman (NSW/SA), Ricky Ponting (Tas), Greg Chappell (SA/Qld), Keith Miller (NSW/Vic), Adam Gilchrist (WA/NSW), Shane Warne (Vic), Ray Lindwall (NSW/Qld), CTB Turner (NSW), Glenn McGrath (NSW). Fred Spofforth (NSW) 12th man. Coach: Bill O’Reilly. Coach: Richie Benaud.
World XI:
Herbert Sutcliffe (Eng), Jack Hobbs (Eng), VVS Laxman (India), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Wally Hammond (Eng), Garfield Sobers (WI), Richard Hadlee (NZ), Alan Knott (Eng), Anil Kumble (India), George Lohmann (Eng), SF Barnes (Eng). Harold Larwood (Eng) 12th man. Coach: WG Grace.
11.54am: WICKET! - V Sehwag c. Haddin b. Pattinson 30 (India 3-55, Tendulkar 18*) - listen to the dismissal.
That was coming. Pattinson had beaten the Sehwag bat a few times and on this occasion the big-hitter is kind enough to edge one into the gloves of Brad Haddin. Another tremendous delivery from the 23-year-old who continues to shine with his persistence and consistency.
11.45am: James Pattinson is back into the attack after drinks. At the other end, Hilfenhaus looks a tad deflated after that chance to remove Sehwag went begging as Tendulkar tickles one for another four.
11.34am: DROPPED! - Ricky Ponting has grassed an absolute soda. He can't believe it. Nobody can. Sehwag (23) edges a beautifully shaped delivery by Hilfenhaus but the former skipper can't hold on to a regulation chance at second slip. A case of hard hands, according to Geoff Lawson. Will the Delhi destroyer make Australia pay? Listen to the dropped catch.
11.30am DRINKS - (India 2-44. Sehwag 23*, Tendulkar 14*)
Tendulkar is off to a very promising start. Three boundaries and he is finding the middle of the bat. What a story it would be if he finally cracks the 100th international ton during the SCG's 100th Test. Speaking of the SCG, the NSW State and Federal Governments have announced a $186 million upgrade on this memorable occasion.
11.17am: WICKET! - R Dravid c. Cowan b. Siddle 5 (India 2-30, Sehwag 23*) - listen to the dismissal.
You can't keep Siddle down for long. He cramps Dravid for room with a straighter delivery and the Indian veteran inside edges onto his pad and Ed Cowan takes a nice catch at forward short leg under the helmet. That brings Sachin to the crease and the crowd rises and welcomes The Little Master to the crease.
11.10am: Peter Siddle into the attack and it is an eventful opening over that goes for 11 runs. His first two balls go to the boundary off the edge of Sehwag before a ripping delivery goes straight through the Indian opener's defence and somehow misses everything. If that wasn't enough, there is a big appeal from the Aussies for a catch at bat pad but the ball clearly hits Dravid on the shoulder and nothing else.
11.05am: Our own Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) reminds us of India's opening partnerships in the last six Tests: 63, 19, 0, 6, 8, 0, 8, 49, 22, 17 and 0 this morning. "Easy diagnosis of the illness" he says. Gambhir has struggled for some time now and Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma are the only other batsmen in the squad.
11.00am: Contrasting styles by the Indian batsmen. Sehwag is swinging at almost everything served up outside his off stump, but not hitting many. Dravid as patient as ever. Pattinson and Hilfenhaus moving the ball through the air with some full bowling. India 1-14.
10.50am: Kerry pays homage to the work of new Australian bowling coach Craig McDermott as Hilfenhaus continues to land them on a dime. Billy has been in charge for eight Tests and the Australian bowling attack has bowled out the opposition for under 200 runs in six of them.
10.45am: Sehwag is off and running with controlled shot to the forward point boundary off Pattinson. Yes, that's right. Sehwag with a controlled shot. India 1-7.
10.40am: Ben Hilfenhaus sharing the new nut with Pattinson. Beats the Dravid bat with just his second ball.
10.32am: WICKET! - G Gambhir c. Clarke b. Pattinson 0 (India 0-1, Sehwag 0*) - listen to the dismissal.
James Pattinson strikes with the third ball of the Test match. Gambhir fends at one that is moving across him and Clarke thinks he is still doing his pre-match catching practice at first slip. Sensational start by Australia and Gambhir's woeful start to his first Australian Test tour continues.
10.15am: Geoff Lawson thinks no team is red-hot favourite for this match despite the record books showing Australia has a formidable record at the SCG. The loss to England last year was its only defeat in the last 15 Tests in Sydney. Australia v India at the SCG: Nine wins, one loss and 4 draws.
10.05pm: Indian captain MS Dhoni wins the toss and has no hesitancy in batting first despite a touch of grass on the wicket. India names an unchanged team, with young middle-order batsman Virat Kholi given another chance to impress. Listen to Dhoni chat to Jim after the toss:
Australian skipper Michael Clarke told Jim it would have been nice to bat but backs his bowlers to extract some seam over swing early in the session:
10.01am: If you dozed off for the Boxing Day Test on an overdose of Turkey tryptophan, we are here to remind you Australia won the opening encounter by 122 runs. Coincidentally, Australia was victorious in the last Test played between these two at the SCG by the same margin.
9.52am: Before play you can watch Grandstand's Jim Maxwell (@jimmaxcricket) previewing the second Test on ABC News Breakfast.
9.48am: It is a beautiful, bright morning in the Harbour city with a full day of play on the cards. Looks to be a bat-first deck. The forecast does not look so good for the next few days with isolated showers and thunderstorms expected.
9.45am: Welcome to our coverage of the Australia v India series. Next up it's Sydney for the New Year's Test, which also marks the 100th Test at the SCG.
Australia: D Warner, E Cowan, S Marsh, R Ponting, M Clarke (capt), M Hussey, B Haddin (wk), P Siddle, J Pattinson, N Lyon, B Hilfenhaus.
India: V Sehwag, G Gambhir, R Dravid, S Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, V Kohli, MS Dhoni (capt,wk), R Ashwin, Z Khan, I Sharma, U Yadav.
Tags: cricket, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, india, australia First posted January 03, 2012 09:56:42
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