Grandstand brings you the action as it happened on an unforgettable opening day of the third Test between Australia and India at the WACA Ground in Perth.
9:01pm: That's stumps with Australia on 0 for 149, just 12 runs behind India's 161. Warner remains unbeaten on 104 with Cowan on 40. Below you can listen to highlights of Warner's innings:
8:51pm: It appears Cowan's had a life on 40, with a caught-behind appeal turned down but replays showing it probably clipped his glove.
8:46pm: 100 for David Warner! He brings it up with another six, off just 69 balls! That's the fastest ever by an opener, third-fastest by an Australian and equal fourth-fastest in Test history. "How dull is Test cricket?" jokes KOK. Listen to the milestone here.
8:44pm: The rookie Kumar comes back into the attack at the expense of Yadav and gets the treatment first ball from Warner, who clubs him down the ground for four to move to 95.
8:37pm: Another four and a couple move Warner into the 90s. He's only faced 64 balls.
8:31pm: Ouch! Warner tries to pull a Yadav delivery which rears up and hits him on the left ear. He's down on his haunches and requiring some attention. Physio Alex Kontouris has given him the all-clear to continue and with a new helmet on, he duly flays an attempted and predictable short ball which is too wide for four.
8:20pm: Sharma leaks another three boundaries in that over - absolute rubbish bowling and it's getting what it deserves.
8:15pm: Cowan hits Yadav for four and that's a 100-run stand in just 84 balls. Astonishing batting here from Australia.
8:05pm: Umm, wow. Warner has just plundered Sharma for a booming six straight down the ground to move to 70 off only 50 balls. It's fair to say Davey didn't appreciate whatever Ishant said to him during their earlier exchange. Australia 0 for 94 at the drinks break.
8:03pm: Ishant Sharma finally comes into the attack, although Terry Alderman reckons it's from the wrong end for the renowned Freo Doctor. His first ball is pretty ordinary and he's lucky Warner fails to make him pay.
7:59pm: Warner gets down on one knee this time and flogs Yavav for his eighth four past mid-off. There's almost a run-out from the next delivery before Cowan closes out the over with a pulled boundary off his own. Australia has rocketed to 0 for 84 after just 12 overs.
7:53pm: Warner streakily cuts Khan for another four and that's 50 off just 36 balls - one six and six fours. Listen to him bring up the milestone here.
7:39pm: That's the 50-partnership between these two off only seven overs. Cowan tries to leave one from Khan, it hits his bat and ricochets behind the stumps to the boundary to bring up the milestone. Luck on Ed's side there.
7:32pm: Six! Warner is fired up now after exchanging words with Sharma during the drinks break, and he takes it out on the debutant Vinay Kumar by thrashing his fourth ball in Test cricket over long-on. Sublime shot from the New South Welshman, who can't resist a pill dished up like that one.
7:28pm: Beautiful drive for four there by Warner, who's raced to 20 off just 14 balls. Australia 0 for 30 inside five overs. We've kicked off our third Test photo gallery, by the way - check it out here.
7:22pm: Kerry and Harsha in fine form as usual in the commentary box. "Budgie smugglers or boardies?" Kerry asks Harsha. "I didn't understand a word of what you just said," Harsha replies. "I think you're boardies," says Kerry.
7:16pm: Warner hits the first boundary of the innings, depositing Umesh Yadav past mid-off.
7:11pm: We're into the first over of Australia's innings and Zaheer Khan beats David Warner all ends up, getting one straight through him. Pearler of a ball for Warner first up. Ed Cowan got off the mark from the previous delivery.
6:58pm: WICKET! I Sharma c. Haddin b. Starc 3 (India all out 161) - Listen to the dismissal
No five-for for Hilfy as Starc takes the last scalp and India loses 6 for 30. Another pretty ordinary batting performance there from the visitors. That's the fourth-lowest total in a Perth Test and the lowest since Pakistan's 155 in 1999 (thanks to Cricinfo's @rajeshstats).
6:52pm: WICKET! Z Khan c. Clarke b. Hilfenhaus 2 (India 9-157, Sharma 3*) - Listen to the dismissal
Chance here for another five-for for the Tasmanian as Zaheer has a swipe at one and directs it behind to the Aussie skipper.
6:42pm: WICKET! MS Dhoni c. Ponting b. Hilfenhaus 12 (India 8-152, Khan 0*) - Listen to the dismissal
Dhoni throws the bat at one, no foot movement and he pays the price. "You've got to say that's irresponsible from the captain, Dhoni just throwing his wicket away," says Geoff Lawson.
6:36pm: WICKET! V Kumar lbw. Starc 5 (India 7-152, Dhoni 12*) - Listen to the dismissal
Mitchell Starc gets in on the act now, trapping the debutant Vinay Kumar in front from the seventh ball after the break.
6:10pm: That's tea with India struggling to 6 for 144. The tourists lost 2 for 71 in that session.
6:00pm: WICKET! VVS Laxman c. Clarke b. Siddle 31 (India 6-138, Dhoni 3*) - Listen to the dismissal
Oh dear. Over two hours of perseverance by Laxman is brought undone in an instant as he nicks one to Clarke and is on his bike. India is in real strife now after a 68-run stand between Laxman and Kohli had been threatening to get the tourists back into the contest. Siddle has three now and he's slumped over, having toiled very hard in the heat.
5:50pm: WICKET! V Kohli c. Warner b. Siddle 44 (India 5-131, Laxman 27*) - Listen to the dismissal
That's the breakthrough Australia wanted and it's another fine catch from David Warner, who dives forward at point to end Kohli's 81-ball stay at the crease. Bad shot from Kohli really in the shadows of the tea break.
Siddle now has 2 for 33 from his 10 overs.
5:31pm: Laxman rifles Starc for a boundary and the security bloke can't be bothered picking up the pill. "He's a 25-year-old Croatian body builder - he's not interested in cricket!" says KOK. LOL.
5:20pm: Starc's bowling too straight, one strays onto the pads and Kholi gets that one past a diving Cowan for his sixth boundary. He's moved to 39 now with India 4 for 108.
5:00pm: Close but Laxman gets a reprieve on 9 - his cut to Mike Hussey in the gully just skims the turf before hitting the fielder's hands. At least the Huss didn't act like this.
4:36pm: Siddle bowls a bouncer and Kohli swipes at it, it runs away behind Haddin and co for four.
4:10pm: It's Mitchell Starc to deliver the first over of the second session. His second delivery looks to have hit a crack because it's jagged a mile across Virat Kohli, who looks a touch bemused. Looking at the replay, that didn't miss his off stump by much at all.
4:00pm: This blog gives a brutal assessment of India's recent away form - it's a horror show. Among the most damning is the combined average of India's top seven in its last four overseas series. Also, Sehwag has now gone 23 innings without a century and alarmingly, Gambhir 36.
3:32pm: That's lunch with India struggling to 4 for 73, Virat Kohli on 10 and VVS Laxman on 4.
3:22pm: WICKET! G Gambhir c. Haddin b. Hilfenhaus 31 (India 4-63, Laxman 4*) - Listen to the dismissal
111 minutes of resistance from Gambhir comes to an end as another Hilfenhaus jaffa finds the edge and flies straight to Haddin. "He's the leader of Australia's attack now," says KOK.
3:19pm: @jimmaxcricket: "Harris is looking like a major strike force again. Hope he runs the trip; two miler not a sprinter #abcwacatest"
3:16pm: WICKET! S Tendulkar lbw. Harris 15 (India 3-59, Gambhir 31*) - Listen to the dismissal
Harris chimes in with the biggest scalp of all and India is struggling again.
3:09pm: Gambhir on 27 is squared up by Harris and it flies through the vacant fourth slip region for four. Luck on the Indian batsman's side there.
3:02pm: Hilfenhaus is back into the attack now in place of Siddle.
2:48pm: Three scoring shots, three boundaries for SRT who's moved to 12. India is 2 for 48 after 18 overs with Gambhir still there on 24. Back to The (Crumbling) Wall - he's now been bowled seven times in his last nine innings.
2:37pm: Sachin Tendulkar gets off the mark with a forceful straight defensive drive past the outstretched hand of Siddle and down to the boundary. Beautiful shot. A few balls later Sachin dangerously pads up to one and Siddle appeals loudly but it's waved away, seemingly on the height factor. "Short man, not playing a shot - I'd give that out," says Geoff Lawson.
2:27pm: WICKET! R Dravid b. Siddle 9 (India 2-32, Gambhir 20*) - Listen to the dismissal
The Wall has been knocked over yet again! This time a bit of bad technique is his downfall as a Siddle delivery sliding down leg side catches him on the pads and ricochets into his middle stump.
2:25pm: Peter Siddle gets a trundle now in place of Hilfenhaus.
2:22pm: A bit happening in this Starc over - an lbw appeal on Dravid on 5 is turned down by umpire Kumar Dharmasena, but replays show it was close. Then some excellent fielding by Ed Cowan at short leg almost catches Dravid short of his ground.
2:12pm: Mitchell Starc is into the attack now. His last appearance for Australia was that infamous defeat against New Zealand in Hobart. His fifth delivery beats Gambhir but the sixth is uppercut for the first boundary of the Test.
2:00pm: Some sticky early moments here for Rahul Dravid, with ball beating bat more often than not. Harris and Hilfenhaus have been bowling a perfect line and length.
1:45pm: WICKET! V Sehwag c. Ponting b. Hilfenhaus 0 (India 1-4, Gambhir 4*) - Listen to the dismissal
The outswing of Ben Hilfenhaus strikes again, Sehwag glides on to Punter in the cordon and one of India's dangermen is gone early. "It's a mortal sin here at the WACA to be on the half front foot with an open face," says Kerry O'Keeffe.
Sehwag has made 37 runs in his last four innings and four ducks in his last 20.
1:40pm: Harris appeals for lbw on Gambhir but it's sliding down leg. The Indian opener is then comprehensively beaten next ball. Nervous times early on as expected for the tourists.
1:30pm: It's the returning Ryan Harris opening the bowling for Australia, and his first pill rears up and hits Gautam Gambhir on the chest. Wowsers.
1:25pm: Harsha Bhogle says the last time India played four pacemen was Sydney 1991. Australia did it at the WACA during the last Ashes series.
1:00pm: Australian captain Michael Clarke has won the toss and opted to bowl. Australia has made the brave decision to drop spinner Nathan Lyon, with pacemen Ryan Harris and Mitchell Starc coming into the line-up. James Pattinson is out with a foot injury.
Clarke told Grandstand's Jim Maxwell that it was not a tough decision to bowl first, with a fair bit of grass on the wicket.
Indian skipper MS Dhoni says he would have made the same decision. India has made just the one change, with medium-pacer Vinay Kumar making his debut in place of the spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Struggling number six Virat Kohli has earned a reprieve.
It would've been interesting to hear Dhoni's thoughts about the pitch invasion - bit of a beat-up? Jim (@jimmaxcricket) thinks so: "Luckily a test begins today. no more beat ups, shadow boxing, pitch party stories. let's on with the game and cut the bull... #abcwacatest"
Tags: sport, cricket, perth-6000, wa, australia First posted January 13, 2012 13:01:20
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