Welcome to our live report of the first day of the Australia-India Test in Melbourne. Join us for updates, analysis and colors. You can find our traditional ball-by-ball comment here
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1:55 pm local time / 8:25 am IST: Ponting’s opinion of Warner is not 100% adequate
Gnasher can also talk about cricket during weather updates:
During his brief introductions, David Warner certainly did not seem so comfortable among the shutters. It was always accepted that he would not be 100% fit for this game, but in the preparation phase it was not the hitting or running that was the main cause for concern, but how he would go on the field. On Channel Seven, Ricky Ponting suggested that the thunderous shots that Warner took, with the latter resulting in a margin for slipping, may have indicated that he was having problems.
“I think everyone knew that he probably wouldn’t be 100% in the test match,” said Ponting. “The only thing I hope is that he hasn’t adjusted it again, doing something else there. It was basically from that moment that the loose shots started. So, I hope this isn’t going through his mind, I hope he is fine and I hope we can just say that this is how David Warner puts it like that at the start of a test match. “
1:40 pm local time / 8:10 am IST: it’s a cat and mouse game
As soon as the players from India left for the warm-up, it started to rain again. It is very dark and gloomy in the SCG, a little windy and the covers intact. Here’s Pauls …
1:20 pm local time / 7:50 am IST: no game yet
“The rain has stopped now and is much lighter,” reports our meteorologist Gnasher from the ground. “The base staff and the fourth official are leaving. And the covers are coming out. “The referees Paul Reiffel and Paul Wilson also analyzing the conditions, next inspection it is at 1:30 pm, local time (8 am IST).
12:25 pm local time / 6:55 am IST: Lunch served
No truce of rain yet, so let’s understand the situation of rookie Will Pucovski during the lunch break (I’m drinking coffee to stay awake). Debuting after a long history of injuries, he has already faced two security guards in the first 35 minutes of the game and will now feel responsible for scoring after Warner’s early dismissal. Remember, it hasn’t been a good opening series so far. We have already seen him walk a bit to the quick pitchers, and a leg ravine was kept for him after the first jumps as well. He must be expecting more short balls when the game is restarted, and his state coach Chris Rogers recalls Pucovski’s recent form and how he prepares for the short balls.
“When I first joined as Victoria coach, he and Sammy Harper, they work a lot with tennis balls, getting very close with a tennis racket and shooting each other. Will did a lot of work where he wants to lift and roll the ball to a thin leg. You’ll see that kick from him a little bit, ”Rogers told Rádio RSN. “Then it was game time and we played SA at the beginning and Wes Agar came in the first change and went straight to security in Will, and he practically avoided them throughout the first session.
“So, after lunch, he threw one of these rolling shots and from there he never looked back. They aimed at him with the short ball for most of the game and then WA did that around ninth onwards as well. He would have faced a lot of short balls and he seemed comfortable doing it and the way he got up and played made it look easy so when it happened on the third day at Drummoyne it was a strange situation where there was nothing to gain and he he probably got stuck in two minds, so I hope he learns from that. “
12h local / 6h30 IST: still drizzle
I won’t say “I warned you” about the rain, but it came back and is “a fairly constant drizzle again,” said Gnasher from the ground. I forgot to mention, the fourth / reserve referee today is Claire Polosak, the first female officer in a male test match. She had been on the field for some time with her umbrella and the other referees.
11:40 am local time / 6:10 am IST: playback will resume shortly
The game is scheduled to resume at 11:45 am local time (6:15 am IST), unless it rains again when you are reading this. The fans seem to be having fun at SCG.
11:15 am local time / 6:10 am IST: rain arrives at SCG
The rain was forecast and here it is! It is largely the field that is covered with the referees under the umbrellas after the players leave the field. Andrew McGlashan from the ground: “There is a line of downpours coming from the south. Today was the day with the highest probability of interruptions. The forecast for the next four days is good.” Twelve minutes after the players left, the rain stopped and the covers are falling.
It will be interesting to see if this will add any swing when the game is restarted. Meanwhile, there has been much debate on social media about the exclusion of Mayank Agarwal. Was it fair to leave him out? Vote in the poll below:
11 am local time / 5:30 am IST: Siraj removes Warner for 5
A very intriguing 18 minute stay for Warner. He was executing those simple rapids with visible discomfort in the groin, eager to turn the blow, and falls after blinking right outside Siraj twice in a row. On the second ball of the fourth balance he went after one that came out, and when Siraj launched farther and a little more full, Warner did not move his feet enough to get close to the ball while chasing it, and sharp for the first slide . Pucovski, on the other hand, is leaving well outside while walking a little on the stumps, and won a security guard early in Bumrah. No swings in this field, although it rained just before the Test, and a little more is expected for today and tomorrow. Australia 18 for 1 after the first half hour. “It looks like a really good hitting streak,” said Glenn McGrath in TV comments.
10:35 local time / 5:05 am IST: Warner and Pucovski leave
Boy, Australia will be excited about the return of Warner. He is still not 100% in shape after his groin injury, but given the nature of this series and all that is at stake, Australia decided to play it in partnership with a debut. Tim Paine said Warner’s “high energy” will increase its “confidence”. Not to forget, Australia suffered its slowest-scoring domestic series of the century so far, just before the 2018-19 series, which also did not count on Warner. Pucovski, on the other hand, has been around the test for almost a year, has a history of concussion injuries and has made his way to Test XI with many runs in domestic cricket. Here’s more about Pucovski’s journey so far.
10:10 am local time / 4:40 am IST: two more premieres in the series
After Cameron Green in Adelaide, Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj at MCG, we have two more rookies as expected: Will Pucovski and Navdeep Saini. Pucovski receives internationalization from Andrew McDonald and Saini from Jasprit Bumrah. Australia opted to hit, with David Warner coming in for Travis Head and Matthew Wade coming down to the middle order. For India, we already knew yesterday that Rohit Sharma will open with Mayank Agarwal with the ax and Saini making his debut because Umesh Yadav has come home.
Speaking of quick pitchers, India’s rhythm drums have Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and Saini with a 17 combined test experience compared to Australia’s 144 record, thanks to Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. This is something that Australia will be excited about not having to change its attack since the first test.
10am local / 4:30 am IST: More reports on doubts about the fourth race in Brisbane
And we already have news coming, even before the coin is launched. Here is Andrew McGlashan with what is forming in Australia for the Brisbane Test:
Cricket Australia will seek clarification from BCCI after further suggestions arise that India would not travel to Brisbane for the final test, but would continue to insist that it was not informed of the concerns. And a report on Thursday morning said that BCCI had officially written to CA to say that it did not want to go to Brisbane. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the updated plans for the Gabba Test, following the Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney, which led to border restrictions to Queensland, were approved by the BCCI office holders on December 29 and none objection has been received since then.
CA has dealt extensively with BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, and it is clear that it will seek more talks on Thursday.
Players are not confined to their rooms when they are in team hotels in Sydney and Brisbane – which have been fully booked by Cricket Australia – and can socialize in common areas. The only difference is that the restrictions in Sydney are CA protocols, while those in Brisbane are imposed by the Queensland government as the terms to allow exemptions.
9:55 am local time / 4:25 am IST: warm-up for the draw
Hello everyone and welcome to the third Test in this exciting level 1-1 series. Another proof, possible another series of premieres (there is at least one confirmed from India), another heated dispute over WTC points and the ICC ranking (New Zealand is at the top now), another debate about the selection, another discussion about who goes open, and more. I will steal Tim Paine’s words and just say that there is “the tension starting to boil under the surface”.
Vishal Dikshit is a senior subeditor of ESPNcricinfo