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As Geoff Lemon gets ready to sidle into the OBO hot seat to bring you the Indian chase I’ll leave you with some interval reading.
I sat down with David Gower last week to talk all things Ashes, including who he is picking to bat at number three for England…
Thanks for your company, goodbye.
The SCG pitch is doing a little but Australia’s innings never really got going. Renshaw top scored with 56, most of the top order got starts but failed to capitalise. India’s spinners were thrifty and then penetrative. Kuldeep, Axar and Washington Sundar all impressing. Harshit Rana finished with 4-39 and Mohammed Siraj only bowled five overs but picked up 1-54, bagging the crucial first wicket of Travis Head.
Australia’s bowlers will have to do something pretty special to pull of that series whitewash.
WICKET! Josh Hazlewood b Harshit Rana 0 (Australia all out 236)
Bang Bang! Hazlewood is yorked, stumps splattered and Australia are bowled out with 3.2 overs to spare!
WICKET! Cooper Connolly c Kohli b Harshit Rana 23 (Australia 236-9)
The fun doesn’t last long, Connolly departs caught at long off by Kohli and Hazlewood comes to the middle as the last man…
46th over: Australia 236-8 (Connolly 23, Zampa 2) Australia’s best over in a long time. Connolly flicks Krishna for two boundaries through the leg side and Zampa is off the mark with two through square leg. Twelve off it.
45th over: Australia 224-8 (Connolly 14, Zampa 0) Just a Connolly single as Axar Patel stitches the dots together.
44th over: Australia 223-8 (Connolly 13, Zampa 0) Adam Zampa is the new batter.
WICKET! Nathan Ellis c Sharma b Prasidh Krishna 16 (Australia 223-8)
After a bit of humpty Ellis falls by clipping Krishna to Sharma at midwicket. The Aussies are eight down and in danger of not batting out their overs.
43rd over: Australia 218-7 (Connolly 13, Ellis 12) Kuldeep sends down two beauties to bookend his final over, Connolly left swiping at air. 1-50 off ten overs for Kuldeep is a decent day at the office.
42nd over: Australia 216-7 (Connolly 11, Ellis 12) Ellis bangs Krishna through long on for four and then finds the fence backward of point with the next ball to get some welcome boundaries for the Aussies.
41st over: Australia 207-7 (Connolly 11, Ellis 3) Kuldeep is masterful, just a single off his penultimate over.
40th over: Australia 206-7 (Connolly 10, Ellis 3) Ellis punches Rana through long on for three, a couple of singles make it five off the over. Since Head and Marsh departed Australia have found it hard to find the boundary with any regularity. They’ve found the fence 17 times in the innings and have also chalked up 48 per cent dot balls.
39th over: Australia 201-7 (Connolly 8, Ellis 0) Australia spluttering in Sydney, Nathan Ellis joins Cooper Connolly in the middle with plenty to do.
WICKET! Mitchell Starc b Kuldeep Yadav 2 (Australia 201-7)
Starc is beaten all ends up by Kuldeep’s googly!
38th over: Australia 199-6 (Connolly 7, Starc 1) Rana has 2-37 off his seven overs so far. Mitch Starc is the new man and India have a chance of slicing through the Aussies cheaply.
WICKET! Mitchell Owen c Sharma b Harshit Rana 1 (Australia 198-6)
Gone! Rana knicks off Mitch Owen and Rohit Sharma holds the catch at slip! Australia lose two quick wickets. India won’t be whitewashed without a fight!
37th over: Australia 197-5 (Connolly 6, Owen 1) Mitch Owen is the new man. He drives to long on to get off the mark. Washington Sundar finishes his spell with figures of 2-42. India have not let Australia get away from them, two new batters at the crease and we’re into the final third of the innings.
WICKET! Matt Renshaw lbw b Washington Sundar 56 (Australia 195-5)
Big wicket! Renshaw had done the hard yards but has to go! Sundar strikes in his last over, sliding one on with the arm and Renshaw misses. The ball hits the pad and the umpire raises the finger. DRS doesn’t save the batter, three reds and the Aussies are five down.
36th over: Australia 195-4 (Renshaw 56, Connolly 5) Rana sends down a slower ball and follows up with a sharp bouncer that flies past Renshaw’s grill and spills through KL Rahul’s gloves and away for two byes.
35th over: Australia 188-4 (Renshaw 53, Connolly 3) Sundar doesn’t give anything to hit, he gets through his ninth for just four singles and has 1-42 from his nine overs. Tidy.
WICKET! Alex Carey c Iyer b Harshit Rana 24 (Australia 184-4)
Alex Carey’s scratch innings comes to an end and the drop by Krishna doesn’t cost India too dearly. Shreya Iyer pulls off a special grab over his shoulder in the deep but he lands on the ball and winds himself in the process. He goes off with the physio after being backslapped and bumpatted by his teammates.
Apologies some technical difficulties at this end means I have missed a few overs. Matt Renshaw has gone to 50 and there’s been a wicket!
31st over: Australia 162-3 (Renshaw 41, Carey 13) Sundar scuds through another over, he has 1-31 from his seven overs in the blink of an eye.
30th over: Australia 156-3 (Renshaw 39, Carey 9) Kuldeep once again as the squeeze continues. DROP! Carey is shelled by Prasidh Krishna at long on! Simple chance but he saw it late and didn’t get in a good position. That’s a big chance gone begging for India to really get this match by the scruff of the neck. Carey thought he was a goner!
29th over: Australia 152-3 (Renshaw 37, Carey 7) Australia bring up their 150 as Sundar drops short and is whistled away on the pull by Renshaw. Despite the welcome boundary the run rate is still hovering around five an over.
28th over: Australia 145-3 (Renshaw 31, Carey 6) Kuldeep returns, Gill shuffling his attack and keeping Australia tied down at the moment. Five off the over.
27th over: Australia 140-3 (Renshaw 27, Carey 5) Carey struggling to time the ball, has just five from his 18 balls so far.
26th over: Australia 134-3 (Renshaw 26, Carey 3) Prasidh goes for just three and beats Carey on the outside edge. Its gone a bit murky and quiet at the SCG.
25th over: Australia 134-3 (Renshaw 24, Carey 2) At the halfway mark the honours are about even but India are keeping a lid on the Aussies at the moment. A couple of quick wickets and they’d be well on top.
24th over: Australia 131-3 (Renshaw 22, Carey 1) Prasidh Krishna comes back into the attack. Renshaw rides the bounce and picks up two twos into the leg side. I might’ve given Axar one more over but I am also very much not an international cricket captain.
