What's new

Dropped catches & 108 by Labuschagne takes Australia to 274/5 at Stumps (Day 1) of 4th Test vs India

I'll be happy with a draw here :rabada2

I'm going to go pretend that I always trust my feelings like here after the first test :rabada2

lol Isa put him a bit on the spot there by indirectly saying, Must be hard going back now...

In these kind of situations the people around him can make these kind of decisions easier for him. When Sachin left the WC after his Dad died, it was his mother who sent him back from Mumbai.

All Anushka has to do is say the word and Virat will stay in Aus. I don't care if some phony fraud-feminist supporters who have no clue what a feminist is or have never lived with one think - that this is once again picking on the woman and putting the onus on her.

But I doubt Anushka will do that and Virat is too egoistic to take the decision himself - he probably thinks it will be him giving in to the loud murmurs.

Think India will bounce back though.
 
You play defensive cricket, the opposition will smell the fear and pounce on you. Exactly what has happenned to the Australian team this entire series. Just have had no answers to India's tight bowling.

You are right, i think the Aussies still have some kind of hangover from the last 2018 series when India whipped their a’sses so badly. I have never seen Aussies so scared & timid before. They will never be able to live it down if they dont win this test 😂
 
There were 2 loose shots by Aussies. If they don't play lose shot anymore, no way india can take a wicket. They just don't have to gift them here.
 
Injuries. Will be surprised if he plays another test for India looking at the abundance of options we suddenly have. :)

Options come and go just as quickly, especially due to injuries. For the sake of these young men carving out their careers, dreams and livelihoods I hope they can bounce back. Ishant, Yadav and Shami though are already on the far end so the management should be fully prepared to see them get injured more frequently (I know Shami was hit during a game but I am talking about the principle and age).

Also, is Shami really 30? Genuinely curious.
 
There are better FC bowlers than Natarajan and Thakur. Our selectors are both dumb and corrupt.

I did wonder about that when I checked the team lists for this match & explored their FC records- I thought surely there are some quicks in India with 200 Fc wickets or averages/strike rates that are better...

I assumed it was some IPL hype getting some of these guys in. Or some Indian regional bias/unnofical quota that must be seen to.
 
Have never seen so many players injured at the same time in a series, whassup with India?

Way too much cricket. Non-stop demands are tough on the body.

And then I have a feeling that this old n dirty ploy has becoming a more permanent tactic now by some teams.

“They plan well ahead and purposely try to injure your pace bowlers when they come to bat”
.

A barrage of short and rising balls aiming at the batsman’s thumbs, chest, arm, elbow and head are sent down.

Pace bowlers are at a greater risk than ever before at getting injured during their batting.
 
I think our selectors/ex-cricketers are actually quite intelligent but they have to fill quotas of state associations/IPL teams . Basically theres too much nepotism/politics in Indian cricket .

Are you saying Natarajan is just filling the Srinivasan quota? He is 29 yrs old after all. That is disappointing if true.
 
There were 2 loose shots by Aussies. If they don't play lose shot anymore, no way india can take a wicket. They just don't have to gift them here.

The drop catches were all of attacking balls and not gifted. Nice try though
 
Have the indians started claiming their asterisks? or still claiming moral victory that their rookies have taken out half of australian batting, although not with great potent bowling, but by the batsmen callousness.
 
You sound like your Amir...or Umar Akmal...or Ahmad Shahzad...or...the list goes on. Full of excuses. I see a trend here. :yk

Wow....good 2 see u back after long time.......met u in IPL PSL bowling threads.....
Good to hear u.....
Where is ur Bhuvi by the way.....
Shehzad is not considered in PSL now....
But wow......... there r still scraps in IPL.....kya karoge uske.....

And it's not excuse it's the one of primary reason for poor performance....otherwise I will say batting has improved....yes shan is poor but overall batting has improved ......fielding is key even in tests too... Hope we improve that aspect too
 
Wade is an atrocious batsman. I am amazed how he keeps playing for Aussie test team, they surely should have someone better

It was only a few years ago that Oz cricket was regarded as in the lowest strength it had been since the 80s days of Packer split & rebel SA tours + triple legend retirement (Lillee, Marsh, Chappell).

There was kids being picked before achieving a damn thing in FC cricket really & just failing.

So they made a decison to go back to what dragged oz up out of 80s slump & eventually into success. They looked for toughness, not style. Building on the rock of Border, they added tough guys like Boon, Healy, Jones, M Hughes, S Waugh, G Marsh, K Wessels. The bare minimum requirement was to fight for your wicket (how G Marsh survived).

So Wade was brought in as that kind of pick. He'd made some good Shield scores & was regarded as a fighter. It worked for a year or two as a stop gap but he's not a top quality player. Just someone they brought in to show others how to scrap.
 
The number of shots by the Aussies that have gone straight to the fielders in the inner ring is crazy.

Either the batsmen are not timing and placing the ball well enough or the field placings are
:cobra
 
10 overs remaining, Aussies would like to finish at 280 . 5

India would want that to be 275 / 6
 
Fielding is embarrassing, not sure if Shastri is getting the ground drills done daily.
 
Just a thought. Indians are generally united in their disdain for Thakur.

Would a Thakur type bowler be hyped up if he were playing for Pakistan :runaway:
 
Dropped again....wow.....it seems our parosis have this dropping syndrome too.....it's only that their batting is too good and they r invincible at home
 
10 overs remaining, Aussies would like to finish at 280 . 5

India would want that to be 275 / 6

New ball at the Gabba. You really want to be grabbing 2 wickets with it.

I'd say one wicket leaves Oz still in a comfortable position. 2 wickets and India can claim the day.
 
The ball has moved around today. Thakur was getting movement with a 70 over old ball.
This is nowhere near as flat as sydney.
 
This is the last pair.......after that not much left.....it's now or never for both teams.....anything less than 300 ...and india surely in game...
 
Is this India’s next generation bowling attack?

Good grief, compare this lot with Shaheen or even Naseem.

India are really going to rely on Bumrah this next few years every time they play outside Asia.
 
Wow....good 2 see u back after long time.......met u in IPL PSL bowling threads.....
Good to hear u.....
Where is ur Bhuvi by the way.....
Shehzad is not considered in PSL now....
But wow......... there r still scraps in IPL.....kya karoge uske.....

And it's not excuse it's the one of primary reason for poor performance....otherwise I will say batting has improved....yes shan is poor but overall batting has improved ......fielding is key even in tests too... Hope we improve that aspect too

Been busy with new semester. Good to see you too.

Bhuvi is injured as well.

You took 3 wickets in the last test. Unless there were 17 dropped catches that I missed.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...a-vs-pakistan-2nd-test-1183531/full-scorecard
 
Kerry saying what a lot of us have noticed.
Indian bowling plans have been exceptional for the aussie batsmen all series.
 
India are in a similar position to Pakistan in terms of reliance upon veteran players.

The difference is that India’s veterans are better than Pakistan’s, although equally injury prone.

Meanwhile India’s next generation looks awfully poor, especially in the bowling department.
 
Navdeep Saini has complained of pain in his groin. He is currently being monitored by the BCCI medical team.
 
Is this India’s next generation bowling attack?

Good grief, compare this lot with Shaheen or even Naseem.

India are really going to rely on Bumrah this next few years every time they play outside Asia.

All of these bowlers are miles better than Naseem.
 
Stay on topic

No need to bring in Pakistan into this discussion
 
Stay on topic

No need to bring in Pakistan into this discussion
 
All of these bowlers are miles better than Naseem.
Naseem is too raw for Tests, but he has a lovely action and gets swing and can be sharp. He has potential.

Natarajan looks like Amir when he goes into “bowl a foot outside offstump at 128K” mode to keep the score down. He’s worse than Shinwari, Junaid, Zia-ul-Haq and Mir Hamza, let alone Amir and Shaheen. I reckon he would be Pakistan’s seventh choice left-arm quick.
 
Not a great day.

But it won't be a bad time for our bats to make 500.

Pujara and Rahane need to atone for their dropped catches.
 
Green is the key wicket tomorrow morning.
 
Good bowling effort by India today, its a shame the fielders havent backed it up in the field. Aussies should be in even worse trouble here. But if india can run through the tail on day 2 they have a good chance in the game if the batsmen bat well 1st time round. wicket should be best for batting on day 2 and 3 here.
 
ErwbZkfUcAIPq70
 
If Aus cannot score 450+ against this attack, they have no business winning this test.
 
Kerry saying what a lot of us have noticed.
Indian bowling plans have been exceptional for the aussie batsmen all series.

Future teams to tour Australia need to use the template followed by the Indian bowlers ie squeeze the runs and the wickets will eventually come
 
The number of shots by the Aussies that have gone straight to the fielders in the inner ring is crazy.

Either the batsmen are not timing and placing the ball well enough or the field placings are
:cobra

Field placings have been exceptional from the Indians
 
After three Tests of incrementally increasing frustration, Marnus Labuschagne broke through for his first century of the summer but Australia remained unable to shake an India attack that showed spirit belying their lack of experience.

Rocked by the loss of strike bowlers Jasprit Bumrah (abdominal strain) and Ravichandran Ashwin (back spasms) prior to the start of play and consigned to the field at the coin toss, India struck early and late on day one to restrict Australia to 5-274 at stumps on their favourite home patch.

It was only a solid and occasionally fluent 108 from Labuschagne that prevented Australia from a batting embarrassment given the disparate playing records of the respective teams.

Having found frustrating ways to get out when set in the previous three Tests – where his contributions have been 47, 6, 48, 28, 91 and 73 – Labuschagne's relief at reaching triple-figures on his home ground was obvious as he let out a hearty roar on completing his 100th run.

His fifth century in 18 Tests, and his second on his home ground, arrived just as Australia were looking to cash in against a wearying opponent.

But within three overs of Labuschagne reaching his deserved milestone, he and Matthew Wade (with whom he forged a fourth-wicket partnership of 113) both fell to top-edged pull shots against debutant Thangarasu Natarajan.

Labuschagne was Natarajan's first international wicket in his maiden ODI outing for India at Canberra last November, and now enters history as his initial Test victim.

Wade went for 45 to the third skied catch he's presented in as many innings, which was accepted by Shardul Thakur running in from mid-on as two other fielders converged with a collision mercifully averted given India shelled three other crucial chances during the day.

The last of those was a sharp caught-and-bowled offered by Cameron Green when on 19, and he will resume 28no tomorrow morning with skipper Tim Paine 38no as India's green-horn bowlers re-gather themselves with a ball just six overs old.

Australia went into the final Vodafone Test, which they must win to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with a personnel aggregate of 504 matches, 23,767 runs and 1,046 wickets.

By contrast, India weighed in at less than half as many Tests (215), almost 10,000 fewer runs (14,814) and barely one per cent of the wickets tally (13).

Yet, with two new caps and three other seamers boasting four Tests between them, India kept Australia to their lowest day-one total at the Gabba after winning the toss and batting since the start of the 2013-14 Ashes Series when they posted 8-273.

In the absence of injured seamers Bumrah, Mohammed Shami (fractured arm), Umesh Yadav (calf strain), Ishant Sharma (side strain) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (thigh) as well as spinners Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja (dislocated thumb), India's third-string attack proved more than a match.

However, they seem likely to be another player short for the remainder of the Test, which they must at least draw to retain the Trophy they have held since 2017, with their fastest bowler Navdeep Saini forced from the field today with a groin injury.

As was the case in Australia's first innings of the series at Adelaide, and when he appeared on track for a century at the SCG last week, Labuschagne was a beneficiary of India's fielding lapses.

Today, he was dropped on 37 and again on 48 before India's novice bowling attack began wilting in the mid-afternoon heat and the Queenslander's hundred came from 195 balls after four-and-a-half hours at the crease.

The second of those reprieves was a thin edge from left-armer Natarajan then searching for his first wicket, which eluded him as keeper Pant dived over the catch to his right and first slip Cheteshwar Pujara was unable to claw it low to his left.

But the one that preceded it was far more straightforward, and significantly more costly.

Not only was the catch that flew from the shoulder of Labuschagne's bat to stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane at gully straightforward at any level of cricket – Rahane didn't have to move as it slapped into both hands at shoulder height to his left – it triggered a chain of events.

Initially, it seemed the look of pain on Saini's face as the ball hit the turf was despair at the squandering of his fifth Test scalp, having made his debut last week in Sydney.

But it soon became obvious the effort Saini had exerted in getting the ball to leap at Labuschagne from the dry, hard Gabba surface had done him a mischief, and he clutched at his left groin before collapsing to the ground.

The 28-year-old received treatment pitch-side from medical staff before being escorted from the field and, having attempted to return to the action after a drinks break 15 minutes later, he was unable to continue and limped back to the dressing room.

He was taken for scans later in the day with the results expected to be known tomorrow.

From the time Rahane dropped Labuschagne, it seemed India's inexperienced attack similarly let slip their bundle.

Australia were 3-93 and reeling from the loss of their best batter Steve Smith (36) to debutant spinner Washington Sundar against the run of play when Labuschagne's lapse arrived.

A double-breakthrough at that stage would not only have removed Australia's most consistent scorer of the Vodafone Series but brought together two fresh batters, Wade (who has struggled for runs in recent innings) and rookie allrounder Green, still finding his feet at Test level.

It would also have piled pressure on the home team who were tipped to make hay on a Gabba pitch that many experts claimed more closely resembled a day two or three strip with a decided lack of moisture despite Queensland having been subjected to biblical rains over past weeks.

Against a rival bowling attack made up of bowlers classified as either white-ball specialists or net bowlers selected to provide practice for India's batters and respite for the first-choice quicks, the home team was tipped to dominate.

Especially after Paine won his third consecutive coin toss to gain first use of the atypical pitch, even though the skippers successful with the coin so far in the Vodafone Series had emerged without a win in any of the three previous Tests.

But within an hour of play starting under sunny skies and typical humidity, Australia were being bossed by the B-team as the new opening combination of David Warner and Marcus Harris failed to fire.

Warner fell in the first over of the morning from Mohammed Siraj – in his third Test and thereby the most experienced member of the visitors' bowling outfit – in similar fashion to his demise in his return innings at Sydney a week earlier.

The left-hander pushed at a delivery angled across him with feet anchored, perhaps an enduring legacy of the serious groin tear he suffered earlier in the summer, and edged low to the right of second slip where Rohit Sharma swooped on the hot chance.

Half an hour later, Marcus Harris presented Thakur with a moment he'll always remember but the recalled Australia opener will be keen to forget.

In his Test debut against the West Indies at Hyderabad two years ago, Thakur managed just 10 deliveries before he limped from the field and out of the match with a groin injury.

Today, his first ball of the game swung into left-hander Harris at a gentle pace of barely 130kph and the opener – seemingly in a hurry to dispatch it – pushed hard in front of his body and scooped a chest-high catch to Sundar, who had been stationed at forward square leg for precisely that shot.

At 2-17, Australia had made their worst start to a Test innings at the Gabba since they crashed to 2-16 against an infinitely more renowned and recognisable West Indies attack in 1988 – the last time the hosts had tasted defeat in Brisbane.

By lunch, the early wobble had been corrected as Labuschagne and Smith consolidated without dominating and lifted the total to 2-65.

Smith had appeared untroubled despite arriving at the crease with the ball just 8.1 overs old, and outscored Labuschagne in the initial stages of their 70-run partnership.

And while Smith habitually gives the impression he can't believe how he's lost his wicket, today's dismissal provided reasonable grounds for incredulity.

He could certainly not plead unfamiliarity with Sundar's off-spin given the pair were teammates at IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiant a few years ago, and the ex-Australia captain had faced two of the three maidens his 21-year-old rival sent down prior to lunch.

Sundar's first ball after the break was invitingly flighted and landed on almost half-volley length adjacent to Smith's leg stump from where the ICC Test Player of the Decade flicked it directly into the hands of Rohit at midwicket.

Suddenly, against all expectations and considerable odds, India's auxiliary bowling group was on top and with Labuschagne looming as the obvious obstacle to an unlikely day of dominance.

He then proved one of the few hurdles this remarkable India outfit have been unable to overcome.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/mat...eam-scores-video-highlights-report/2021-01-15
 
Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan have better records.
Prasidh played just 9 fc matches and that is not enough sample space for judging a fast bowler. Avesh has 26 matches and was tried in few A tours but didn't impress much. And in the last IPL he looked down on pace and had put on some pounds.
Though I agree Natarajan is an IPL pick as I dont even remember him playing in any A tours.
 
Our seamers dropping down like flies....it is not even funny anymore :(

With our dropped catches and iffy batting, it would be a major surprise if we manage to save this test. There is level upto which rookies and green horns can handle which I think has been truly crossed.

There is no way we are going to take 20 wickets with an even depleted attack. I hope there are no more break downs and even then the writing is on the wall I fear...

Though I am hoping against hope that some miracle would happen and our batting would somehow scale up to pose a challenge to atleast draw it which would be a stupendous achievement in itself.
 
Future teams to tour Australia need to use the template followed by the Indian bowlers ie squeeze the runs and the wickets will eventually come

The same template was used by flower and strauss during the 2010 ashes series in Australia, hence England wooped em 3-1
 
This has to be a the unfittest team ever to tour. Lack of professionalism and fitness from India here.
You can't have an injured player every innings.
 
India are in a similar position to Pakistan in terms of reliance upon veteran players.

The difference is that India’s veterans are better than Pakistan’s, although equally injury prone.

Meanwhile India’s next generation looks awfully poor, especially in the bowling department.

This is not our next generation seamers. All of them are playing because there is no one else available and players cant travel due to covid restrictions. Washington Sundar was picked on this tour as a back up bowler in T20s and Natarajan as a net bowler.

India is miles better as a test team compared to Pakistan. Later is perhaps one of the worst touring sides in Australia where as after Ashes, Aussies consider India as their biggest rival. No need to do this forceful comparison.
 
Test legend Ricky Ponting says the unbeaten 61-run stand between rookie Cameron Green and captain Tim Paine might well prove the decisive partnership in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Green (28no) and Paine (38no) came together at 5-217 in the final session of day one of the fourth Vodafone Test at the Gabba after Australia lost set batters Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade in three overs against an inexperienced yet committed Indian bowling attack.

Had one of Green or Paine been dismissed cheaply, exposing the tail to the second new ball, Australia could have found themselves bowled out on Friday after winning the toss and electing to bat.

While Green had a life – dropped on 19 by paceman Shardul Thakur in his follow through – the pair not only survived and safely negotiated the new ball, they cashed in late against a weary attack down on troops.

The stand was lauded by Ponting, who says Australia can control the game if Green and Paine bat big on day two in the must-win final Test.

"It could be the biggest partnership in the series," Ponting told cricket.com.au.

"One-one going up to Brisbane, Labuschagne and Wade put on a 113-run partnership but both got out soon after that and Australia needed Paine and Green to do what they've done and really steady the ship, then try and push on for a really big first-innings score.

"Absolutely crucial (partnership). The fact they got through the new ball tonight was really pleasing for them and it looks like (injured quick Navdeep) Saini is in real doubt, Shardul went off late in the day as well so it could be tomorrow India only have the three bowlers to go to and if they do, the batting conditions tomorrow morning will probably be the best in the game.

"These two, if they can then go on and turn this into a 100-run partnership first and then stretch it out past that, then I think Australia will be in the driver's seat of the game."

Saini bowled just 7.5 overs before succumbing to what appeared to be a groin injury while Shardul left the field after bowling 18 overs in his second Test, and first since October 2018.

Australia looked in command after Labuschagne brought up his first century of the summer and Wade was cruising on 45.

But just as Wade looked set to snap a streak of 12 innings without a Test match half-century, he top-edged a pull shot while out of position to hand T Natarajan his maiden Test wicket.

Labuschagne followed 13 balls later in similar fashion and Australia’s position of strength was almost thrown away until Green and Paine combined.

Wade's innings will unlikely quieten the scrutiny around his position in the Test XI and Ponting says the left-hander needs to start making the most of his chances before it's too late.

"It's one thing to be going really well and to be cruising but it's another thing to be scoring big runs in Test cricket," he said.

"With 13 innings between half-centuries that's a real worry.

"He would love to have today over again, his dismissal especially, but I think what we've seen when he is playing well – and is committed and thinking clearly – he could easily find himself in that middle order for another couple of years.

"But you can't afford to let opportunities like today slip."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ric...a-fourth-test-australia-highlights/2021-01-15
 
Harsha bhogle credited A tours and Dravid for the success of bowling performance though missing main bowlers.
 
When Natarajan left his home for Dubai in August, his expectation was to warm bench for Sunrisers Hyderabad and get 1-2 of games max.

5 months later, not only he became a find of IPL, he went onto play in all formats for India for an overseas tour.

How fortunes can change in 5 months...lol.
 
Most Runs in the first 30 Test innings:-

2872: Bradman
1904: Sutcliffe
1898: Hussey
1860: LABUSCHAGNE
1833: Walters
 
Back
Top