Key events
49th over: India 186-5 (Rahane 31, Bharat 5) Two off that Boland over – a single apiece for each batter. Boland has it on a string. Moving it both ways off the seam at will. Could watch him all day.
The question is, who misses out if Hazlewood is fit? Starc for me. Any thoughts?
Scott Boland with a stunning W0W … inked in for Edgbaston, first choice
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 11, 2023
Australia review again. Surely sliding down leg. Let’s see. Boland is confident. Just as I thought. Australia burn another one.
48th over: India 184-5 (Rahane 30, Bharat 4) A maiden for Cummins (the one leg bye off Rahane’s pad doesn’t count against the bowler). Bharat is hit but soldiers on. Australia moving in for the kill.
Cummins has sconned Bharat. It’s short and the Indian ‘keeper ducks while averting his eyes. That means he’s at the mercy of the bounce but luck is not with him. He’s crunched on the back of his head and now the physios are out conducting a concussion test.
One of the best spells of setting a world-class batter up you’ll ever see from Scott Boland. Kept getting Virat Kohli to second-guess himself in terms of what to play at and what to leave alone with subtle changes in angle and length. Earned himself that big wicket #WTC2023Final
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) June 11, 2023
“Scott Boland is simply the most devastating bowler I have ever seen in international cricket.”
That’s from Robert Speed and honestly, I’m not going to argue. Reminds me of a peak Vernon Philander when the Saffa was unplayable. Not quick, not menacing, doesn’t hoop it round corners. Just routinely hits an uncomfortable area and tests the batter’s technique with every ball. Remarkable.
47th over: India 183-5 (Rahane 30, Bharat 4) Talk about one of the great overs of this WTC cycle. Set up Kohli by dangling the bait before working over Jadeja. Then, with the final ball, Boland gets one to spit off a good length and it flies off Bharat’s edge, up and over a leaping Warner to run away for four. Stunning stuff. He wasn’t supposed to play in this game. Now he’s surely inked on the team sheet for the first Ashes Test.
WICKET! Jadeja c Carey b Boland 0 (India 179-5)
Scotty Boland is on fire! Round the wicket angled into the left hander, he gets one to hold its line and the new batter nibbles at the good length. Perhaps he could have left it but it’s the angle that convinces him to play at it. He can only manage a thin edge and Carey is smiling even before he pouches it. Two in the over for the Australian cult hero.
WICKET! Kohli c Smith b Boland 49 (India 179-4)
Is that the game!? An absolute stunner from Steve Smith at second slip. The first bit of width from Boland and Kohli takes the bait, driving away from his body. It catches a thick edge and flies to the cordon where Smudge gets both hands around a rocket to his right. Clings on and the Aussies have the big fish.
Not sure what Labuschagne heard. Clear daylight between Kohli’s bat on the forward press and Boland’s full ball.
Ooooh. Now then. They’ve gone upstairs for a caught behind review. Seems that Marnus at extra cover heard something and has convinced Cummins to have a look.
46th over: India 179-3 (Kohli 49, Rahane 30) Kohli leans forward and steals a single in the covers. One more for Rahane down to deep third. I’ve already lost count – is that the sixth time this morning? Kohli closes this Cummins over with a nudge wide of mid-on.
Spot on!
@danielgallan morning dan, Aussies heavy favourites for me but as long as Kohli is there, India have a chance
— Stuie Neale (@MrNeale92) June 11, 2023
45th over: India 176-3 (Kohli 47, Rahane 29) A better set from Boland. His first ball rises from a shortish length but it’s wide enough to let go. Another jags back into Kohli as he shoulders arms. But there it is again, back of a length at an innocuous pace around the fifth stump and Kohli steers a single to deep third. India are eating this whale one bite at a time.
44th over: India 175-3 (Kohli 46, Rahane 29) Too easy for the Indians. First Rahane and then Kohli open the face to Cummins and have enough time before dinking a single down to deep third. Not sure how they solve that problem. Cummins has moved his cover squarer of the wicket which opens up a gap on the off side. There’s a good bumper to end the over and Rahane tries to duck under it but leaves his bat dangling like a periscope. The ball catches the top edge and flies down to fine leg for four.
“Morning Daniel,”
Good morning Tony White, thanks for dropping by.
This could be quite a stressful, red winey sort of forenoon, I trust you will be holding our hands tightly throughout.
And clapping later as India push it over the line!”
Red wine in this heat?! Someone check on Tony in a few hours. I’d be passed out after my second glass.
Don’t worry. I’ve got you mate. Sounds like you’ve got an excellent day planned.
43rd over: India 169-3 (Kohli 45, Rahane 24) Rahane opens the face and runs another single down to deep third. I might as well copy that sentence and have it on standby. Kohli is standing about half a foot outside of his crease to Boland. There’s an appeal for lbw but it’s sliding down leg.
42nd over: India 168-3 (Kohli 45, Rahane 23) It’s Cummins to Kohli but the prince of Indian cricket nudges a rising ball towards midwicket and gets down the other end with ease. A little soft as far as the Aussies are concerned. Rahane dabs a couple down to deep third and then keeps the strike with a single off the last ball. He’s perfected that shot over this Test. The pitch looks as flat as it’s been over the past five days. Simply hitting a good length won’t do for Australia.
41st over: India 164-3 (Kohli 44, Rahane 20) Scott Boland is on it straight away. Probing on a fourth stump line around a good length. Rahane is on the front foot and meeting the ball with the middle of his bat. He looks solid as he plays a mini game with the man at cover and sees out a maiden.
“Dan I presume Geoff is unavailable because he needs a day to recover from this morning’s episode of Bluey, simply titled Cricket, which is the best encapsulation of cricket’s role in growing up in Australia you will ever see, and is probably the television highlight of the year. It is utterly unmissable and everyone reading should seek it out at lunch if they have not already had the unalloyed pleasure.”
Geoff is saving all his best words for the final report so you’re stuck with me, Eamonn Maloney. But as the father of a two-year-old, I’ll absolutely be making a note of that.
What do you make of this from Shubman Gill? Just #Bantz or a line crossed from a pro player?
Ten minutes to go. Time enough to pick at the bones of yesterday’s controversial grab from Cam Green. Did the ball touch the ground? Well, yes. Does that mean it wasn’t a legitimate catch? Not exactly.
Confused? Not to worry. Geoff Lemon explains all:
While you wait I highly recommend this brilliant interview with Usman Khawaja, penned by Andy Bull. If you’re one of the seven cricket fans who didn’t already love the Australian batter, read this and get on board. He’s a proper gem.
If India pull this off it’d be one of the truly great Test performances.
To put their task in context, targets of 400 or more are rarely hauled in. In fact, only four teams have managed it in 252 attempts.
Don Bradman’s Australians notched 404-3 in the fourth Test of the 1948 Ashes thanks to Arthur Morris’ 182 and an unbeaten 173 from the Don.
28 years later, hundreds from Sanil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath saw India reach 406-4 against the West Indies.
In 2003 the West Indies’ lower order got them over the line with 418-7 against an Australian attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee.
And the Aussies were on the wrong side of another historic chase when a century from AB de Villiers steered South Africa to 414-4 in Perth in 2008.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Folks, we’ve got a belter on our hands here. Modern Tests whiz along at such a frenetic pace that day five humdingers are rare, but that’s exactly what’s forming over the heat hazed horizon in south London.
In case you’re just catching up, this is how it’s shaped up over four undulating days:
India won the toss under cloud cover and nabbed two wickets with the new ball. Then Travis Head and Steve Smith starred as the Aussies piled on 469 before Pat Cummins and co skittled the Indian top order. Ajinkya Rahane helped avoid the follow on and Australia’s middle order gave their bowlers 470 to defend.
That looked like plenty when Cheteshwar Pujara was bounced out to leave India on 93-3, a whopping 377 runs adrift. But Rahane and Virat Kohli rallied and will resume their 71 run stand on a pitch that has shown some variable bounce but is still decent to bat on.
An Australian win is the most likely outcome. One or two scalps in this first session should all but seal it but don’t count out a blockbuster chase.
My name is Daniel/Dan and I’m genuinely thrilled to be here. If you’re as jazzed as I am drop an email or hit me up on Twitter.
Play starts at 10.30am BST, 3pm IST and 7.30pm AEST.
