[AtheK]

I will probably play the below team for Brisbane.

Gill
Sharma
Pujara
Mayank (Replace Vihari)
Rahane
Pant
Ashwin
Shardul Thakur (Replace Jadeja)
Natrajan (Replace Saini)
Bumrah
Siraj

[VWAllstar]

Playing XI for the next test:

R Sharma
S Gill
C Pujara
A Rahane
M Agrawal
R Pant
R Ashwin
K Yadav
T Natrajan
M Siraj
J Bhumrah

[vibbs]

Originally Posted by vibbs

I still think, that we can save this test match. 5 wickets in a session, I would back the top sides to bat it out.

Problem is our tailenders.

Thankfully I was right.

And we did not have to get to our real tail enders.

Great gritty match. I think Pant provided the X factor that for a moment drove some fear into Aussie minds. If Vihari and Jadeja were fit, we could have still gone for it. But batting out 4 sessions against Australia in Australia is a top feat. Doing it without your Gun batsman- Even so.

Kudos to the batting unit and Ashwin also. He was dished out some hostile stuff by the Aussies while batting.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Disappointed with Smith. For all his remorse at the last cheating scandal and he was at his tricks again today? Removing Pant's batting guard mark!

Really really disappointing. He should be permanently stripped from the lists of all time greats. Honour is non-negotiable.

They say form is temporary class is permanent. Smith's form wasn't good in the last 1 and a half years after his return, but he has shown his class in this match...


...I'm not talking about his batting by the way!

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Pant and Jadeja won't be batting isn't it? With no rain predicted, it's foolish to expect anything but a loss. Still find it funny that people felt the Day 1/2 (2, especially) belonged to India.

Wow! Love being proved wrong here. What a terrific display of batting and intent today, especially despite being injured (Pant and then Vihari). Just terrific!

Also, what a shitty display of sportsmanship by Paine and Smith. What's with Paine and his stupidity while Ashwin is about to face the bowler. Australia have showed once again what sore losers (/non-winners) they are.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Playing XI for the next test:

R Sharma
S Gill
C Pujara
A Rahane
M Agrawal
R Pant
R Ashwin
K Yadav
T Natrajan
M Siraj
J Bhumrah

No way we are playing two spinners in Gabba.

[Eddy]

India - well done. I don't think anyone expected them to do it, and what a way to do it.

Australia - you guys continue to be sore losers. Yes, they can consider this test as lost. Smith and co will remain the most unsportsman like sports team.

Eddy - well done. You did not jinx the team by watching the match. Without you, it would not have been possible.

Originally Posted by harry10

This has to be our best effort for a draw ever outside Asia.

This, and the Gautam Ganbhir innings in New Zealand.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Australia - you guys continue to be sore losers. Yes, they can consider this test as lost. Smith and co will remain the most unsportsman like sports team.

Aussies simply weren't confident, by setting a 407 target. It meant India were going to play for a draw from the get-go. A brave captain would have set that tempting total to lure the opposition into playing for a win. Possibly they were expecting a Adelaide Test repeat?

Eddy - well done. You did not jinx the team by watching the match. Without you, it would not have been possible.

Same here man I consciously didn't even check the score until about noon-1 ish

[ebonho]

So proud of our boys today!

Sometimes a draw crushes the opposition more than an outright win.

Cheers, Doc

[Marshall]

A game to cherish for a long time to come. Watched it ball by ball today.

Back to the drawing boards for both teams, Indian dressing room would be the happier lot.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Eddy

This, and the Gautam Ganbhir innings in New Zealand.

Did you mean the 2009 test when NZ scored 619 in their first inning ? If yes, that's one where India followed on and played the 3rd innings of the match. Great batting (Gambhir and Laxman scored centuries) ensured they didn't lose, but in this test India was playing the fourth inning chasing a target and so I think it's a much bigger achievement.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by NPV

Did you mean the 2009 test when NZ scored 619 in their first inning ? If yes, that's one where India followed on and played the 3rd innings of the match. Great batting (Gambhir and Laxman scored centuries) ensured they didn't lose, but in this test India was playing the fourth inning chasing a target and so I think it's a much bigger achievement.

Yes, Gautam Gambhir batted for 10+ hours to save the test after India followed on.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/...full-scorecard

[Venkatesh]

Congratulations to the beautiful couple. Virat Kohli and Anuska Sharma blessed with a baby girl this afternoon.





Link

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

The statistics show that the last time India had played 100plus overs in the fourth innings was1980.

Here's the list of most overs batted by India in the fourth innings of drawn tests. Nothing of this magnitude in the last 4 decades or so speaks volumes of this Sydney synergy. Test cricket is here to stay !

[noopster]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Same here man I consciously didn't even check the score until about noon-1 ish

I wasn't planning on watching at all but was off work for other reasons and the TV was on. Pretty soon, was engrossed till they shook hands with seemingly one over to go. Maybe I should watch Test cricket more often!

And what an effort the fourth innings was! I have often wondered why, in this day and age, anyone would choose to specialise in Test cricket but today I found out why. Hanuma Vihari's is probably the best 23* in the history of the game. And Ashwin, champion as always, taking literal body blows to see us through.

I found Starc and Hazlewood's bowling incisive and attacking till the very end so tough luck for them. Steven Smith has to go and spoil it all with the crease scraping thing All that "remorse" after the ban and that massive PR exercise that was the Amazon original miniseries "The Test" turns out to be an eyewash after all!