The forth test kicked off with Michael Clarke winning the toss giving Australia first use of a very flat Adelaide Oval wicket. Both teams returned their spinners to their respective spots.
Today was the day of the middle order as Clarke and Ponting steadied the ship again just like they did in Sydney to end the day on 3/335 after being 3/84 and earlier 2/31.
David Warner and Ed Cowan picked up where they left off in the Perth test crunching 18 runs from the first 3 overs. Warner however was undone by the surprise of Ashwin in the 4th over from which he would play 2 maidens out and then get done LBW to Zaheer. This will definitely become a tactic which is used more often against Warner if he gets off to a flyer. Lots have said drying up the runs will lead to his wicket, so it will be interesting seeing how he fares in the 2nd innings when the tactic is applied again.
Cowan has opened up a lot more since his test debut playing a wider range of shots. In particular against the spin which was no different to on debut. One thing I have noticed in Cowan is while he may leave the wide balls against the seamers, once the spinner comes on he is looking to be aggressive. He's now got out twice to Ashwin (although first one wasn't really out) by being aggressive so maybe he is being a bit too aggressive. However still too small a sample size to make an conclusion and also it is hard to find that right balance between being position and being too negative. Another solid 30 by Cowan, he's doing a bit of Khawaja atm but hopefully doesn't experience the same fate.
Marsh once again struggled his way through his innings and ended up being clean bowled by an arm ball on the first day of the Test. It is sad to see him struggle as he showed so much promise on debut. I hate excuses because it leaves the what if scenario and for Marsh it appears he returned too soon from injury. It's hard to know if things would have been any different if he wasn't returning from injury. However as he showed on debut you have to take your opportunity when given it and he was given a chance over Khawaja and has really struggled. I do hope he comes back but these 4 matches will stick with him for a while. Just like Ponting and his struggles, Hussey and his lean patch, or Siddle and his too short/inconsistent bowling, it takes a while to shake these tags. Marsh will now have to go back to First Class cricket and bang the house down which will be difficult considering he is a part of the ODI and T20I sides.
Onto the stars of the day. Ricky Ponting continues his form revival with 137* at stumps. What a difference it makes getting the hundred monkey off your back. One can only hope Tendulkar is kept off his hundred for as long as possible because he has looked very comfortable this series only to stumble when approaching that milestone. Back on Ponting, this was a chanceless knock displaying the things we loved about Ponting. From his first straight drive (the same shot he was attempting when he was clean bowled), to his cover drive and pull shot. While his pull shot is not what it once was, it still remains a frequent scoring zone for Punter. Tomorrow he will push on in an attempt to better his highest score at this ground.
Captain Pup was the other star of the day, backing up his Sydney knock with 140*. Another 150 beckons and like Ponting, having broken his double hundred drought, 200 no longer remains a barrier for him. Not quite as fluent as Ponting's knock, Clarke showed his full array of shots once again. He offered chances late in the day including being dropped by VVS and swiping at some wide ones near stumps but he is still there and has the chance to refocus himself on the quest for another 200 and who knows maybe another 300. Sadly for record freaks like myself, that 400 is off the cards!
Bowling wise India bowled a man short as Yadav showed pace isn't everything. India have long being dreaming of a paceman cracking the 140km/h mark however it was Zaheer bowling around 130km/h who has the only wicket for the seamers. Sharma bowled without luck and on another day he could have had more wickets or should I say on another day where VVS takes his 9/10 catches. He was the most economical of the bowlers and probably the most likely of them to get a wicket. Ashwin bowled well on the first day in particular in the opening spell. However as the day wore on Ponting and Clarke showed their class and started tkaing to him. Zaheer was good as always however didn't get his trademark reverse swing.
Sehwag captaincy started well however left alot to be desired after his Ashwin move. From starting after lunch with Yadav, to bowling himself after tea, to having no first slip when Clarke was on 30, to having no slips at all. Things really fell apart for Sehwag once the Ponting and Clarke show got underway however it's hard to be too critical on this wicket.
That is day 1, can Clarke and Ponting complete the double double hundred? Will India hit back? Will Haddin get a bat? So many questions to be answered tomorrow.
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1 COMMENTS:
'Marsh once again struggled his way through his innings ...'
You know, although facing 12 balls and getting out for 3 runs can be described as 'struggling', I really think the phrase 'struggling his way through his innings' is misleading. His time at the crease (10 minutes) was simply not long enough for that.
Now, I disagree with dropping Khawaja in favour of Marsh anyway - and having read your previous post touching upon this subject, I understand that you don't - but I think that we can at least agree that it is not a good idea to select for the Australia XI a relatively un-tested, previously injured batsman without his having proved his mettle in the Sheffield Shield competition first.
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