Key events
96th over: India 321-4 (Kohli 16, Jurel 1) Nathan Lyon enters the attack and strikes immediately. Wickets on the first ball of both sessions keeping Australians off the ledge here.
WICKET! Pant St Carey b Lyon 1 (India 320-4)
Ludicrous shot from Pant and lovely bit of glovework from Carey. A rare failure from the Indian on Australian shores but this was a stinker.
95th over: India 320-3 (Kohli 16, Pant 1) As is his way, Pant charges his first ball from Marsh. Another sloppy Cummins delivery slips by Carey for four byes. Time for drinks and I’ll be doing the same. India now 366 runs the better.
WICKET! Jaiswal c Smith b Marsh 162 (India 313-3)
Jaiswal picks out Steve Smith at backward point. It’s a rank delivery, and a poor shot but what an innings. His first century in Australia and he’s played a pivotal role in putting this test match beyond Australia’s reach.
93rd over: India 312-2 (Jaiswal 161 Kohli 15) Another sumptuous straight drive from Kohli. Cummins, who’s really struggling in this innings, needs to sort his length out. Jaiswal then pounds him through the covers for four. “Gotta say, they’re pretty decent batting conditions,” says Haydos, as the score reaches 2-312.
92nd over: India 301-2 (Jaiswal 155 Kohli 10) Hayden masters the art of saying the bleedin’ obvious, and then repeating it thrice hourly. India, meanwhile, lead by nearly 350 runs. Kohli is seeing them well today, and will be desperate to cash in. A wild swing and a miss from Jaiswal is one of the few blemishes in an otherwise superb knock.
91st over: India 299-2 (Jaiswal 155 Kohli 9) Pat Cummins is into the attack and Big Haydos is into the commentary box, which doesn’t always sit well with this columnist. Lovely cover drive from Kohli nets him three. Yaiswal slashes at a ball outside leg and that goes down as a missed chance by Carey, albeit an extremely difficult one. Such is this test match for the Aussies.
90th over: India 292-2 (Jaiswal 151 Kohli 6) Mitch Marsh returns after his injury concerns. Marsh still looks a bit proppy, and hasn’t done a lot of bowling in recent times. It’s a big ask to take on these two in such circumstances, in these conditions. Kohli flicks him off his pads for an easy single and Jaiswal follows suit.
89th over: India 288-2 (Jaiswal 150 Kohli 4) Some glorious straight drives in the previous over from Jaiswal but he’s a lot more watchful here, with Hazlewood right on target.
150 for Jaiswal! 88th over: India 288-2 (Jaiswal 150 Kohli 4)
Outstanding from Jaiswal, who reaches his fourth 150 in a test match. When he reaches 100, he invariably goes on with him. Ten runs off the over
87th over: India 278-2 (Jaiswal 143, Kohli 1) Jaiswal is so compact, so utterly unfazed by opening after his first innings duck. Hazlewood continues to nag away, and he’s been the best of Australia’s bowlers by far today. But the baby faced Indian knows exactly what to leave, what to have a crack at and when to rotate the strike. Kohli is off the mark with a quick single and a rousing cheer.
86th over: India 276-2 (Jaiswal 142, Kohli 0) Young Jaiswal is not perturbed by losing his partner, and is fast approaching 150. Kohli persists with batting outside his crease but isn’t the imperious figure of yore. A tight over from Starc who was far too loose earlier today.
85th over: India 275-2 (Jaiswal 141, Kohli 0) Excellent start for Australia but they’re still 325 runs and eight wickets adrift mind you. A circumspect start by Kohli who needs to fill his boots here. He slashes at one outside off and is less than convincing.
84th over: India 275-2 (Jaiswal 141, Kohli 0) What a start for Australia and what a tussle we have now: Hazlewood v Kohli, The Hoff v The King. The volume has risen significantly now at Optus Stadium but Kohli is watchful to the first four. He flashes at the final ball but the fielder stops any runs. Great start to the new session.
WICKET! Padikkal c Smith b Hazlewood 25 (India 275-2)
First ball of the session! Paddikal was fat and smug and sleepy after the break and he flashed at Hazlewood’s juicy first delivery and caught the edge where Smith scooped it up down low. Australia strike ands here comes King Kohli.
Something to contemplate over lunch courtesy of Gervase Greene in balmy Sydney…
A fabulous ton by young Jaiswal, but I couldn’t help noticing when he removed his gloves to acknowledge the crowd that he was sporting a watch on his left wrist. Perhaps he is timing his centuries to the minute – he is fast getting used to making them – but is it perhaps some canny product placement by (I think) a tech-company based in California?
LUNCH: India are 275-1 (Jaiswal 141, Padikkal 25)
Another wonderful session for India. They really squeezed the life out of Australia, rattling off 103 runs to extend their lead past 300 and take the game well out of sight for the home side.
The highlight of the morning has been the magnificent century by Yashasvi Jaiswal who brought up his fourth Test hundred with a cheeky ramp shot over slips for six. Even better, he went on with it, piling on another 41 runs to go to lunch unbeaten on 141.
Fellow opener KL Rahul lent stellar support with 77 before Starc caught his edge. Even then the Australians didn’t have the energy or brio to celebrate. On a sweltering 30+ day in Perth, Pat Cummins’ men are hot and bothered and, to be honest, look a beaten side. They have nine Indian wickets to take and Virat “King” Kohli waiting to bat next.
Worse, allrounder Mitchell Marsh has been off the field for much of the morning with an injury that has prevented him from bowling and now threatens his ability to bat. With first-pick allrounder Cameron Green sidelined all season, that bad news could get worse if Marsh is unavailable for the second Test.
But that’s a dilemma for another day and Australia have a VERY long day ahead. Time to wet the whistle and grab a bite to eat. We’ll be back with the second session soon.
84th over: India 275-1 (Jaiswal 141, Padikkal 25) Starc’s first ball is wide and short and Padikkal slashes it to the rope for FOUR. The big quick responds with gusto, hitting the pitch a little harder and beating the edge. Starc throws down a yorker but Padikkal brings down the bat in time. And now he steps out cover drives elegantly for three. That makes it 103 runs added for the session and India in front by a whopping 321 runs.
83rd over: India 268-1 (Jaiswal 141, Padikkal 17) We’ll get two overs before this session is done. Can Australia go to lunch with another wicket? Hazlewood thinks so. His first ball is fast and straight and it leaps at Padikkal awkwardly. Better by the Bendemeer Bullet! Next delivery has Padakkal similarly bamboozled. He’s elected to come around the wicket and the angle is troubling young Padikkal who Hazlewood dismissed for a duck in the first dig. He gets away from strike with a single as Cummins fumbles at mid-on.
82nd over: India 267-1 (Jaiswal 141, Padikkal 18) Starc is on… but so is Jaiswal. On fire! Big Mitch threw down a loosener and Jaiswal stepped out and drove it downtown. Great shot young man! That’s deflating for Australia. They are trying to snare a second wicket to expose Virat Kohli in the precious minutes before lunch and Starc, who gushed 11 from his first over today, has gift-wrapped another boundary to a batter who doesn’t require any favours today. Fourth ball is over 140kph and Jaiswal nudges it through the cordon and McSweeney dives to save the boundary. Good fielding by the debutant. Final ball is a corker yorker but Jaiswal somehow keeps it out.
81st over: India 263-1 (Jaiswal 137, Padikkal 17) Josh Hazlewood gets first use of the new ball. The Hoff is coming over the wicket trying to exploit the off stump line that got Padikkal’s wicket in the first innings. First ball is a peach but second is a rotten tomato. It flies down leg and Carey can’t get a glove on it. Four byes. Oh no, another legside ball, even wider than the first, and it’s way beyond Carey. Another four byes. That’s very uncharacteristic by the reliably straight-shooting Hazlewood and it’ll make for a cranky ‘keeper over the lunch break.
80th over: India 255-1 (Jaiswal 137, Padikkal 17) It’s the final over before the new ball is available and Travis Head is hunting his 13th Test wicket. Jaiswal taps a single and Padikkal does the same. Jaiswal eases two to deep backward point and Padikkal hands the strike back with a well-timed drop shot. Another single makes it six from the over. India are officially 301 runs in front with nine wickets in hand. That’s a tough sentence to read let alone type. Is it a death sentence for Australia in this first Test?
79th over: India 247-1 (Jaiswal 133, Padikkal 15) Lyon resumes and Padikkal rolls the wrists nicely to find two more. That’s it for now though.
78th over: India 247-1 (Jaiswal 133, Padikkal 13) Marnus madness is over for now and Travis Head has been given a bowl. This got one yesterday and it cost eight runs but he’s the fastest route to the new ball right now so what the hell. And Jaiswal says the same, slapping two from last after five dots. That wasn’t far from the hands of short cover.
77th over: India 245-1 (Jaiswal 131, Padikkal 13) Nathan Lyon is playing his 130th Test and chasing his 531st wicket. He has done his job for Australia so far, slowing the run rate. Padikkal plays out a maiden.
76th over: India 240-1 (Jaiswal 131, Padikkal 13) Labuschagne pesters his way into a second over as Australia try to hustle through overs and get to the new ball. With this partnership at 39 and the lead edging toward 300, they desperately need something. But not that. Marnus sends down a full toss and Padikkal gives it what it deserves and slaps it to the rope. Labuschagne follows it up with another short wide one down the legside. Final delivery is straighter and Padikkal works it off his hip for a run. India now lead by 291. Yeesh.
75th over: India 239-1 (Jaiswal 130, Padikkal 8) Normal service resumes with Lyon into his 17th over. He has 0-36 and is not finding much from the footmarks so far. Jaiswal strokes a single and Padikkal does likewise. There’s a cut shot played to the fourth but it can’t get past the fielder. Next one succeeds – three singles from the over.
74th over: India 236-1 (Jaiswal 128, Padikkal 7) I’ve received a neatly timed email from Jeremy Henderson who writes:
Around 20 minutes into each session, Marnus starts on at Pat Cummins, “Let me bowl, let me bowl, let me bowl, etc…” After 30 minutes of this, Pat responds “If you shut the hell up, I’ll give you an over before the break”. (We’ve all dealt with annoying kids).
Sure enough, Marnus has the ball. And sure enough, his first ball is horrible – short, wide and annoying. Labuschagne goes short again but this time it’s straight. Padikkal is beaten by the third but Marnus goes short and wide again. And again. And again.
73rd over: India 234-1 (Jaiswal 127, Padikkal 7) Slapshot by Jaiswal and that’s FOUR! He’d been circumspect against Lyon until then but boy he broke the shackles in style, getting low and forward and sweeping beautifully to the boundary rope. Jaiswal takes two runs to backward square and a single to close out another profitable over. This partnership is at 33.
72nd over: India 227-1 (Jaiswal 120, Padikkal 7) Close… but no donut! Cummins bent his back and zeroed a ball at the bum fluff on Jaiswal’s top lip. The youngster went to fend over slips and Smith’s goalkeeping leap was just short of snaring the catch. It runs away for a single but good aggressive bowling from the Australian captain.
71st over: India 224-1 (Jaiswal 117, Padikkal 7) Nathan Lyon begins his 15th over with 0-28. Jaiswal taps a single from the first. Devdutt Padikkal – who stands a handsome 6ft 3in – uses his height and reach to smother five well-pitched balls without score. Tight bowling by the old man from Young.
70th over: India 223-1 (Jaiswal 116, Padikkal 7) Pat Cummins returns and Jaiswal tucks him away for a single. It’s high noon here in Perth and temperatures are rising into the 30s. Cummins is wicketless so far and Padikkal clips him backward of square where substitute fielder Josh Inglis has to chase hard to save a boundary. Three runs means this partnership is already at 22 from 42 deliveries.
69th over: India 220-1 (Jaiswal 115, Padikkal 5) The GOAT is on. Nathan Lyon wheels in for his first over of the day and the 14th of this innings. And straight away he’s on the button. Jaiswal plays forward and back but doesn’t do anything silly. It’s a maiden.
68th over: India 220-1 (Jaiswal 115, Padikkal 5) Almost a catch! Jaiswal attacked Cummins’ first ball and it flew out to the rope but Head was standing too far infield and it cleared him easily and bounced over the boundary rope for FOUR. Jaiswal is entering T20 mode. With Nathan Lyon warming up on the rope, we might see fireworks before lunch here. Will Jaiswal go bezerk and try to beat his IPL record of fifty in 13 deliveries?
67th over: India 216-1 (Jaiswal 111, Padikkal 5) Inswinger by Starc and Jaiswal has to hustle to keep it out. In fact he squirts it for a single and gets a rueful grin from Starc. India now lead by 262 runs and King Kohli is padded up and coming in next.
66th over: India 214-1 (Jaiswal 110, Padikkal 4) After 10 runs from that last Starc over, Pat Cummins has injected himself into the attack. He starts this spell with 0-44 from 13 overs. Can he find a crack and bring Virat Kohli to the crease? Devdutt Padikkal is the new batter. He is off his ‘pair’ and strokes a single through backward point to get his younger partner back on strike. Jaiswal has 110 and is seeking his second double-century after the magnificent 214 not out he stroked against England earlier this year.
65th over: India 212-1 (Jaiswal 110, Padikkal 3) Bang! Jaiswal threw his hands at Starc’s first ball and flashed it down to the third man boundary for FOUR. Superb batting. This is Jaiswal’s 15th Test and he already has four centuries, eight fifties and a century in the high-fifties. Nor is Yashasvi Jaiswal solely a Test star. In 2023 he scored the fastest fifty in IPL cricket (13 balls!) for Rajasthan Royals and that same season became their youngest centurion at 21 years and 123 days in 2023, with a superb 124. What a star!
64th over: India 202-1 (Jaiswal 103, Padikkal 0) Now that’s cocky! Jaiswal, still giddy from ramp shotting Mitchell Starc over the fine leg boundary to bring up his ton, tries it again from Hazlewood. This one doesn’t come off but strewth, that’s bold batting by the young gun who famously slept in tents and sold pani puri to earn pocket money en route to his dream of representing India.
WICKET! Rahul c Carey b Starc 77 (India 201-1)
Finally a wicket! Good bowling by Starc. He switched the angle to come round the wicket and put the ball bang in the corridor of uncertainty. Rahul pushed too hard and it had enough bounce to beat the man and find the edge. Carey swooped forward to take the catch. Muted celebrations by the home side but after 201 runs they have first blood.
63rd over: India 201-0 (Jaiswal 102, Rahul 77) Starc strides in for his 15th over and Rahul takes a single and Jaiswal cuts hard for another. A scampered single and an overthrow bring up India’s 200. That seems fitting. Australia have been sloppy in the field, missing run-outs and leaking singles. Another two to the total. India lead by 245.
Century to YB Jaiswal! (India 197-0)
What a glorious way to ice an incredible century! Hazlewood dug it in short and the kid simply leaned back, took it off his chin and chipped it into the rope for a SIX. After a brief wait to confirm the maximum, the 22-year-old takes his helmet off and holds his arms aloft. Kohli gives him a standing ovation and a fist-pump from the dugout That is fourth Test hundred and his first in Australia.
62nd over: India 191-0 (Jaiswal 95, Rahul 74) Hazlewood enters his 13th over with the typically miserly figures of 0-15. Jaiswal edges the second ball short of slips. No run. Hazlewood digs the next one into the youngsters ribs and he gets tangled keeping it out. Good bowling by the Hoff. But that’s great batting by Jaiswal – he has leaned back and lifted Hazlewood over slips for…. SIX! That’s his century and what a shot to bring it up!
61st over: India 191-0 (Jaiswal 95, Rahul 74) India have carted 17 runs from the first three overs – not the start Australia were looking for. Can Starc atone for the 11-run over last time around that took his figures to 54-0 from 13 overs? He leaks a single from the fourth ball as Rahul drops and runs for an easy single. A leg bye from the fifth means this pair have equalled the greatest opening stand for India against Australia.
60th over: India 189-0 (Jaiswal 95, Rahul 73) Here comes Hazlewood. A maiden would be so valuable for Australia now, anything to slow the progress of India’s fast march to a 250-lead and fire a shot for a home side on the back foot. Four dots becomes five thanks to a diving save by McSweeney at a wide third. That atones for his error in the Starc over. Rahul squashes the maiden on the last, stepping out and cover driving for three.
59th over: India 185-0 (Jaiswal 95, Rahul 70) Starc is driven by Rahul and that’s FOUR! Beautiful shot by the wicketkeeper-batter from Karnataka. Starc was a touch full and Rahul stepped out and smashed it to the rope. And now he drives again! This one doesn’t have the heft to go all the way but it’s three more runs and it takes Rahul to 70. And now Jaiswal brutalises Starc, chipping over slips for another boundary. Great batting India! Starc strikes back with the fifth, zipping it through a little quicker and beating the young man. Jaiswal takes another swing at the last but it’s a swish.
58th over: India 174-0 (Jaiswal 91, Rahul 63) Josh Hazlewood rumbles in to Jaiswal and it’s a sharp single to get us under way! That’ll test the hamstrings. Great intent from India. Yesterday was a masterclass in running between wickets as the Indian pair – a right-hand, left-hand combination – rotated the strike and never let the Australian bowlers turn the screws on one individual. Rahul is beaten by Hazlewood’s fourth ball as he pushes nervy hands at a perfectly pitched ball. Misfield by debutant McSweeney lets Rahul off the hook with an easy single.
Here we go, folks. India’s batting pair are taking the field and Pat Cummins is leading his men out to encouraging cheers. We have had record-breaking 30,000-plus crowds for days one and two and there are high hopes for another on a beautiful Perth day. Australia have 20 overs until the new ball is available. Can they put a dent in Jaiswal and Rahul with the old Kookaburra first and then crash through the rest with a fresh cherry? We’re about to find out…
Much is being made of the Australian’s poor body language in the field yesterday – heads down, hands on hips, infrequent pats on the bum and curiously stilted tongues. A few commentators are asking who is responsible for revving up this Australia side now that gee-up man David Warner has retired. Which personality is best placed to light a fire under the Aussies when things are going awry, you reckon?
Conditions are hot and dry in Perth and this mercurial pitch – a bowler’s paradise on day one, batting nirvana on day two – looks a lighter shade of pale today. The green tinge of the opening day has gone and cracks are starting to open. Can Pat Cummins’ men exploit those fractures and crack India’s batting wide open? Two Australian openers have radically different outlooks on how day three will pan out. Matt Hayden forecasts a frenzy of wickets in this opening session. Greg Blewett predicts a hard day’s slog in the field for Australia. Either way, Australia are in strife – 218 runs behind already with an entire Indian batting side to dismiss.
All this week we’re remembering Phillip Hughes, Australian Test cricketer #408, who passed away this week 10 years ago. Jonathan Horn has penned this beautiful tribute…
Geoff Lemon aka the Keanu Reeves of Cricket covered day two with customary aplomb. Here’s how he saw the second day’s action in Perth…
Preamble
Angus Fontaine
Greetings cricket comrades! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of day three in this compelling first Test between Australia and India in Perth.
After a 17-wicket flurry on day one – the highest number of wickets to fall on the first day of a Test in Australia since 1952 – the familiar rhythms of Test cricket returned on day two, with bat reasserting itself over ball.
Australia resumed at 7 for 67 and promptly lost Alex Carey to the first ball of the second over giving stand-in India captain Jasprit Bumrah his fifth wicket. Nathan Lyon followed soon after leaving Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to put on a stoic 25-run partnership, hanging on until lunch to get Australia to a total of 104, 46 runs in arrears.
With 20 wickets having fallen in four sessions, India’s opening pair were expected to face a blitzkrieg from the Australian pace bowling cartel of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood. Instead, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul cruised to tea intact, then crunched their way to stumps to be unbeaten on 0 for 172 – the highest opening stand by an Indian pair in Australia.
It gives India a commanding lead of 218 runs with all ten wickets in hand. Today Jaiswal resumes on 90 looking to score his maiden Test century in Australia. His partner Rahul has 62 and Australia are officially on the ropes. Will day three spring yet more surprises? Batten ‘em down and buckle ‘em up. We’re about to find out…
