India in Australia, 2nd Test, Day 1, Highlights: Vijay, Rahane Guide India to 311 for Four
Murali Vijay scored 144 and shared a century stand with Ajinkya Rahane as India's batsmen dictated terms to an Australian attack. Catch all the highlights.
Four days after losing eight wickets in the final session of a 48-run defeat in Adelaide, India dominated on day one in Brisbane. Catch all the Highlights of the match here: (Scorecard | As it Happened)
13:04 (IST): That's that! India reached 311 for four at the close of the opening day. Ajinkya Rahane was unbeaten on 75 with Rohit Sharma not out 26 after Murali Vijay hit 144.. Australians looked tired due to heat and humidity. Josh Hazlewood was the most successful bowler as he bagged two wickets.
13:00 (IST): Australian cricketer Josh Hazlewood's Test debut on Wednesday is set to bring joy to a group of punters who placed a 500-1 bet on him playing such a game when he was still a teenager, reports said. Friends of Hazlewood's dad Trevor reportedly placed a Aus$100 (US$82) wager with British bookmakers almost nine years ago that Josh would become a Test player. They now look set to win Aus$50,000 each (US$41,500) after he took the field for his maiden Test against India at the Gabba on Wednesday. (Read more)
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12:55 (IST): Michael Clarke's hamstring surgery had given "the best result" possible, former great Shane Warne said Wednesday, raising hopes the Australian skipper will make the upcoming World Cup. "It was the best result humanly possible they could have had for the operation," Warne said during his commentary of the current Test in Brisbane for the Nine Network. "It's a better result than expected. Previously the World Cup was a long shot, now he's more of a chance given how well the operation went." (Read more)
India now the only 2nd visiting team (after W Indies in Dec 1960) to score 300+ on opening day of a Test match at Gabba since 1931 #AusvInd
- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) December 17, 2014
12:49 (IST): 300 up! Ajinkya Rahane (73*) and Rohit Sharma have shared 47 runs for the fifth wicket. India 308/4 after 81 overs.
12:43 (IST): Second new ball has been taken and Mitchell Johnson is back into the attack.
12:26 (IST): Six! Rohit Sharma hits the first six of the match. He takes on Nathan Lyon as he hits him over deep mid wicket. He follows it up with four towards deep square leg.
12:16 (IST): Rohit Sharma is off the mark. Murali Vijay was caught behind not stumped. India 264/4
12:08 (IST): WICKET! Murali Vijay departs after scoring 144 off 213 balls, laced with 22 fours. He goes down the track only to miss a delivery outside off stump and keeper Brad Haddin does the rest. Nathan Lyon breaks the 124-run stand.
12:00 (IST): FIFTY! Ajinkya Rahane scores his sixth Test half-century. India 258/3.
11:55 (IST): Milestone! Murali Vijay completes 2000 runs in Tests.
11:40 (IST): Century Stand! Murali Vijay (135*) and Ajinkya Rahane (37*) have added 100 runs for fourth wicket. India 237/3.
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11:11 (IST): 200 up! Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane are negotiating with pace and bounce well. Partnership between the two has grown to 71. India 208 for 3
11:00 (IST): DROPPED! Murali Vijay dropped on 102 and again Shaun Marsh is the culprit. Vijay plays it uppishly and Marsh jumps at the right time but couldn't hold on to it. He was earlier dropped on 36.
Vijay - 5 Test 100s - four have come against Australia! #AusvInd
- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) December 17, 2014
10:59 (IST): Murali Vijay became the first Indian opener since Sunil Gavaskar in 1977 to score a century in Brisbane. (Read more)
10:53 (IST): CENTURY! Murali Vijay gets to his fifth hundred in Tests with a boundary. He becomes seventh Indian opener to score a ton in Australia. India 179/3.
10:49 (IST): Humidity is causing a lot of problem for the Aussies. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson all seen struggling.
10:43 (IST): Vijay (84*) now the has highest score by a visiting opening batsman at the Gabba on the opening day since 1931. Previous highest was Joey Carew's 83 for West Indies in 1968.
10:34 (IST): Mitchell Johnson, still searching for his first wicket here, starts with a deadly bouncer post tea. Ajinkya Rahane fends it and it goes off his glove to leg slip, a no-man zone.
10:12 (IST): TEA! That's the end of second session and it was 50-50 for both the teams. India are 151 for three after 52 overs with Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli back to the pavilion. Murali Vijay is batting solidly at 73 with Ajinkya Rahane on 13 not out. Josh Hazlewood bagged both the wickets in this session. Australia are short of one pacer after Mitchell Marsh went off the field due to a hamstring injury.
10:04 (IST): Murali Vijay living dangerously. He edged Shane Watson to the third slip, but fortunately it fell well short of the fielder. He was dropped on 36 by Shaun Marsh.
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09:43 (IST): WICKET! Australia get a massive breakthrough. Josh Hazlewood bags his second as he gets Virat Kohli for 19. Kohli looks to slash a short and wide delivery but edges to keeper Brad Haddin, who makes no mistake. Certainly Kohli failed to read the extra bounce. India 137/3
Vijay has left the ball really well in Adelaide and so far in this Test. Think we need to make him play a little more early in his innings.
- Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) December 17, 2014
09:33 (IST): Four! Vijay reaches out and slices it in the air to the left of the backward point to get his ninth boundary. It's the third time he has taken the aerial route. India 136/2 after 43 overs.
09:28 (IST): Four! Murali Vijay plays an uppish drive to get a boundary off Nathan Lyon. There was a loud shout for 'caaaaaatch' but it landed between cover and mid off. Vijay has played it in the air a couple of times since getting his fifty. Is he getting restless? India 132/2 after 42 overs.
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Virat Kohli last 6 Test innings in Australia 44, 75 116, 22 115, 141 #AusvInd
- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) December 17, 2014
09:15 (IST): All eyes are on Virat Kohli, the twin centurion at the Adelaide Test which India lost by 48 runs. He was just 16 days old when Australia last lost a Test at Gabba. They suffered a nine-wicket defeat to the Viv Richards-led West Indies in 1988.
Vijay now only 2nd Indian opener to make a 50+ score at Brisbane Sunny Gavaskar made 113 (in 4th inngs) in Dec 1977 - 37 years ago! #AusvInd
- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) December 17, 2014
08:52 (IST): WICKET! Cheteshwar Pujara departs after scoring 18 runs. Josh Hazlewood gets his first wicket. It looked like a poor decision from Ian Gould. It was another rising delivery and Pujara tried to get away but the ball kissed the helmet and went to keeper Brad Haddin.
08:48 (IST) It has been a slow start to the session. Eight overs have been bowled with just 11 runs coming. Conditions are hot and humid.
Cricket Australia has just provided an update on Mitch Marsh's injury. More here: http://t.co/bNXdo4QVEI #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/xfnjMGX1II
- cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 17, 2014
08:40 (IST) Mitchell Marsh has limped off the field with a right hamstring injury.
08:25 (IST): Five bowlers have been used so far and under-pressure Steve Smith goes back to his strike bowler Mitchell Johnson. Can he unsettle the Indian batsmen with his pace and bounce?
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08:11 (IST): FIFTY! Murali Vijay slams his ninth half-century in Tests. It was pitched outside off and Vijay drove it stylishly through square cover to bring up his third successive fifty of the series. What a series he's having.
07:30 (IST): LUNCH! Session belonged to India as they go into the break at 89/1 after 25 overs. Murali Vijay 46* and Cheteshwar Pujara 15* batted with grit and patience. The duo has added solid 33 runs for the second wicket. Earlier, Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan (24) were involved in a 56-run stand for the opening wicket, India's first overseas fifty-plus first-wicket partnership since Lord's 2011. Mitchell Marsh got the lone Indian wicket.
07:18 (IST): Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara have added 30 runs for the second wicket. India 86/1 after 22 overs. Steve Smith has used five bowlers so far.
0702 (IST): Australia bring in spin in the 18th over. Nathan Lyon comes into the attack, replaces Mitchell Marsh. India 72 for one after 18 overs.
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06:48 (IST) DROPPED! Murali Vijay edges Mitchell Johnson to third slip and Shaun Marsh spills it, tough chance though. India 60/1 after 14.2 overs
The Marsh family Test tally since 13 December 1985 Tests: 64* Runs: 3592 catches: 46 wickets: one! #AusvInd
- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) December 17, 2014
06:44 (IST): WICKET! Shikhar Dhawan (24) edges to keeper Brad Haddin off Mitchell Marsh. It was short and wide outside off stump and Dhawan went after it, looking for the slash away from his body. India 56/1 after 13.41 overs
06:40 (IST): Indian openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan involved in first fifty-plus stand overseas since Lord's 2011. India 56/0 after 13 overs.
06:31 (IST): Murali Vijay smashes Mitchell Marsh over backward point to score another four. India 49/0 after 12 overs. Time for drinks break.
06:25 (IST): India's average opening stand outside the sub-continent since 2011 is 17.4 runs in 44 innings.
06:21 (IST): Australia have made made another bowling change as Mitchell Marsh replaces Josh Hazlewood. The umpires are not happy with the ball and it has been changed too.
This is now India's 2nd best opening stand at Brisbane The best: 61 btw Virender Sehwag & Akash Chopra in December 2003 #AusvInd
- Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) December 17, 2014
06:15 (IST): Four! Murali Vijay edges Mitchell Starc wide of gully and in the process gets a boundary. India 32 for no loss after 8.1 overs.
06:12 (IST): Conditions are hot and humid at Gabba. India 28/0 after 8 overs.
06:10 (IST): Debutant Josh Hazlewood continues to bowl. Three slips are in place, one wide gully. India 27/0 after 7.5 overs.
06:06 (IST): Change in bowling: Mitchell Starc replaces Mitchell Johnson. Seven overs gone and India are 22 for no loss.
06:02 (IST): Josh Hazlewood has been impressive so far. Has bowled with good line and length. Also tested Indian openers with bounce. India 17/0 after six overs.
05:54 (IST): Four! Mitchell Johnson strays in line and Murali Vijay punishes it for another boundary. Second one for him and India.
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05:46 (IST): Bouncer! Mitchell Johnson tests Murali Vijay with a rising delivery. Vijay taken by surprise, hits him on the glove and lands at a missing leg gully position. Shikhar Dhawan is also off the mark now. India 8/0 after 3 overs.
05:44 (IST): Four! Murali Vijay looks to drive but gets a thick edge wide of gully to score his first boundary. India 6/0 after 2.2 overs.
05:36 (IST): Murali Vijay gets off the mark with a quick single. India 1/0 after first over. Josh Hazlewood joins Mitchell Johnson in the opening spell.
05:29 (IST): Australia team walks out in the middle. Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan are the two India openers. Mitchell Johnson opens the bowling attack.
05:15 (IST): Earlier, Josh Hazlewood was handed the baggy green by Aussie great Glenn McGrath while Mark Taylor presented Steven Smith with the Australian captain's jacket. Hazlewood becomes baggy green No.440.
05:09 (IST): Squads
Australia: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron
05:03 (IST): TOSS! Mahendra Singh Dhoni elects to bat after winning the toss. India make three changes - Wriddhiman Saha, Karn Sharma and Mohammad Shami make way for R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav. Australia also make three changes in their playing XI. Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Starc and debutant pacer Josh Hazlewood included, while injured Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle and Michael Clarke are out.
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Dhoni has led India in 58 Tests while Smith will lead Australia in Test cricket for the first time ever. Without Clarke, Smith can still hope for plenty of support from the likes of Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and David Warner. Will India fancy their chances against a team that suddenly finds itself without one of the most successful captains in contemporary cricket?
Australia 1-0 up despite heroic efforts by Kohli and Murali Vijay in a chase of 364, should be optimistic about pressing home the advantage on the quick paced Gabba, which has been a nightmare for visiting batsmen, especially ones from the sub-continent. Smith will bank on two fresh pacers, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to play the perfect foil with Mitchell Johnson and terrorise the Indians.
Dhoni on the other hand, has said India will not be scared off by Australia's firepower in the pace department. The captain has been impressed with Kohli's leadership, which he admitted was very different from his own - but Dhoni has assured fans of playing the same aggressive brand of cricket that saw the team almost pull off a heist on Saturday.
In the absence of Clarke, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, the Australian XI still look settled and can pose to be a major threat in lively conditions in Brisbane.
India will of course see some changes too. Dhoni's return will mean Wriddhiman Saha sits out and there is a possibility Ravichandran Ashwin might push out leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who looked out of sorts on debut in Adelaide.
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