Australia vs India, 1st Test, India tour of Australia, 2018-19 - CommentaryAUS vs IND, 1st Test, India tour of Australia, 2018-19 - Commentary

Harsha Bhogle: Wins in Australia have been so rare that this match, a wonderful game of cricket, will long be remembered. Was a tough match and those are always more memorable

Utkarsh: One can fault the Aussies for their arrogance, but never for their fight on the field. I remember a few years back, last session of the match - Siddle still kept running in full, straight and fast - not allowing Dhoni to go for runs to win the match. Eventually it took Jadeja to slog a few to win it

Harsha Bhogle: The defining performance in this game has belonged to Pujara. Took India to 250 and held the 2nd innings together in a low scoring game. A performance for the years.

Atanu Modak: Aussie lower order really stood apart, in stark contrast to the Indian counter part. India definitely need to improve on this aspect going ahead in the series.

Harsha Bhogle: Bit perplexed that Kohli has persisted with Ashwin virtually unchanged. Thought he might attack a bit more with pace at both ends.

Harsha Bhogle: India has never won the first test of a series in Australia. That will change today. But India has had to huff and puff for it.

Harsha Bhogle: Bumrah is in only his 7th test match. In times of stress, already eyes turn to him. He has been India's best bowler here.

Harsha Bhogle: Partnerships today 31, 41, 31, 41 and now 27. Each time it seems one is developing, India pull it back, then another starts. Been a fascinating day of test cricket.

Sankaranand: Everyone needs this on a Monday morning to rejuvinate themselves to start the week. Monday Madness is On....

Harsha Bhogle: It's been a day where wickets have been hard to come. If these two put on another 30, Virat will start to worry a bit. Expect pace at both ends for a while.

Gowtam Reddy P: Our lower order should learn a lot from Australia's lower order. Even Pant should. Pat cummins is playing with such patience and our lower order are falling like pack of cards every time.

Yash Kotecha: This might seem to be a consolation win for Team India, looking at current Australian team, no doubt they fought hard and have quality bowling attack but still we can't compare this win with the one achieved in 2003-04.

Bronsen Maxwell: Australia are still on the back foot here, if Cummins and Paine can make it through to lunch and possibly a large part of the next session, then this contest might become a little bit interesting! 152 needed! Four wickets in hand! And 68 overs!

nithin: Best Sledging by Pant: "Come on Patty, not putting away bad balls, eh."

Harsha Bhogle: This is the moment Australia were dreading and India were searching for. This is the match. Marsh was batting beautifully.

Danny: People need to have a bit of faith and Patience, there will always be some resistance from the opposition. They aren't just going to hand you the game. Relax, the wickets will come.

Adarsh venkat: This game still hangs in balance. With 170 odd runs needed to win and pitch not offering too much for the bowlers, India need to break this partnership to win this game!! Marsh looking dangerous.

Abheesht: The best thing about this Indian bowling line-up is that they attack as a pack. Ishant keeps it tight, Bumrah intimidates the batsmen with raw pace, Shami is the ideal fourth innings bowler and Ashwin keeps ticking away overs. Wonderful.

Abhijeet Nilekar: Ishant has been the leader of pace attack this year though the wickets are not there to be shown. Always loved Ishant's attitude to bowl long spells.

Arun: Ishanth bowled 4th stump lines for a while then banged in short and in came the wicket. Peach of a short ball, can't be better

Harsha Bhogle: Just the start for India. Love the energy from Ishant.

Prasanth: India should have started with Shami and Ashwin. You need to start the day with two of your previous day best bowlers. Can't allow the Australian batsmen to settle during the first hour.

Rahul: Is there any reverse swing for the fast bowlers? -- Not really, at least for now

Aaryan Singh: Ash has to show his abilities by driving the batsmen forward, making them play each delivery. Shami holds the key to India's victory...

Harsha Bhogle: India well in control, may have taken their foot off the pedal a bit towards the end. But an excellent performance overall.

Salahudeen: Australian batsmen are so hasty in giving away their wickets easily and not using their familiar home conditions to build partnerships.

Soumik: Shaun Marsh needs bit of luck to continue. He is definitely lacking temperament. Have to leave his spot once Warner and Smith will be back.

Ayush: Problem with the Australian batters has been that they haven't got big scores despite getting good starts whereas India's batting has changed the perception that they are only dependent on Kohli overseas. Good to see Pujara and Rahane contributing.

Gaurav: Pant has average batting skills and he lacks wicket keeping skills. Hope he does not turn out to be another Parthiv Patel! I wonder, why DK is not the first choice?

Sri: "Catches win matches" and India have lost 6 out of 8 matches overseas this year because of that cliched quote

Chanakya Yadav: Sometimes a chaseable total is the most tricky one. A 400 total would have made the Australians go defensive, but a 320 total will give more opportunities for the bowling side.

Harsha Bhogle: Well, well, well. Saved by DRS once, Aaron Finch chooses not to review and has to go back!!! Review would almost certainly have saved him!

Ujwal: I have a job Interview on Wednesday and I am reading in one tab of chrome and monitoring score on other tab. "Best of luck"

Saurabh Arora: Indian pacers should make Australian batsman play as much as possible for the first 10-15 overs. We saw this mistake by the Australian bowlers yesterday against the Indian openers. Batting will become easier against the pacers as the time progresses and Ashwin will need good support from the quicks.

Harsha Bhogle: Been an insane hour or so from India. This was heading serenely towards 1-0. Can still be but India are letting Australia get a whiff of hope

Aditya Bansal: 4 Indian bowlers - Ashwin, Shami, Ishant, and Bumrah have taken 30+ wickets this year. How often has this happened before? Particularly three Indian pacers being involved!

Shalin: Four and half sessions to get 323 runs, if Aussies bat patiently and stitch partnerships, this is a chaseable target as the pitch is still good to bat on.

Rishab: Has India given the match away as the pitch is still good to bat on? -- 322 is a lot of runs

Rohit: That's the best way to not bother about declaration !!! Get bowled out

Talha Khan: Shami should learn to hang around bit..That’s not the way you should play always.

Sushmit: I was hoping the tail plays responsibly to help Rahane get to a well deserved century. Ashwin's dismissal ruined that for me.

srikar: if Pant were to just defend, he may have not even scored 28

Raj: This is just non-sense batting from Pant! You can't hit every ball in a cricket match into the stands. It looks good when it comes off, but seems terrible when it doesn't. And Pant should improve his off-side play.

Harsha Bhogle: So much ability for Rishabh Pant. When he marries it to discretion, he will be some player...... This was a nice little cameo, important runs, but there was more in his tank.

Sushmit: Players should bat according to their strengths. Pujara, Kohli and Rahane have showed us that. Expecting Pant to block and not go for shots is not correct. Rohit should have played his natural game too.

Ajinkya K: Wondering what should be the ideal time India would require to bowl out Australia! 4 sessions on this pitch should be more than enough I guess.

div: Hemant I would say that Pant should now not constrain his natural gameplay as well because that would lead to him losing his wicket without getting many runs something which will be more unsettling for India.

Harsha Bhogle: Yes India have lost a couple of wickets but this is still a decent position to be in. I had said at the start that if India could reach 250-5, they would be happy.

Hemant Kumar: Pant should focus more on being a team player rather than just coming & playing shots all over the ground. The intent to take the team home at this crucial juncture of match is very important -- Wonder if playing shots is what suits him best

Harsha Bhogle: Ajinkya Rahane's half century today tells you why you persevere with a player of such class. His batting today has been top drawer.

Ali: And finally Nigel Llong has given a right decision -- Actually Pujara may have started walking before the finger went up

SIDD: Great innings from Pujara

Harsha Bhogle: This has been an outstanding, heartwarming innings from Pujara. If India go on to win this, the fans must remember this for a long time.

Azim: New ball works well if you can build pressure and produce a false shot! Starc let down Australia!!

Chanakya Yadav: This partnership is reminiscent of that match winning (series winning) partnership of Rahane and Pujara in Bengaluru.

PR: Looks like Pujara's 1st innings has rubbed off on the top 5 of the line-up. They all are batting with more positivity and patience and waiting for the bad balls.

Rajesh Pavan: With almost a half of 1st session remaining here, India can easily reach around 250-260 by lunch and can push from there on in that post-lunch session... For that India needs to see off the second new ball first

Yash Kotecha: Looks like Pujara is batting on a different pitch. A superb approach to Lyon shown by him. He has plans for himself in tackling Lyon as he knows his limitations very well.

Akshay Kukkaje: Glad to see Rahane batting as well as he is now. He needs a 50+ score to strengthen his spot in the team

Akshay Kukkaje: Has the pitch gotten easier to bat somehow? -- There is a good amount of turn but India, mainly Pujara, have tackled Lyon superbly

Sourabh Hans: 300 for India will be enough to get ample time to win this test!! Hope Pujara can make his second Ton of the Test just like Virat did in 2014-15.

LakshmiNarayana Kollepara: Raju garu... How is the weather today? Hope match doesn't get interruptions due to rain today ???? --- The sun is out. Need i Say more?

Harsha Bhogle: Good to see Rahane coming out and not seeking refuge behind a nightwatchman. Pujara has been fantastic again. India ahead but not yet in control of the game.

Abinash Das: A golden opportunity for Rahane to stamp his class and authority. Remember Bengaluru test 2017 where Rahane and Pujara stitched a match defining partnership in the second innings.

Nitin Mohite: India should not sit back and relax. We saw similar partnerships in SA and England as well. What followed was a brisk collapse.

Rahul: I so wished to see Steve Smith play. 2 of the best batsman at their peak playing on alternate days would have been a treat to watch.

Harsha Bhogle: Admirable from Kohli. An innings against his natural instinct to dominate. But India needs it

kashyap: With the kind of form and patience Pujara and Kohli are showing, this is turning out to be a battle of endurance between the two sides. A classic Test match scenario

Srivaradhan: Lyon has been nothing but magnificent. He's been testing both Puji and Virat and gotten the better of them both. He will be very lethal to new batsmen coming up. These two should see off the day for India to hold the fort.

Rahul Chaudhary: India need something around 300 to put Aussies under pressure. Anything below that and Australia will be happy to chase in their home conditions. I know they haven't batted well in 1st innings but Australia are always a hard nut to crack in their conditions. India should play positively now.

Anand: Why there was no green despite impact not in line? "Pujara was deemed to have not played a shot"

Ajith: Saw it during the SA tour, saw it during the England tour, seeing it now again. One wicketless period (of 25 runs here) and we start talking about 'series defining partnerships'!

S Kishore: If Kohli and Pujara hang in there, then we may well see a great partnership that could define this match and as well the series.

Sanjay Deshwalee: Is this track become easy for bating by now? "No, seam for the pacers, turn and bounce for the spinners"

Deep: What is the result of Prithvi's test? Is he fit for the second match? "Ravi Shastri reckons he would be fit by the Boxing Day Test at the MCG"

Jaymeet: Will we get to play all 32 overs today? "The weather looks fair and the overrate is decent, should get most of the overs"

Shivkumar: Rahul started quite well in his second innings, took his time and played his shots well. He has a brilliant technique. He has been given good amount of chances in the past year, he has looked solid, and has to continue to do so with Mayank, Vijay, Dhawan all contenders for the position with Prithvi

Sail: One thing we are missing about Vijay's innings is that, though he didn't score he ducked almost 10 overs of the new ball, which is quite essential in helping the other batsmen. Parthiv can score quick runs, but if he falls, he falls early. So until Prithvi is fit, India should continue with Vijay.

Dinesh Kumar: "What about the opening pair for India in the next game if Shaw isn't fit? Parthiv Patel is a better player for the opening slot than Vijay recently." ----- I reckon Vijay might probably get one more game if Shaw remains unfit.

Tanmay: Oh Vijay! It is so difficult for us to watch him struggle like this. It seems as if he forgot to leave the ball outside off.

Bala Ramana: The two sides of KL Rahul- When he plays shots like these, he looks like he is the most elegant batsman but when he gets out, he looks the most silly cricketer.

Niraj: Suddenly feel like this series just got spiced up. Don't know about the consequences but I am loving this attitude of dominating by Rahul

Shrirang: How're things on field? Words exchanged yet? -- Cummins has spewed out plenty, not much in that previous over though

Rahul G: Rahul vs Lyon should be interesting battle !!

Shaz: Rahul is dangerously living by the sword here. He is trying to unsettle Cummins I guess

Amrit: What has happened to Rahul all of a sudden? -- It's like a switch has flipped within him.

Baskar: Well well well! The banter and the cricket is getting started!

Yash: Rotation of strike is lacking here. They create pressure on themselves by not rotating the strike -- While rotating strike would be ideal, the approach from these two is much better than the first innings

Bala Ramana: This is going to be relentless attack from Aussie pacers so Indian batsmen should look to stay longer as once the ball gets softer they can cash in on it.

Neeraj: Won't surprise if Nathan Lyon comes to bowl before 10 overs.

Alexander Carpetos: Game going to be in the balance till the very end. Australia at home could still put on a big score in the 4th innings. You'd have to say the upside for the Indian batsmen is bigger, however.

Sachin: Indian openers and top order need to curb their instinct to go after the balls outside off. This is only the first match and good two and a half days to go on. Patience is the key for the rest of the series.

Divyesh: What a sight in scoreboard if all your bowlers contribute equally... Nothing better than that for you as a captain... I wish we can the same for batsmen

Saket Joshi: 250-275 with Aussies batting last would be the game for INDIA.

Harsha Bhogle: So, the first innings effectively cancels itself out. India have their nose ahead in the game but not much more. We have a really good test match ahead of us.

Abhijeet: India unlike their other overseas losses are not chasing in the 4th innings and so a lead of 15 runs is huge. Anything over 250 looks unlikely to chase.

Sriram: All the talk of tail wagging...India and Australia were both 127/6 and from there on India got a 15 run lead...Not so bad for a tail that can't bat

PR: What a match it has been until now. Just like Edgbaston, both teams are constantly fighting to get their nose ahead of other. Just when it looks like Australia/India is ahead, other team pulls them back. Nice start to the series.

Shayan C: The difference between Indian and Australia lower order batsmen is clearly showing. Maybe India should also try a way to find out how their bowlers can bat a bit!

Ashish: Another tale of Wagging tail has started

S Kishore: Aussies have come back well into this match after 127-6.

Prasanna: Are there any overs being reduced? -- Yes, we'll have around 7 fewer overs

Bob S: I came home from work so quickly to watch the match and fell from the stairs to get here and its raining. Come on Adelaide!

Mewan DAlmeida: The rain cannot and should not ruin this first session. I took the risk of disturbing my wife when I woke at 5.30 am today. Let it be worth it.

Harish N: This ain't good sign for India. Australian bowlers will have more benefit from this rain. Aussie can wrap-up top order of India and can change the scenario of this test match.

Tejas: How wonderfully ironic for the lights to be on in the morning of this match considering that India refused to play a day/night match under lights LOL.

kaumil patel: Is the rain going to change the conditions in favour of bowlers? -- You would think so. It might freshen up the pitch

Prasanna: Please tell there's no more rain as of now -- No rain, but quite cloudy and the floodlights are on

Harsha Bhogle: Similar pattern to yesterday. Batting is easiest in the last session. But both sides have lost too many wickets by then.

Siddhesh: Going at this rate, Australia would be 180-odd by the time the second new ball is due. India have a very good chance to get rid of the tail and salvage some lead.

Sricharan: Now this is the moment, India should be very aggressive with the ball , should take lower order wickets very quickly unlike the England series where we leaked runs.

Neeraj Daswani: "This is so unlike an Australian side, they are known to dominate. Have never seen them playing at such run rate.: ----- Well, they did grind out a tough draw against Pakistan in the UAE in October this year. Plus, you have to also take into account the slow nature of this pitch and India's accurate bowling.

Hardik: This is top class bowling by India.. They are not giving away any free runs and are making Aussies struggle for each and every run

Harsha Bhogle: 250 is looking a lot bigger now. Ashwin is ensuring it is more than a toe in the door now. He has bowled beautifully like he did in Birmingham.

Harsha Bhogle: 250 is looking a lot bigger now. Ashwin is ensuring it is more than a toe in the door now. He has bowled beautifully like he did in Birmingham.

SP: With Handscomb in, Kohli should bring back Bumrah whose speed and yorkers might be more effective against him.

Shashakn: Why isn't KL Rahul at slips? He is brilliant there as seen in England -- That's beyond me

Anshuman: Pant's commentary behind the stumps: "Everybody is not Pujara guys". :)))

Vignesh: Credit to the Indian bowlers. After a stellar display in England, another disciplined performance to rattle the Aussie top order.

Chanakya Yadav: They just need maidens and wickets will follow

krish: Give Ishant the ball and let him bowl over the wicket from other end for two overs before lunch -- Bumrah seems to have found his rhythm here, Kohli might keep him going till lunch

Harsha Bhogle: Australia showing a lot of patience. But India haven't made them play enough. As the day wears on, the strength of India's fast bowlers will be tested.

Winning Spirits: Would having Bhuvi done any good for India here? -- The three pacers that are playing seem better suited for these conditions, so these are the best personnel for the combination India have gone for.

A Deuri: Bumrah gave two-thirds of the total run scored by Australia till now bowling only around one-fourth of the overs bowled -- Your math game is decent

Deepak Krishnan: Ashwin needs to bowl with more dip and loop like Lyon rather than bowl sliders at flatter trajectories.

Dhrushil: Does this pitch have anything to offer for the bowlers? That India had reckless batting to offer, is another thing -- There's a bit of help for the pacers with the new ball, and there's enough to keep the spinner interested. Otherwise, there are runs to be had.

PR: I say India should bring Ashwin early. Bumrah is not looking much threatening against 2 lefties.

Dev: Bumrah isn't looking settled. Easing away all the pressure built by Ishant.

Adithya: Marcus Harris reminds me of Tom Latham. The style and personality look quite similar.

Akshay: Will be interesting to see when Kohli will introduce Ashwin.

Shantanu: How can Bumrah bowl at 147 clicks with such a short run-up and an awkward action? Bowling gurus must be going crazy trying to explain bio-mechanics involved -- Well he is one of a kind

Palagummi Rajiv Nitish: Wondering where is Rohit gone if he isn't in the slips. He has taken some stunners lately in ODIs and T20Is. Why isn't he there instead of Pujara or Rahul? -- As far as I remember, Rohit took those stunners off spin bowling, not pace. Correct me if wrong.

surjeet: Woke up at 5:15 in the morning to watch Indian bowlers bowl and then Ishant made those stumps do somersaults :D made my day.

Vladymir: Virat's Captaincy will be under scanner today, Tim Paine did a fantastic job yesterday by rotating his bowlers superbly, let's wait and watch what Kohli has on his mind. Just a reminder a penny of a mistake might cost the game

Trevor: Loving Harsha's commentary on ABC grandstand while keeping Cricbuzz on the desktop -- That ain't a bad start to your day at all

Shubham: Marcus Harris is playing smartly. Letting the ball to rot and will attack after that -- Don't want to put the mockers on him, but he's looking very good in defence. Playing it nice and late

Kavy: Barring Kohli, who is in the slip cordon for India? -- There's Pujara at first, Rahul second, Kohli third and Rahane in the gully

paramdev: Come on..please let me know the speed at which Indians are bowling..i hope someone is touching 150 -- Ishant is in the lower 130s (kph), while Bumrah is clocking it up in the high 140s

Ronnie: Does the cloud cover helps the bowlers in Australia? It's comforting but I'm asking regarding seam and swing -- This is a never-ending debate. Some say it does, some say it doesn't. One thing it does for sure is that it gives some relief from the sun

Harsha Bhogle: Wonderful wonderful innings from Cheteshwar Pujara. Classy, resilient, tenacious....all these old-world virtues. This was the gold standard of test match batting.

Sadhan: This performance is an exhibition of how Australia are still a force when playing on pace-suited tracks. It's just their batting that has taken a hit due to the episode in March this year, and teams have been able to exploit that. It is now to be seen as to how the Indians are able to exploit that..

Bhrugu: I think the real demon is in the minds of Indian batsmen but not in the pitch. Pujara is playing an absolute fantastic knock here. And with pitch becoming easier to bat, it should be a hard toil for Indian bowlers to bowl out the Australian side.

Pronay Basa: I don't know why nobody's talking about this. India has come out on a batting friendly pitch with only four bowlers. This may take heavy toll on them also increasing the chance of injuries.

Harsha Bhogle: This match is telling us what we have been told for years. And what will remain true in the years to come. Hang in and the runs will come. But hang in when the bowlers are rampant.

Sriharsha M: "India need to scramble somehow to 300 to make this Test match very interesting. Pujara holds the Key." ----- 300 seems a far shout at the moment, especially as one wicket now and we're into three no.11 batsmen.

Abhinav: KL Rahul has had enough chances. It's time to give his place to deserving people like Mayank Agarwal. For the past months all I have heard is KL Rahul has talent. Despite such poor performances he is being given chances regularly. There has to be a full stop to this. #performanceovertalent

Harsha Bhogle: I suspect Pujara has had a word with young Rishabh Pant. There are runs to be had if he stays in.

Sagar: Let Pant play his natural game. It will fetch good amount of runs for India. Playing defensive cricket will increase the pressure on him plus playing for the whole day and making 40-odd runs will not help from here.

Shashi Yadav: "I might be wrong but, right now, situation demands maturity rather than fancy shots from Pant. Hope luck goes his way. I don't wanna watch another Rohit-like-dismissal in the match." ------- You aren't wrong at all.

Omkar Nawathe: Why Rohit? Whhhhyyyyyyyy?

Himanshu: The way Lyon is turning the ball, i think all eyes will be on Ashwin and if he bowls well India is well in the game.

Viraj: This is Rohit's best chance to prove himself and cement a spot in the team. I'm pretty sure he won't be getting a rope as long as Rahul's or Rahane's so he has to make it count.

Kushagra Sathe: Pujara will keep meditating at the crease! It remains to be seen if Rohit Sharma has the temperament and the composure to grind it out!

Yagyansh: Puji has looked solid. I don't mind the strike rate of 19 because it's really important especially here in Australia in give youself time to get settled and once you get settled Australia is a great place to score runs.

Mufaddal: Cant understand this recent approach from Ajinkya Rahane, he just tries to attack his way out of trouble.

Aravind: It’s ironical to think now about Virat saying in the pre match press on being positive but not playing rash shots yet they have come out and done exactly that in first one hour after winning this toss to hand the advantage to Australia at the very beginning of the test match and probably the series

Sandy: Reading the commentary... how is the pitch? Seems like a green top to me -- It's doing a bit, but all of India's wickets have come off loose drives away from the body. Far from a green top

Ashwath Krishna: When will our top order learn to respect the conditions? How are they going to justify driving away from the body while the ball is still new and there is plenty of lateral movement!

Prasanth: Can we undo this and start again please.

Abhi: Its time India send back Rahul to play first class cricket to give chance to Mayank Agarwal who is in hot form.

Saurabh: Same old story... all pressure on Kohli again

chaitanya B: Sacrificed good sleep for openers & KL Rahul chased the wrong ball! Very disappointed -- Looks to be the general sentiment with Rahul's shot, one of disappointment

Satyendra: It's 5:48 in India. Why don't you people go to sleep and let them play -- There's no escaping Test cricket's clutches, Satyendra

Aman: KL Rahul is just not a Test match player for me. 1st test, 1st innings and out chasing a ball wide outside off. This is not Test match batting at all!! Really disappointed.

Pratik: Back to the old ways...eh? KL must be waiting till the last innings of the series to score a ton and get himself picked for the next series.

Akshay Anand: This might be the last chance for Lokesh Rahul.

Sameer: Playing Rohit Sharma might just be the gamble that wins India this Test match, considering the pitch is batting friendly and he's high on confidence at the moment so let's not rule him out yet

Vijay: Why play Rohit Sharma based on his one-day form ? He has received the longest rope when it comes to any Test cricketer.

Commentary not available for this match