Teatime reading

Tea

WICKET! India 150 all out (Reddy c Khawaja b Cummins 41)

49th over: India 144-9 (Reddy 35, Sirah 0) “That Rana dismissal was well worth the price of admission,” says Brian Withington. “I think I’ve previously written to you about my admiration for the juggling relay slip catch, and recalling reading a Richie Benaud reference to a late 50s or early 60s Australian tour of England where a particularly spectacular three person effort ‘deserved to be booked immediately as a variety act for the London Palladium’.”

You did indeed. I spent half an hour trying to find it without success.

Incidentally, Reddy and Rana are the sixth and seventh Indian players to make their Test debut in Australia in the last four years; before that there were only eight in 53 years. Theer’s a moral in that story and I haven’t a clue what it is.

WICKET! India 144-9 (Bumrah c Carey b Hazlewood 8)

48th over: India 136-8 (Reddy 34, Bumrah 1) Reddy turns down a single from Cummins’ second ball, then takes one off the fourth. Bumrah gives him the strike back straight away, so Reddy uppercut the last ball for six! Labuschagne was on the boundary, almost as a long stop, but it had just enough to clear him.

47th over: India 128-8 (Reddy 27, Bumrah 0) Hazlewood’s figures get better and better: 12-5-21-3. That was such a good catch from Labuschagne – not just the take but the fact he didn’t snatch at it.

WICKET! India 128-8 (Rana c Labuschagne b Hazlewood 7)

46th over: India 124-7 (Reddy 27, Rana 3) Rana back cuts his first ball in Test cricket for three. He didn’t exactly get in line but it was still well played.

WICKET! India 121-7 (Pant c Smith b Cummins 37)

45th over: India 121-6 (Pant 37, Reddy 27) Carey enquires for caught behind when Reddy sways away from a beautiful lifter by Hazlewood. In fact he played that superbly, almost limbo dancing away from the ball as it followed him off the seam. He’s almost suckered later in the over when a fuller, wider delivery snakes past his instinctive defensive prod. Excellent stuff from Hazlewood, who has borrowed his bowling figures from Sir Curtly Ambrose: 11-5-17-2.

44th over: India 121-6 (Pant 37, Reddy 27) The No9 Harshit Rana can bat – he has a burgeoning first-class average of 43 – so India will still have hopes of reaching 200. Batting looks as comfortable now as it has all day, probably for a few reasons: oldish ball, tiring bowlers and, crucially, two batters who have got their eye in.

Watch: Pant hits Cummins for six

43rd over: India 118-6 (Pant 36, Reddy 26) Hazlewood misses his length – remember the date – and Reddy drives beautifully through mid-off for four. India were 59 for 5; they’ve doubled that score for the loss of Washington Sundar.

42nd over: India 114-6 (Pant 36, Reddy 22) Cummins calls time on the Pant v Lyon contest, at least for now, bringing himself back into the attack. Actually he might be calling time on Reddy v Lyon because that was costing Australia a few runs.

Hahahahaha. After five dot balls, Pant plays his no-look lap-sweep for six! We’ve seen that shot dozens of times but it never fails to raise a smile. There was man on the fence as well. Pant fell over towards the off side and cartwheeled comically; he didn’t see it go for six but the noise of the crowd would have told him.

“Critical session here,” writes Chris Parasakevas. “Way back when this is the time when the Fremantle Doctor would start wreaking havoc with the best laid plans, swiftly followed by the underrated West Australian sunset. Was always fascinating to see which team could literally ride it – careers were probably made and destroyed off the direction of the breeze/failing sunlight.

“Without the openness of the Waca, I suppose we’re a little more reliant on how the pitch breaks down. Looks a half-decent compared to some of the cement roads of recent years – enough for the bowlers and batters. Miss the halycon days of breaking the 160 km/h barrier, though…”

As an England fan I have an odd relationship with Perth. I love the place, the Waca was my favourite Test wicket in the world… and England are always stuffed out of sight when they set foot in WA. But look at this pitch; it makes dull cricket nigh-on impossible.

41st over: India 108-6 (Pant 30, Reddy 22) Josh Hazlewood, who bowled a majestic second spell of 5-3-5-2 this morning, replaces Starc. Kumar almost becomes the seventh player to be caught in the cordon, edging the second ball just short of gully. Bounce has been Australia’s biggest weapon on what looks a classic Perth pitch.

40th over: India 105-6 (Pant 28, Reddy 21) Pant charges Lyon’s first ball and smashes it flat whence it came. The long-off is straight so he conly gets a single.

Reddy continues to reverse sweep merrily, first for two and then for another boundary. He’s quietly dominating this partnership, having scored 21 out of 32.

39th over: India 98-6 (Pant 27, Reddy 15) Pant slogs Starc into a galaxy far, far away. When the ball eventually descends to earth it goes over the shoulder of Cummins, who drops a tough diving chance. He was never really set. It’s tempting to think he dropped it because it was Pant – a bit like Steve Smith with Ben Stokes at Lord’s last year – but I’m not sure it was that. The way Cummins was moving and searching for the ball suggests it swirled a fair bit.

38th over: India 97-6 (Pant 26, Reddy 15) Thanks Geoff, hello everyone. As I settle into the liveblog bunker, Reddy reverse sweeps Lyon confidently for four. That missed review notwithstanding, he has started pretty well.

Drinks. David Sseppuuya has a question from Kampala, Uganda. “Having seen Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah out in the middle for the toss, how many times have pacemen captained both teams in a Test match?”

I might not be able to tell you all of them, but the most recent was just this year, Cummins and Tim Southee in New Zealand. Jason Holder and Suranga Lakmal did it in 2018. Shaun Pollock against Heath Streak and Waqar Younis. Courtney Walsh against Wasim Akram. People mention Kapil Dev and Imran Khan… oh yes, I’ve just found that one. Pakistan in India, 1987.

37th over: India 93-6 (Pant 26, Reddy 11) Starc bowling quickly, and Australia have missed a review. Burned a couple of wrong ones, and didn’t have the confidence to use this one. But Reddy did glove that ball down the leg side.

To answer Alex Kutt’s question on email, doesn’t seem to be any Hot Spot in this match. Don’t know why.

36th over: India 91-6 (Pant 25, Reddy 10) Nathan Lyon is where India gets a breath! Reddy has the confidence to take him on, not once but twice, and slam boundaries down the ground. That’s a tonic for the tourists.

35th over: India 83-6 (Pant 25, Reddy 1) Trending into a quiet period, just the one run from Starc’s over.

34th over: India 82-6 (Pant 25, Reddy 1) There’s the cross-bat slap again! Pant down the pitch to Marsh now and battering four, and this one does go over mid off. Another shot along the ground slows up inside the rope. Barely a stroke on the grass has gone the distance today, I wonder why the outfield is so slow. Recent rain here but it’s a sunny day today. Reddy gets his first Test run, a glance to fine leg.

33rd over: India 73-6 (Pant 18, Reddy 0) Australia down another review for a caught behind appeal by Cummins, this one more understandable as it flicked Pant’s pocket on the way to the keeper. Very vocal from the Australians now, as Pant works a single. He’s not sure how to approach this innings now, knows that it’s all on him to make a big score, so for once he’s reticent to play many shots. Reddy gets back on strike, three lips and a gully, same field as everyone else, and he rides the bounce of a ball just square of short leg.

32nd over: India 73-6 (Pant 17, Reddy 0) Nitish Kumar Reddy… well, I hope he’s ready. On debut. Decent record as a bit of both with batting and bowling, has a first-class ton in his 23 matches to date.

WICKET! Sundar c Carey b Marsh 4, India 73-6

31st over: India 71-5 (Pant 17, Sundar 4) Cummins to Pant… shaping to dink the ball behind him? In the end knocks it away to fine leg for a single. Washington Sundar drives three, the ball slowing up towards the rope.

30th over: India 67-5 (Pant 16, Sundar 1) The Marsh spell is now three overs for two runs, with a Pant single. Plus the wicket. He never looks comfortable bowling, a bit ginger in the follow-through, and so heavy-footed when running in, but he’s landing the ball well.

Here’s Brian Withington. “Greetings from a near freezing Dorridge in England where I’m guessing the temperature is about 30c shy of Perth. Shabbily I missed the morning session where it appears Australia’s bowlers have enjoyed a fine start to the series on a proper Test wicket. Looking forward to a great series, and perhaps seeing Nathan McSweeney bat at some point later on today?”

Safe to say that India have some work to do, for this to be a great series. Although first-Test pastings don’t rule that out. Viz: 2020-21, 2005 etc.

29th over: India 66-5 (Pant 15, Sundar 1) Sundar off the mark with a nudge. Enough of being on 10, says Pant, who hasn’t scored in a long while. So he charges Cummins and tries to slot him down the ground cross-batted while on one foot. Degree of difficulty: Simone Biles. The ball does end up going for 4, but over the top of the slips rather than over mid off where it was aimed.

He defends the next ball conventionally, then takes a single. “India flying by the seat of their Pants?” asks Rowan.

28th over: India 60-5 (Pant 10, Sundar 0) Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant saved the day in Brisbane 2021. How about Perth 2024? A leg bye to start Sundar’s day.

WICKET! Jurel c Labuschagne b Marsh 11, India 60-5

27th over: India 58-4 (Pant 10, Jurel 11) This is good from Jurel. Plays a little late dab at Cummins for four, finding the gap, then gets forward and drives for three, also quite square.

Stephen Lewis writes in to say that the Rahul wicket “is not at all contentious. Bat hitting the pad does not make a spike like that and the bat clearly hits the pads after the spike.”

What isn’t clearly shown, though, is ball hitting bat. There’s no frame of that. That’s like an umpire being unsighted. Not sure you can credibly give dismissals on sound graphs alone. And bat spikes are usually sharper. That was a flatter bump of sound. Enough doubt for me, Your Honour.

26th over: India 51-4 (Pant 10, Jurel 4) To take the ball after lunch is… Mitch Marsh? That’s an unexpected one. It surprises Pant enough that he plays out a maiden against medium pace.

Hello, hello. We’re back after the refreshments.

Lunch, Day 1 – India 51 for 4 after choosing to bat

25th over: India 51-4 (Pant 10, Jurel 4) Almost holds on to a screamer! Nathan McSweeney in the gully flies to his left but can’t quite mitt it, as Jurel squeezes out a full Starc ball off an open face. It reaches the boundary. Cameron Green would have caught that with both feet planted, but it was out of the smaller guy’s reach.

24th over: India 47-4 (Pant 10, Jurel 0) Press box chat reckons that KL clipped his pad, and that was the movement on the sound graph. Lyon bowls a maiden to Pant.

“Fully agree that we can’t write off India here. They’ve had one young guy (Jaiswal), one debutant (Paddikal) and an-out-of-form Virat, who unsurprising failed to rediscover his form on a difficult wicket. Plenty of time and enough batting for visitors to consolidate and start putting on runs,” wrote Boris Feigin before the fourth wicket. Throw in some bad luck there.

That is the thing with this Indian side, though: experience. Padikkal did play one Test before this one, but that’s it. To come they’ve got Jurel and Sundar, who’ve played a couple of Tests, and Rana and Reddy on debut. It’s a big ask to expect so many new players to take down Australia in Perth. A lot riding on Pant here.

23rd over: India 47-4 (Pant 10, Jurel 0) Dhruv Jurel faces his first four balls in Test cricket. Keeps Starc out.

WICKET! KL Rahul c Carey b Starc 26, India 47-4

22nd over: India 47-3 (Rahul 26, Pant 10) Here is Lyon, on cue. Pant wants a piece first ball, driving hard but stopped by the bowler. No rush problem third ball, swept very fine for four! Cheeky shot, very Rishabh. Who then shows his range with some sensible defending.

“This Test could all be over in one day, do you think? Amazing bowling. And India caught in the headlights, shocked and powerless to react.” Three down is a long way from all out, Andrew Benton.

21st over: India 43-3 (Rahul 26, Pant 6) No Lyon to the left-hander yet. Starc comes back. I know nobody is great at reviews, but he’s particularly not great. Clearly going down the leg side, the left-handed Pant falling across his crease, but Starc wants the referral and burns it. Pant follows up with a half-timed drive, forcing through cover for three runs toward the long square boundary where the goalposts are set up in footy season.

20th over: India 40-3 (Rahul 26, Pant 3) Back to leaving, as KL sees off a maiden from Cummins.

“I know you shouldn’t judge a wicket till both sides have collapsed on it, but this is shaping like a decent toss to have lost.” A fine start from Australia, Rowan Sweeney, but a lot of teams recover well from three or four down.

19th over: India 40-3 (Rahul 26, Pant 3) Time for some Rishabh Pant magic? Off the mark by taking one hand off the bat as he drives square for three. Why not. Cummins then gets an edge from Rahul, near the shoulder of the bat, but played so softly that it loops down in front of Smith at second slip. Phew. Glances a run to fine leg.

18th over: India 36-3 (Rahul 25, Pant 0) KL Rahul has had enough of all the traffic going one way, and throws hands at a Cummins delivery. Streaky four in the air that eludes gully. Takes India to their 2020 Adelaide score of 36.

17th over: India 32-3 (Rahul 21, Pant 0) Josh Hazlewood 2 for 6 from 7 overs. That is all.

WICKET! Kohli c Khawaja b Hazlewood 5, India 32-3