Yea sure is - at 122-5 looks like an 150 laad for Australia unless Tendulkar is able to produce a special innings with back up from the rest.

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Ern

Sorry Ack and Ern but Sachin is back in the hutch as I posted before. Its down to Ganguly if any one in his 100th test. Hope he can do something but a really big ask now.

Dravid should take responsibility for handing the initiative to the Aussies, with virtually "no scoring".

Yeah I got that one wrong..

But thanks Ganga's for giving Brad Hogg a free kick by getting out to a low straight non spinning half tracker.

India all out 196.....and their will be some bruises getting iced tonite expecially Harbijan who copped a nasty one in the ribs from Brett Lee.

This is a tricky pitch mainly playing slow and low but the odd ball lifts and skids on quickly. A good pitch to wear a lot of padding and good head gear when batting on.

Aussies lead by 147 runs on the first innings and have to face 3 overs from India tonite.

I suppose after the "honeymoon" period yesterday, it is back to "reality" for the Indians. The batting has seriously let them down once again. I wonder what was Dravid thinking in simply blocking and not scoring.

Oz 179 ahead at the end of the second day with all 10 wickets still left in the second innings. Even with the possibility of rain intervening, I think that's that as far as this test goes.

Honestly if there is a stage where the ball will come onto the bat and runs should be easier to score on this pitch, it is at the start of the innings after the roller has been on it.

Dravid might still have a few tests left in him, but I suggest they are probably in India.

Shewag may not have been perfect but I think India would have been 40-60 runs ahead of where they are and possibly batting tomorrow with him.

Dravid could not even get a single to rotate the strike. I thought his innings 5 from 66 balls was very self centered and I would not blame Kumble for pulling him to one side and absolutely blasting him for his inept performance tonite. Including laying Jaffar and subsequently Laxmans dismissal's at his feet.

Cricket is a team game if you get bogged down at one end you should try to score a single to get off strike or alternatively run and look to run 3 runs when your batting partner at the other end hits a shot that deserves 3 runs, which happened twice and Dravid deliberately did not run hard or hard enough.

All it showed in the end is that Raul Dravid is scared of Brett Lee, and would prefer to sacrifice the team game and try to sit passively by while the left hander bowled 7 consecutive maiden overs at him including a dropped catch and a catch off a no-ball

Prior to this match I rated Raul Dravid. And I slanged off about Brad Hogg.

After one days play my opinion of Brad Hogg has improved dramatically.

My opinion of Raul Dravid has gone through the floor..he was terrible today

And thats not being anti Indian, Kumble and expecially Harbijan stood up late in the innings and showed courage against the short quick stuff. Harbijan only scored 2 runs and took a lot more body hits than he scored runs, but he got in manfully behind everything without shirking or showing fear.

Dravid would do well trying to get some of Harbijans guts and courage.

Dravid played a big role in India's success in 2003-04.

But today in 2007-08 he was responsible for India's demise. A quick 50-60 against the Aussie quicks would have kept the momentum going for the Indians, whose bowlers had done a tremendous job yesterday.

I believe this series will see the end of Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly.. and perhaps Sachin Tendulkar.

mmmmm

I thought Tendulkar went well but just got a bit to flamboyant.

Ganguly was going OK but in a moment of madness he played Hogg expecting the ball to do something, it did nothing.

Laxman got to aggresive (who would blame him after the blackhole of the opening partnership) looked to get on the front foot and got one of those nasty quick bouncers that stayed low plus seamed and veered towards his head.

Dravid...best to forget today ever happened.

I hope these 4 click in the second innings. It is very clear that the Indian batsmen are under prepared for the Australian wickets. As pointed out before, scoring tonnes of runs on slow,low pitches in India count very little against the pace of Lee & Co.