Aus v India 4th test at Muambi

[Ernest]

Yeah, but it has rained all day, wonder what conditions are like for bowling.


Ern

[Mike Small]

cric info ball by ball comentary says "the pitch is very dry, and it looks like the spinners will get some help later on" (India have played 3 spinners and the new ball for them would be shared between Khan and Tendulkar) outfield despite rain looks "good"

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by BBC

Debutant Hauritz drops a chance at gully as Sehwag, on nought, edges a drive off McGrath

Luckily it wasn't very costly.

[Mike Small]

Very lucky, Sehwag is the only Indian batsmen that has looked like making a few runs. Australia would be breathing a sigh of releif.

[Beny]

Rain again... The ball is keeping very low and nipping around a lot due to the overcast conditions.

[flanflinger]

Due to lack of TV coverage here in the UK, I am bewildered about what is going on over in India, is the ball spinning very sharply?

[Occasional Fan]

Must be something pretty dramatic given the way the wickets are falling.

[Rachael]

Gillespie's claimed the bulk of the Indian top order wickets.. with Hauritz only chipping in some tail enders.. but Kumble and Kartik seem to be claiming the wickets for India: sounds like scoring might not be easy.. but seems a lot of the batsmen have also been contributing substantially to their own demise.

No surprises on the batting though: Dravid was the unbeaten anchor of the Indian innings.

Biggest moment so far might prove to be this: "0752: Spinner Kartik comes into the attack and he is unlucky when Gambhir puts down Martyn on 11, in what seemed a regulation catch. " Sadly, this looks to have been one of many, many examples of poor Indian fielding.

[Beny]

This pitch is really spinning.

Too bad Warne's out.

Australia finish the 2nd day all out for 204 (close anyway) and India are about 0-12. Damian Maytan top scored with 55.

[Rachael]

What is it about Test cricket that ensures one side's completely abject performance is almost always matched by their opponents?

From cricinfo: "India's batting effort, though, was abysmal"

Originally Posted by cricinfo report

Sachin Tendulkar stroked one gorgeous straight-drive past McGrath for three, but then got a thin edge to a Gillespie delivery that pitched a fair way outside off stump. He made just 5 (29 for 3). VVS Laxman pottered around for 1 before a combination of subtle movement and negligible foot movement gave the Gillespie-Gilchrist combination another victim (31 for 4). By then, Gillespie was steaming in like a runaway locomotive, terrifying the batsmen with pace, bounce and seam. Kaif cluelessly shouldered arms to one that nipped back off the seam, and though Karthik briefly had the crowd chanting his name after a superb flick through midwicket, he had no idea about a reverse-swung yorker from Kasprowicz that uprooted middle stump.

The tale gets no better: "India dropped four clangers in the middle of a slipshod fielding display" and "Anil Kumble picked up another five-for without bowling particularly well".

This is the tally of the self-destruction:

Langer: reprieved off successive balls before out to an "unconvincing swish at Zaheer"

Hayden: "got carried away".. belted one over wide mid-on for six.. then was out off bat and pad "from a half-hearted saunter down the track"

Martyn "nudged the ball into the gaps expertly" but not before having "prodded tentatively at a beautiful delivery from Murali Kartik" and got away with it.

Katich "was adjudged caught off the thigh-pad for just 7"

Michael Clarke went on the attack but "moments after a dozing Sehwag had given Clarke a life at square leg, the adrenaline rush got the better of him. He gave Kumble the charge, played inside the line, and Karthik did the rest (121 for 5)"