Tag: India vs Australia Final Test

AHMEDABAD: Opener Usman Khawaja hit a masterful 180 and Cameron Green struck a maiden century before Australia were bowled out for 480 by India on day two of the fourth Test on Friday.

Khawaja’s mammoth knock off 422 balls and his 208-run fifth-wicket partnership with Green put the tourists in the box seat in Ahmedabad.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin led the Indian attack, claiming six wickets on a pitch still looking good for batting at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

India reached 36 for no loss at stumps, still trailing the tourists by 444 runs.

Skipper Rohit Sharma, on 17, and Shubman Gill, on 18, looked positive and attacked the Australian spinners, who bowled five of the 10 overs before close of play.

The opening pair smashed four boundaries between them including a big six by Gill off senior Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Khawaja stood out in his marathon knock which ended on the first ball after tea when Axar Patel trapped the left-hander lbw, a decision that was denied by the on-field umpire but successfully reviewed by India.

Todd Murphy (41) and Lyon (34) kept the Indian bowlers frustrated in a 70-run stand for the ninth wicket before Ashwin broke through for his 32nd five-wicket haul in Tests.

Ashwin trapped Murphy lbw before dismissing Lyon to wrap up the innings.

In what has been a low-scoring series, giant all-rounder Green got his first international hundred with a boundary in the second session and was greeted with a hug from Khawaja.

Ashwin snared two wickets in one over after a wicketless first session for the hosts.

He broke the Khawaja-Green stand — Australia’s highest Test partnership in India since 1979 — after he got Green caught behind for 114 off a delivery sliding down the leg side.

Khawaja, who struck his first Indian Test ton on day one and 14th overall, kept up the grind to break the Australian record for longest Test innings in India.

The previous record was Graham Yallop’s 392-ball knock in Kolkata, also in 1979.

Khawaja resumed on his overnight 104 and took charge after Australia elected to bat in their bid to square the series 2-2.

The hosts need a win to clinch the four-match series and secure a berth in the World Test Championship final in June at The Oval.

Steve Smith is captaining Australia in the absence of regular Test skipper Pat Cummins.

Australia’s players wore black armbands on Friday after it was announced that Cummins’ mother had died.

AHMEDABAD: Australian cricket team are wearing black armbands on day two of the final Test against India following the death of regular skipper Pat Cummins’ mother Maria on Friday.

Cummins flew home immediately after the second Test in Delhi last month to be around his mother, who was seriously ill and in palliative care.

Maria died in Sydney overnight, confirmed Cricket Australia in a short statement on Friday.

“We are deeply saddened at the passing of Maria Cummins overnight,” said Cricket Australia on Twitter.

“On behalf of Australian Cricket, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Pat, the Cummins family and their friends.”

“The Australian Men’s team will today wear black armbands as a mark of respect,” it added.

We are deeply saddened at the passing of Maria Cummins overnight. On behalf of Australian Cricket, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Pat, the Cummins family and their friends. The Australian Men's team will today wear black armbands as a mark of respect.

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) March 10, 2023

It may be noted here that Steve Smith serves as Australia’s stand-in skipper in the ongoing final Test. He also captained the side during Australia’s eight-wicket win against the home side in the third Test in Indore.

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AHMEDABAD: Opener Usman Khawaja struck the first century of the series by an Australian batsman as the tourists reached 255-4 on Thursday’s opening day of the fourth Test against India.

The left-handed Khawaja, batting on 104, put on key stands including a 79-run third-wicket partnership with skipper Steve Smith, who made 38, to hand Australia a strong start.

After a long grind, Khawaja was batting alongside Cameron Green, on 49, at close of play after Australia elected to bat at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

The Pakistan-born Khawaja jumped up in joy after he raised the second hundred of a low-scoring series with a boundary in the final over of the day.

India skipper Rohit Sharma hit 120 in the opener, but is now second to the Australian opener, who leads the series batting chart with 257 runs.

Green remained the attacking partner in an unbeaten 85-run partnership with Khawaja that once again stamped Australia’s dominance despite two wickets in the final session.

Travis Head started aggressively and made 32 in a 61-run opening partnership with Khawaja before India hit back with two wickets in the first session.

Khawaja and stand-in-skipper Smith got down to hard work after lunch to wear down the Indian bowlers on a pitch that looks good for batting.

Ravindra Jadeja bowled Smith after the left-arm spinner’s delivery skidded off the turf to get the batsman’s inside and onto the stumps.

Mohammed Shami got his second wicket after bowling Peter Handscomb, but Khawaja kept up the hard work.

Pace spearhead Shami started the match with a wide and Khawaja soon got a boundary.

The pitches in the first three Tests were rank turners, with the highest total being India’s 400 in the opening match.

The left-handed Head took charge to hit a flurry of boundaries including three in one over from pace bowler Umesh Yadav.

Head survived a reprieve on seven when wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat dropped a simple catch off Yadav and the opener added 25 more before being dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Khawaja attempted to build another partnership, but Shami got Marnus Labuschagne for three, with a delivery that came in and rattled the stumps.

– Modi, Albanese present –

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese were in attendance for the first hour of play at the 132,000-capacity stadium, named after the Indian premier.

A bumper crowd greeted the two leaders before focus turned to cricket as Smith won the toss and named an unchanged XI from their previous win in Indore that kept the series alive at 2-1.

India need a win to clinch the series and secure their berth in the World Test Championship final, scheduled for June at The Oval in London.

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AHMEDABAD: Rohit Sharma on Wednesday angrily dismissed suggestions his India side had become overconfident, calling the criticism from former head coach Ravi Shastri “absolutely rubbish”.

India will look to clinch the series against Australia with victory in the fourth Test starting Thursday in Ahmedabad and book their berth in the World Test Championship final.

The hosts took a 2-0 lead in the four-match series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy before losing the third Test in Indore in just over two days.

Shastri accused the team of “a little complacency, a little bit of overconfidence”.

Skipper Rohit hit back, saying: “Honestly, when you win two games and people on the outside feel that we are overconfident, it’s absolutely rubbish, because you want to do your best in all four games.”

He called his side “ruthless” more than arrogant.

“Ravi himself has been in this dressing room, he knows what sort of mindset we have,” said Rohit.

India lost the previous match by nine wickets on a viciously turning pitch at Indore, but the track at the world’s biggest cricket stadium is expected to give the batsmen some respite.

Rohit though has had enough of the talk about pitches.

“How challenging the pitches are? How much is it turning? How much is it seaming? We are trying to keep all of that away,” said Rohit.

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Australia have confirmed that stand-in captain Steve Smith will continue to lead the visitors in the final Test against India in Ahmedabad. 

Pat Cummins, who left India following the second Test in Delhi last month, will remain in Sydney to be with his mother Maria, who is in palliative care due to breast cancer.

In Cummin’s absence, Smith stood in as Australia skipper in Indore Test and led the team to their first win of the tour. Spinners, Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann, were on charge in the third Test when Australia defeated India by nine wickets inside three days.

With the win, Australia also secured a spot in the ICC World Test Championship Final,  scheduled from June 7 to 11 at the Oval, London.

Although the outcome of the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Test series, starting from Thursday, will not affect Australia’s standing in the Test Championship, a draw or a loss, can impact India’s chances to qualify for the final.

Meanwhile, Cummins’ availability for the ODI leg of the India series, which begins on 17 March in Mumbai, is still unclear yet. He was appointed the ODI captain last year after Aaron Finch decided to step down.

Earlier, Australia confirmed one change to the ODI squad, with Nathan Ellis filling the void for the injured Jhye Richardson, who was ruled out due to hamstring issues.

Australia’s ODI squad for ODI series against India: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

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