Indian cricket team in Australia in 2007-08
Encyclopedia
Day One
Australia won the toss and elected to bat and after surviving playing and missing and edging some balls through the cordon, built a strong platform with a century opening stand before Phil Jaques was stumped on 66. Ponting and Hussey got out shortly after falling for 4 and 2 respectively. Hayden brought up another Boxing Day hundred after hitting a four. India then picked up the wicket of a struggling Clarke for 20. Kumble then picked up the wickets of Symonds and Gilchrist. Lee fell for a duck and Hogg was also out leaving Australia 9/323.
Day Two
The second day Johnson and Clark batted well before Clark got out leaving Australia with a healthy score of 343. The Indian team were sent into bat and Dravid and Jaffer batted very slowly before losing early wickets. Tendulkar was the highlight of the innings scoring 62 before being bowled by Clark. The rest of the batting line up fell cheaply all out for 196. Australia then went in to bat late in the day with Jaques and Hayden not out at the end of the day to put Australia in a healthy position at stumps.
Day Three
Australia resumed play firmly on top with all the batsmen getting starts except Ponting with Clarke top scoring with 73. At 7/351 Ponting declared sending India in to bat with a near impossible target of 499 to win. Jaffer and Dravid survived until the end of the day giving India a slight chance of winning.
Day Four
India lost early wickets on day four and only Laxman and Ganguly scored above 20. The Australian bowlers ripped through the middle order with Johnson getting three along with the match-ending wicket of RP Singh. India were all out for 161 with Australia winning by 337 runs with a day to spare going 1-0 up in the best of 4 series. This also brought up 15 straight Test victories just one behind the record, held by Australia under the captaincy of Steve Waugh
.
India lost the toss again and Australia elected to bat, R.P Singh took Jaques for 0 his first ever Test duck in front of his home crowd. This left Australia 1 wicket down with no runs scored. Hayden followed soon after leaving Ponting and Hussey at the crease. The two survived until lunch Ponting scoring a half century. Harbhajan dismissed Ponting again causing a middle order collapse to leave Australia 6/137. On 30, Symonds was clearly caught behind off the bowling of Sharma but umpire Steve Bucknor controversially did not give it out. Symonds then went on to make 162 not out, with Hogg also scoring his first Test 50.
Day Two
India dismissed the lower order in the morning with Australia all out for 463. Brett Lee bowled Jaffer before the partnership of Dravid and Laxman took over the crease. Laxman looked to play shots while Dravid was on the defence. Dravid made 55 while Laxman scored his first century at the SCG. Australian took late wickets leaving Tendulkar and Ganguly at the crease at stumps.
Day Three
Tendulkar made another SCG century scoring 154 not out with the rest of the batsman contributing healthy scores. India held a 69 run lead, quite remarkable considering the position they were in after day one. Hayden and Jaques were unbeaten at stumps.
Day Four
Jaques was out to Kumble shortly after regaining the lead. Ponting was caught off Harbhajan sparking major celebrations among the Indians. Hayden and Hussey took over the crease with Hayden scoring another hundred. Hayden had to get Ricky Ponting as a runner due to an injury, and was eventually dismissed of Kumble for 123. On the next ball Kumble claimed Clarke for a golden duck
. On the hat trick
ball Kumble hit Symonds on the pads, sparking a big appeal from the Indian team, but it was not given. Symonds and Hussey remained unbeaten at stumps.
Day Five
Australia started the final day at a slower rate then what was expected. Hussey went on to make his first century against India ending on 145 not out. Symonds also scored a half century before getting out at slip. With two overs available to bowl before lunch, Australia declared setting India a target of 333 to win. Many commentators opined that Ponting had declared too late in the innings. The situation of the game meant that India needed a run rate of well over 4, nearly impossible on the decaying SCG pitch. Australia needed 10 wickets to win in a minimum of 72 overs.
Before lunch Jaffer fell to Lee, as he had in all four innings to date on the tour. The rest of the top and middle order fell without a large change on the scoreboard. The highest score was Laxman with 51. Captain Anil Kumble led by example after the Laxman dismissal scoring 45 not out and spending over 2 hours at the crease. With just 2 overs remaining on day 5, India had 3 wickets in hand and were 122 runs behind. The game looked destined to be a draw. However Michael Clarke took 3 wickets in 5 balls to give Australia victory with just 7 balls remaining.
The umpiring was heavily criticized after the match, with India believing they had a too-large share of bad decisions. After the match the Indian team sought to replace one of the umpires for the 3rd Test, going against a prior agreement stating that "Neither team has a right to object to an umpire's appointment."
Day One
India won the toss for the first time in the series, and elected to bat first. Virender Sehwag
got his first chance in the series and played a typically attacking innings, providing the team with a good start along with Wasim Jaffer. Both openers went within two runs of each other and Australia slowed the scoring for some time. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid then came in and steadied the ship, taking the team to a relatively safe score with individual fifties before being dismissed, Dravid missing his century by seven runs. Australia took a few wickets at the end of the day to leave the day's honours even with India batting at 297/6 at the end of the day's play. Stuart Clark and Brett Lee were the standout performers for Australia.
Day Two
The Indian batsmen took a few runs before Australia took four wickets for just two runs, closing the innings at 330. In reply, India's young pace attack kept Australia down with some fine swing bowling, pushing Australia down to 5/61. Andrew Symonds
and Adam Gilchrist
then put up an attacking 102 run partnership to engineer an Australian revival but were soon dismissed in quick succession. Indian captain Anil Kumble
claimed Symonds as his 600th Test wicket. The pacers then cleaned up the tail, overcoming a few minor scares from tailenders Mitchell Johnson
and Shaun Tait
. Australia finished at 212, 118 runs behind, leaving the Indian batsmen to negotiate the last hour of the day's play. Stuart Clark
took an early wicket, dismissing Wasim Jaffer
, leaving India with a lead of 170 with nine wickets remaining at stumps with Sehwag and nightwatchman
Irfan Pathan
at the crease.
Day Three
The morning session was finely balanced, with Australia reducing India to 125 for 5. Sehwag fell to Clark, while Brett Lee took the wickets of Rahul Dravid
and Tendulkar, and Mitchell Johnson dismissed Sourav Ganguly. India's day was saved by the lower order, led by the 79 of VVS Laxman
. Pathan finished on 46 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni
a gritty 38, but the biggest irritant to Australia proved to be RP Singh, who scored a career-high 30 as part of a 51-run ninth-wicket partnership with Laxman that took the India lead over 400 runs. India were finally dismissed for 294 when Laxman edged a Lee delivery to Gilchrist. Australia were set a daunting target of 413 to win—greater than all but one successful run chase in Test history to date. Pathan took the wickets of Chris Rogers
and Phil Jaques
before stumps, leaving Australia on 65/2.
Day Four
Ricky Ponting
and Mike Hussey stayed at the crease for a major part of the morning session. Ishant Sharma
troubled Ponting throughout this period, with the Australian captain unable to take control. After a seven-over spell, Anil Kumble
was about to replace Sharma with RP Singh, when Virender Sehwag
asked him to retain Sharma. The ploy worked and Ponting was dismissed off the first ball of that over. This triggered the fall of the Australian resistance, as they lost four wickets in the session after lunch (including the contentious dismissals of Hussey and Andrew Symonds
). Sehwag was brought in to bowl and responded with the prize scalps of Adam Gilchrist
and Brett Lee
. Towards the end, Michael Clarke
(61) kept up the resistance in partnerships of 50 and 24 with Gilchrist and Mitchell Johnson
. Johnson himself made his first Test fifty and was involved in a whirlwind partnership of 74 with Stuart Clark
, but once last man Shaun Tait
came in at the fall of Clark, it was only a matter of time before India took the match; RP Singh did the honours with a yorker
that went hit Tait's foot outside the leg stump and rolled onto his stumps, half an hour before the close of the day's play.
The game was widely praised for the high standard of cricket on offer throughout. The Indians were particularly praised for coming back from two games down in the series to deny Australia a record seventeenth consecutive Test victory at a venue whose pitch has, over the years, proved to be the downfall of almost every visiting team. Indian captain Anil Kumble considered this win as his best win ever.
India won the toss and elected to bat first. While India brought in Harbhajan Singh
in place of Wasim Jaffer
, Australia brought back Matthew Hayden
and Brad Hogg
replacing Chris Rogers
and Shaun Tait
.
Irfan Pathan
and Virender Sehwag
opened the innings for India. At lunch, India were at 89/2 with Mitchell Johnson
taking both the wickets of Irfan Pathan and Rahul Dravid. In the post-lunch session Sehwag (63) and Sourav Ganguly
(7) got out, as India went to tea break at 187/4. In the final session of the day, Sachin Tendulkar
scored his 39th Test hundred, and VVS Laxman got out after scoring 51. At the end of the day's play, India were at 309/5 with Sachin and Dhoni remained as the not-out batsmen. Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson both got 2 wickets, while Brad Hogg got the single wicket of Sourav Ganguly. Throughout the day, the bowling was at a slower rate, as Australia completed the day with having only 86 overs bowled, even after 30 minutes of additional play.
Day Two
Tendulkar and Dhoni took the overnight score to 336 before Dhoni was out, caught by Symonds off the bowling of Johnson, early on the second day. India suffered a blow when Tendulkar's was the next wicket to fall, caught by Hogg off the bowling of Lee; his final score was 153. At lunch, India had reached 405/7 with Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at the crease. The pair ended up putting on a 107-run partnership when Harbhajan was finally out, caught by Gilchrist off Symonds, in the 131st over. Harbhajan's dismissal meant Gilchrist beat Mark Boucher
's record for wicket-keeper dismissals; Gilchrist became the new record-holder with 414 dismissals. Following the day's play, Gilchrist announced that the Adelaide Test would be his last, effectively retiring from Test cricket and from all international cricket once the one-day series with India and Sri Lanka concluded in March. India were finally dismissed for 526 after tea on the second day, they now needing to dismiss Australia cheaply to be in a good position of winning the Test and thereby squaring the series. Johnson proved to be the most effective of the Australian bowlers, finishing up with innings figures of 4/126. With Australia having to face 21 overs before stumps on the second day, India were disappointed not to take a wicket, Australia ending the day on 62/0.
Day Three
Any hope of an Indian breakthrough early on the third day soon evaporated as Australia's openers, Jaques and Hayden, continued to make runs. They batted cautiously, averaging 3 runs an over, and ended up putting on 159 for the first wicket. Kumble made the breakthrough not long after lunch when he bowled Jaques. Hayden was able to make his 30th Test century before he was bowled by Sharma on 103. Ponting and Hussey then guided Australia safely to 225/2 at tea, making the most of the placid pitch. Pathan then bowled Hussey shortly after tea and Australia's score was 241/3. Ponting and Clarke batted out the rest of the day, however, and with Australia finishing on 322/3, a draw was looking the most likely result.
Day Four
The Adelaide pitch continued to hold up for the batsmen and Ponting and Clarke took off largely from where they left the previous day. The pair ended up making a 210-run partnership before Ponting was bowled by Sehwag after lunch on the fourth day. He had ended up with 140 runs off 396 balls, the cautious batting reflecting Australia's desire not to be dismissed cheaply and risk losing the Test and a series victory. Clarke had become the fourth batsman in the Test to make a century after he reached 100 in the over where Ponting was dismissed; he was out finally to Sharma, caught by Laxman, on 118 and Australia's score was 490/5. His dismissal brought Gilchrist to the crease in what was looking increasingly like his last Test innings given that it was the fourth day and India were still to bat again. However, any hope of final innings glory was dashed when Gilchrist was dismissed cheaply by a catch from Sehwag in the covers off the bowling of Pathan. His final Test score was 14 and he finished up with career figures of 5,570 runs at an average of 47.60. The score was now 506/6 and 30 from Symonds, with some late contributions from Hogg and Johnson, allowed Australia's innings to conclude at 563, a slight first innings lead of 37. The wickets were spread relatively evenly among India's bowlers, with both Pathan and Sharma taking three wickets each. With a further 17 overs to play, India started their second innings and had reached 45/1 at stumps on the fourth day.
Day Five
After the loss of the first wicket the previous day, India batted solidly and had made 128 before the loss of its second wicket, Tendulkar, shortly before lunch. With Australia needing a cheap dismissal of India to have any hope of winning the Test, Sehwag put paid to this outcome by making a commanding 151. By the time he was out after tea, India had made 253/6 and had put the Test out of danger. With a draw being the only possible result, Kumble did the inevitable and declared India's innings over at 269/7, causing play to finish early. The outcome of the Test reflected both the closeness of the series and the evenness between the two sides.
tournament held in Australia. The Commonwealth Bank Series is an annual event involving the national teams of Australia, India and Sri Lanka. India won the event with a 2-0 sweep of the hosts in the final series.
The first two matches were shaping up for excellent contests after their first Innings. However heavy rain in Brisbane, caused by a cyclone in the Pacific ocean, saw the first two matches of the series abandoned. Australia was first to win a match in the series after a Sri Lanka collapsed in game 3.
Australia was the best team during the regular matches, taking 4 wins with bonus points. However India defeated Australia 2-0 in the best of 3 final series to win the tournament. This is the second time in a row Australia has lost their home tri-nations' series. Last year they lost to England. Fast bowler Nathan Bracken
was the leading wicket taker in the tournament with 21 wickets and was named Player of the Series. Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist
and left-arm spinner Brad Hogg
retired from One Day International after the second final.
and Mark Benson
. Two of Steve Bucknor's alleged gaffes occurred when he did not refer to the third umpire a stumping call against Andrew Symonds
. Replays showed the Australia all-rounder’s foot wasn't grounded inside the crease when the bails came off. Andrew Symonds himself said, "I was very lucky. I was out when I was 30, given not out. That's cricket though, I can sit here and tell you about my bad decisions as well - but I won't." On the fifth day, Bucknor declared Rahul Dravid out caught behind though television replays later showed the ball had brushed his pad without touching his bat.
In response to an official about Bucknor's umpiring from the BCCI, the International Cricket Council
(ICC) withdrew Steve Bucknor
from umpiring in the third Test match, and assigned Billy Bowden
as his replacement.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat and after surviving playing and missing and edging some balls through the cordon, built a strong platform with a century opening stand before Phil Jaques was stumped on 66. Ponting and Hussey got out shortly after falling for 4 and 2 respectively. Hayden brought up another Boxing Day hundred after hitting a four. India then picked up the wicket of a struggling Clarke for 20. Kumble then picked up the wickets of Symonds and Gilchrist. Lee fell for a duck and Hogg was also out leaving Australia 9/323.
Day Two
The second day Johnson and Clark batted well before Clark got out leaving Australia with a healthy score of 343. The Indian team were sent into bat and Dravid and Jaffer batted very slowly before losing early wickets. Tendulkar was the highlight of the innings scoring 62 before being bowled by Clark. The rest of the batting line up fell cheaply all out for 196. Australia then went in to bat late in the day with Jaques and Hayden not out at the end of the day to put Australia in a healthy position at stumps.
Day Three
Australia resumed play firmly on top with all the batsmen getting starts except Ponting with Clarke top scoring with 73. At 7/351 Ponting declared sending India in to bat with a near impossible target of 499 to win. Jaffer and Dravid survived until the end of the day giving India a slight chance of winning.
Day Four
India lost early wickets on day four and only Laxman and Ganguly scored above 20. The Australian bowlers ripped through the middle order with Johnson getting three along with the match-ending wicket of RP Singh. India were all out for 161 with Australia winning by 337 runs with a day to spare going 1-0 up in the best of 4 series. This also brought up 15 straight Test victories just one behind the record, held by Australia under the captaincy of Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger "Steve" Waugh, AO is a former Australian cricketer and fraternal twin of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman, he was also a successful medium-pace bowler...
.
2nd Test
Day OneIndia lost the toss again and Australia elected to bat, R.P Singh took Jaques for 0 his first ever Test duck in front of his home crowd. This left Australia 1 wicket down with no runs scored. Hayden followed soon after leaving Ponting and Hussey at the crease. The two survived until lunch Ponting scoring a half century. Harbhajan dismissed Ponting again causing a middle order collapse to leave Australia 6/137. On 30, Symonds was clearly caught behind off the bowling of Sharma but umpire Steve Bucknor controversially did not give it out. Symonds then went on to make 162 not out, with Hogg also scoring his first Test 50.
Day Two
India dismissed the lower order in the morning with Australia all out for 463. Brett Lee bowled Jaffer before the partnership of Dravid and Laxman took over the crease. Laxman looked to play shots while Dravid was on the defence. Dravid made 55 while Laxman scored his first century at the SCG. Australian took late wickets leaving Tendulkar and Ganguly at the crease at stumps.
Day Three
Tendulkar made another SCG century scoring 154 not out with the rest of the batsman contributing healthy scores. India held a 69 run lead, quite remarkable considering the position they were in after day one. Hayden and Jaques were unbeaten at stumps.
Day Four
Jaques was out to Kumble shortly after regaining the lead. Ponting was caught off Harbhajan sparking major celebrations among the Indians. Hayden and Hussey took over the crease with Hayden scoring another hundred. Hayden had to get Ricky Ponting as a runner due to an injury, and was eventually dismissed of Kumble for 123. On the next ball Kumble claimed Clarke for a golden duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
. On the hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
ball Kumble hit Symonds on the pads, sparking a big appeal from the Indian team, but it was not given. Symonds and Hussey remained unbeaten at stumps.
Day Five
Australia started the final day at a slower rate then what was expected. Hussey went on to make his first century against India ending on 145 not out. Symonds also scored a half century before getting out at slip. With two overs available to bowl before lunch, Australia declared setting India a target of 333 to win. Many commentators opined that Ponting had declared too late in the innings. The situation of the game meant that India needed a run rate of well over 4, nearly impossible on the decaying SCG pitch. Australia needed 10 wickets to win in a minimum of 72 overs.
Before lunch Jaffer fell to Lee, as he had in all four innings to date on the tour. The rest of the top and middle order fell without a large change on the scoreboard. The highest score was Laxman with 51. Captain Anil Kumble led by example after the Laxman dismissal scoring 45 not out and spending over 2 hours at the crease. With just 2 overs remaining on day 5, India had 3 wickets in hand and were 122 runs behind. The game looked destined to be a draw. However Michael Clarke took 3 wickets in 5 balls to give Australia victory with just 7 balls remaining.
The umpiring was heavily criticized after the match, with India believing they had a too-large share of bad decisions. After the match the Indian team sought to replace one of the umpires for the 3rd Test, going against a prior agreement stating that "Neither team has a right to object to an umpire's appointment."
3rd Test
India won the toss for the first time in the series, and elected to bat first. Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...
got his first chance in the series and played a typically attacking innings, providing the team with a good start along with Wasim Jaffer. Both openers went within two runs of each other and Australia slowed the scoring for some time. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid then came in and steadied the ship, taking the team to a relatively safe score with individual fifties before being dismissed, Dravid missing his century by seven runs. Australia took a few wickets at the end of the day to leave the day's honours even with India batting at 297/6 at the end of the day's play. Stuart Clark and Brett Lee were the standout performers for Australia.
Day Two
The Indian batsmen took a few runs before Australia took four wickets for just two runs, closing the innings at 330. In reply, India's young pace attack kept Australia down with some fine swing bowling, pushing Australia down to 5/61. Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
and Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
then put up an attacking 102 run partnership to engineer an Australian revival but were soon dismissed in quick succession. Indian captain Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
claimed Symonds as his 600th Test wicket. The pacers then cleaned up the tail, overcoming a few minor scares from tailenders Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson (cricketer)
Mitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:...
and Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait
Shaun William Tait is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and...
. Australia finished at 212, 118 runs behind, leaving the Indian batsmen to negotiate the last hour of the day's play. Stuart Clark
Stuart Clark
Stuart Rupert Clark is an Australian International cricketer who plays domestic cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler...
took an early wicket, dismissing Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right arm off-break bowler.-Early years:...
, leaving India with a lead of 170 with nine wickets remaining at stumps with Sehwag and nightwatchman
Nightwatchman (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play...
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
at the crease.
Day Three
The morning session was finely balanced, with Australia reducing India to 125 for 5. Sehwag fell to Clark, while Brett Lee took the wickets of Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
and Tendulkar, and Mitchell Johnson dismissed Sourav Ganguly. India's day was saved by the lower order, led by the 79 of VVS Laxman
V. V. S. Laxman
Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman , sometimes shortened to Venkatsai Laxman but generally known as V.V.S. Laxman, is an Indian cricketer. Laxman represents Hyderabad in domestic cricket and has played for Lancashire in English county cricket. Laxman is the great grand nephew of Dr. Sarvepalli...
. Pathan finished on 46 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team. He made his One Day International debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka.Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC...
a gritty 38, but the biggest irritant to Australia proved to be RP Singh, who scored a career-high 30 as part of a 51-run ninth-wicket partnership with Laxman that took the India lead over 400 runs. India were finally dismissed for 294 when Laxman edged a Lee delivery to Gilchrist. Australia were set a daunting target of 413 to win—greater than all but one successful run chase in Test history to date. Pathan took the wickets of Chris Rogers
Chris Rogers (cricketer)
Christopher John Llewellyn Rogers is an Australian cricketer.Rogers is a left-handed opening batsman and a left-handed leg-break bowler...
and Phil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
before stumps, leaving Australia on 65/2.
Day Four
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
and Mike Hussey stayed at the crease for a major part of the morning session. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma is an Indian cricketer. He is a right arm fast medium bowler. He has a high arm delivery action and is not a swinger of the ball but depends a lot on pace and movement off the seam....
troubled Ponting throughout this period, with the Australian captain unable to take control. After a seven-over spell, Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
was about to replace Sharma with RP Singh, when Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...
asked him to retain Sharma. The ploy worked and Ponting was dismissed off the first ball of that over. This triggered the fall of the Australian resistance, as they lost four wickets in the session after lunch (including the contentious dismissals of Hussey and Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
). Sehwag was brought in to bowl and responded with the prize scalps of Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
and Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
. Towards the end, Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (cricketer)
Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler...
(61) kept up the resistance in partnerships of 50 and 24 with Gilchrist and Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson (cricketer)
Mitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:...
. Johnson himself made his first Test fifty and was involved in a whirlwind partnership of 74 with Stuart Clark
Stuart Clark
Stuart Rupert Clark is an Australian International cricketer who plays domestic cricket for the New South Wales Blues. He plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler...
, but once last man Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait
Shaun William Tait is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and...
came in at the fall of Clark, it was only a matter of time before India took the match; RP Singh did the honours with a yorker
Yorker
Yorker is a term used in cricket that describes a ball bowled which hits the cricket pitch around the batsman's feet. When a batsman assumes a normal stance this generally means that the cricket ball bounces on the cricket pitch on or near the batsman's popping crease...
that went hit Tait's foot outside the leg stump and rolled onto his stumps, half an hour before the close of the day's play.
The game was widely praised for the high standard of cricket on offer throughout. The Indians were particularly praised for coming back from two games down in the series to deny Australia a record seventeenth consecutive Test victory at a venue whose pitch has, over the years, proved to be the downfall of almost every visiting team. Indian captain Anil Kumble considered this win as his best win ever.
4th Test
Day OneIndia won the toss and elected to bat first. While India brought in Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha , commonly known as Harbhajan Singh, is an Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off spinner, behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan....
in place of Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed opening batsman and an occasional right arm off-break bowler.-Early years:...
, Australia brought back Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
and Brad Hogg
Brad Hogg
George Bradley "Brad" Hogg , is an Australian cricketer currently listed with the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. He is a left-arm chinaman bowler, and a capable lower-order left-handed batsman, as well as an excellent fielder....
replacing Chris Rogers
Chris Rogers (cricketer)
Christopher John Llewellyn Rogers is an Australian cricketer.Rogers is a left-handed opening batsman and a left-handed leg-break bowler...
and Shaun Tait
Shaun Tait
Shaun William Tait is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and...
.
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
and Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag , affectionately known as Viru, the Nawab of Najafgarh, or the Zen master of modern cricket, is one of the leading batsmen in the Indian cricket team. Sehwag is an aggressive right-handed opening batsman and a part-time right-arm off-spin bowler...
opened the innings for India. At lunch, India were at 89/2 with Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson (cricketer)
Mitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:...
taking both the wickets of Irfan Pathan and Rahul Dravid. In the post-lunch session Sehwag (63) and Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is a former Indian cricketer, and captain of the Indian national team. Born into an affluent family, Ganguly was introduced into the world of cricket by his elder brother Snehasish. He is regarded as one of India's most successful captains in modern times. He started his...
(7) got out, as India went to tea break at 187/4. In the final session of the day, Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
scored his 39th Test hundred, and VVS Laxman got out after scoring 51. At the end of the day's play, India were at 309/5 with Sachin and Dhoni remained as the not-out batsmen. Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson both got 2 wickets, while Brad Hogg got the single wicket of Sourav Ganguly. Throughout the day, the bowling was at a slower rate, as Australia completed the day with having only 86 overs bowled, even after 30 minutes of additional play.
Day Two
Tendulkar and Dhoni took the overnight score to 336 before Dhoni was out, caught by Symonds off the bowling of Johnson, early on the second day. India suffered a blow when Tendulkar's was the next wicket to fall, caught by Hogg off the bowling of Lee; his final score was 153. At lunch, India had reached 405/7 with Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at the crease. The pair ended up putting on a 107-run partnership when Harbhajan was finally out, caught by Gilchrist off Symonds, in the 131st over. Harbhajan's dismissal meant Gilchrist beat Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
's record for wicket-keeper dismissals; Gilchrist became the new record-holder with 414 dismissals. Following the day's play, Gilchrist announced that the Adelaide Test would be his last, effectively retiring from Test cricket and from all international cricket once the one-day series with India and Sri Lanka concluded in March. India were finally dismissed for 526 after tea on the second day, they now needing to dismiss Australia cheaply to be in a good position of winning the Test and thereby squaring the series. Johnson proved to be the most effective of the Australian bowlers, finishing up with innings figures of 4/126. With Australia having to face 21 overs before stumps on the second day, India were disappointed not to take a wicket, Australia ending the day on 62/0.
Day Three
Any hope of an Indian breakthrough early on the third day soon evaporated as Australia's openers, Jaques and Hayden, continued to make runs. They batted cautiously, averaging 3 runs an over, and ended up putting on 159 for the first wicket. Kumble made the breakthrough not long after lunch when he bowled Jaques. Hayden was able to make his 30th Test century before he was bowled by Sharma on 103. Ponting and Hussey then guided Australia safely to 225/2 at tea, making the most of the placid pitch. Pathan then bowled Hussey shortly after tea and Australia's score was 241/3. Ponting and Clarke batted out the rest of the day, however, and with Australia finishing on 322/3, a draw was looking the most likely result.
Day Four
The Adelaide pitch continued to hold up for the batsmen and Ponting and Clarke took off largely from where they left the previous day. The pair ended up making a 210-run partnership before Ponting was bowled by Sehwag after lunch on the fourth day. He had ended up with 140 runs off 396 balls, the cautious batting reflecting Australia's desire not to be dismissed cheaply and risk losing the Test and a series victory. Clarke had become the fourth batsman in the Test to make a century after he reached 100 in the over where Ponting was dismissed; he was out finally to Sharma, caught by Laxman, on 118 and Australia's score was 490/5. His dismissal brought Gilchrist to the crease in what was looking increasingly like his last Test innings given that it was the fourth day and India were still to bat again. However, any hope of final innings glory was dashed when Gilchrist was dismissed cheaply by a catch from Sehwag in the covers off the bowling of Pathan. His final Test score was 14 and he finished up with career figures of 5,570 runs at an average of 47.60. The score was now 506/6 and 30 from Symonds, with some late contributions from Hogg and Johnson, allowed Australia's innings to conclude at 563, a slight first innings lead of 37. The wickets were spread relatively evenly among India's bowlers, with both Pathan and Sharma taking three wickets each. With a further 17 overs to play, India started their second innings and had reached 45/1 at stumps on the fourth day.
Day Five
After the loss of the first wicket the previous day, India batted solidly and had made 128 before the loss of its second wicket, Tendulkar, shortly before lunch. With Australia needing a cheap dismissal of India to have any hope of winning the Test, Sehwag put paid to this outcome by making a commanding 151. By the time he was out after tea, India had made 253/6 and had put the Test out of danger. With a draw being the only possible result, Kumble did the inevitable and declared India's innings over at 269/7, causing play to finish early. The outcome of the Test reflected both the closeness of the series and the evenness between the two sides.
KFC Twenty20 International
Commonwealth Bank Series
The 2007-08 edition of the Commonwealth Bank Series was a One Day International cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
tournament held in Australia. The Commonwealth Bank Series is an annual event involving the national teams of Australia, India and Sri Lanka. India won the event with a 2-0 sweep of the hosts in the final series.
The first two matches were shaping up for excellent contests after their first Innings. However heavy rain in Brisbane, caused by a cyclone in the Pacific ocean, saw the first two matches of the series abandoned. Australia was first to win a match in the series after a Sri Lanka collapsed in game 3.
Australia was the best team during the regular matches, taking 4 wins with bonus points. However India defeated Australia 2-0 in the best of 3 final series to win the tournament. This is the second time in a row Australia has lost their home tri-nations' series. Last year they lost to England. Fast bowler Nathan Bracken
Nathan Bracken
Nathan Wade Bracken is a former Australian cricketer. A tall left-arm fast-medium bowler, Bracken is capable of swinging the ball both ways. He has represented Australia in all forms of the game...
was the leading wicket taker in the tournament with 21 wickets and was named Player of the Series. Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
and left-arm spinner Brad Hogg
Brad Hogg
George Bradley "Brad" Hogg , is an Australian cricketer currently listed with the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. He is a left-arm chinaman bowler, and a capable lower-order left-handed batsman, as well as an excellent fielder....
retired from One Day International after the second final.
Umpiring Incidents
The 2nd Test match witnessed some controversial umpiring decisions from the two umpires - Steve BucknorSteve Bucknor
The Honourable Stephen Anthony Bucknor OJ, also known as Steve Bucknor, is a former international cricket umpire. He was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 31 May 1946. He became a high school mathematics teacher and sports coach, before becoming an international football referee and a cricket umpire...
and Mark Benson
Mark Benson
Mark Richard Benson is a former International cricketer and a retired ICC Elite Panel cricket umpire - he played for England in one Test match and one One Day International in 1986....
. Two of Steve Bucknor's alleged gaffes occurred when he did not refer to the third umpire a stumping call against Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
. Replays showed the Australia all-rounder’s foot wasn't grounded inside the crease when the bails came off. Andrew Symonds himself said, "I was very lucky. I was out when I was 30, given not out. That's cricket though, I can sit here and tell you about my bad decisions as well - but I won't." On the fifth day, Bucknor declared Rahul Dravid out caught behind though television replays later showed the ball had brushed his pad without touching his bat.
In response to an official about Bucknor's umpiring from the BCCI, the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
(ICC) withdrew Steve Bucknor
Steve Bucknor
The Honourable Stephen Anthony Bucknor OJ, also known as Steve Bucknor, is a former international cricket umpire. He was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 31 May 1946. He became a high school mathematics teacher and sports coach, before becoming an international football referee and a cricket umpire...
from umpiring in the third Test match, and assigned Billy Bowden
Billy Bowden
Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden is an international cricket umpire from New Zealand. He was a player until he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and took up umpiring...
as his replacement.
Records
- Australian team equalled the world record of 16 consecutive Test wins, after winning the 2nd Test of this series in Sydney. This record is being held also with Steve Waugh's team, which created the record in the year 2001.
- Anil KumbleAnil KumbleAnil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
secured his 600th Test wicket, in the 3rd Test of this series in Perth. Kumble became the 3rd bowler to achieve this feat, after Shane WarneShane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
and Muttiah MuralitharanMuttiah MuralitharanMuttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
. - For the second time, after 2001 Test in KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, the Indian team broke the record sequence of Test wins for Australia. By losing to India in 3rd Test of this series, Australia's Test winning sequence ended after 16 consecutive wins starting from 2005 season. - Australian wicket keeper Adam GilchristAdam GilchristAdam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
broke the record of most dismissals (414) in Test cricket by a wicket keeper, previously held by Mark BoucherMark BoucherMark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
(413) of South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
| Record | Performance | Player | Country | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most runs | ||||||
| 493 | Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket... |
|||||
| 410 | Matthew Hayden Matthew Hayden Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record... |
|||||
| 410 | Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling.... |
|||||
| Most wickets | ||||||
| 24 | Brett Lee Brett Lee Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket... |
|||||
| 20 | Anil Kumble Anil Kumble Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches... |
|||||
| 16 | Mitchell Johnson Mitchell Johnson (cricketer) Mitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:... |
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| Most dismissals (wicketkeeper) |
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| 25 (25 Ct + 0 St) | Adam Gilchrist Adam Gilchrist Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national... |
|||||
| 13 (10 Ct + 3 St) | Mahendra Singh Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team. He made his One Day International debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka.Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC... |
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| Most catches (fielder) |
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| 9 | Rahul Dravid Rahul Dravid Rahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers... |
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| 8 | Michael Hussey Michael Hussey Michael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective... |
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| 6 | Michael Clarke Michael Clarke (cricketer) Michael John Clarke is an Australian cricketer. He was appointed captain of the Test and ODI teams on 30 March 2011. Nicknamed 'Pup', he is a right-handed batsman, and occasional left-arm orthodox spin bowler... |
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| Source: Cricinfo.com | ||||||