Australia 6/354 (89.2 ov, Warner 145/163b/19x4, Smith 72*/130b/9x4, Clarke 72 ret hurt 60*/84b/9x4, Marsh 41) v India T1/4 D1/5 at Adelaide Oval. Australia won toss and chose to bat.
On a quintessential Adelaide summer's day - clear blue sky, temperature in low 30s and a true Adelaide Oval first day wicket - and after a moving pre-match tribute to Philip Hughes David Warner batted magnificently....yet again.
He attacked from the outset, making the India opening attack look toothless as 40 runs - 35 off his bat - came from the first 4 overs, before Ishant, one of three Sharmas in the Indian team, bowled a maiden to Warner, which slowed his progress temporarily,
Wickets fell and a promising partnership with Michael Clarke was truncated by injury to the skipper, leaving Australia effectively if not strictly accurately (despite what the scoreboard recorded) 3/206.
When Warner was eventually out at 258, Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh continued to accumulate runs. India made it easier for them by using (over using?) spin in an attempt to improve a very slow over rate,
This strategy appeared to have failed as the total approached 350, but against the run of play, three late wickets fell to the second new ball, leaving Smith to muster the lower order tomorrow.
With Clarke unlikely to bat, or perhaps even to play any further part in the match, the Test is more evenly poised than the scores might suggest. Well as Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron bowled at the last half hour, I thought that Ishant Sharma's economy in the first half of the day's play kept India, if not in the game, at least not quite out of it.
<a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2014-15/engine/match/754737.html">Scorecard <a/>
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