Butterfingered Pakistan let India into final

India 9/260 (50 ov, Tendulkar 85, Wahab Riaz 5/46) beat Pakistan 231 (49.5 ov, Misbah-ul- Haq 56) by 29 runs: CWC 2011 semifinal #2 at Mohali. India will play Sri Lanka in final.

Sachin Tendulkar has played many better innings than his 85/115b (11x4) but few of such value to his team and country. Without it Pakistan would probably have won.

It was also a very lucky innings: dropped four times and reprieved by the Umpire Decision Review Scheme when he looked to many people, though not Hawkeye, to be lbw.

Scorecard

Laxman leads India to one wicket win in T1

India 405 & 9/216 (85.4 ov, VVS Laxman 73*, B Hilfenhaus 4-57) beat Australia 428 & 192 by 1 wicket: T1/2 D5 at Mohali. India lead series 1-0 and retain the Border- Gavaskar Trophy.

The injured V V S Laxman, batting with a runner, and helped by Ishant Sharma at the other end, converted what at 8/124 seemed an impossible position into a victory by the narrowest of margins.

He moved from 25/30b to 73*/79b (8x4) adding 81 for the 9th wicket with Sharma who ground out 31/92b (8x4) before being adjudged (wrongly according to Hawkeye) lbw by umpire Gould. No11 Pragyan Ojha was also lucky to survive a very confident appeal for lbw which umpire Bowden turned down (ditto Hawkeye) before the match was won, and the tension relieved, with two leg byes.

Australia must have felt that they'd done the hard yards after building on the overnight 4/55 and regrouping to dispose, in quick succession, of Sachin Tendulkar ( well caught in the gully) for a measured 38/64b (5x4)), MS Dhoni (sharply run out in a mixup with Laxman's runner) and Harbhajan Singh (caught in the slips off his gloves) . Doug Bollinger was the chief destroyer, but he didn't reappear after lunch because of injury (might, I wonder, another spell from him have produced a different outcome, even if it meant that he'd miss T2?).

The Australian bowlers and fielders persevered, but nothing could stop Laxman after he got a start (he looked a little restricted in his movements early in his innings). Nathan Hauritz, who was expected to take advantage of the D5 pitch, dismissed nightwatchman Zaheer Khan but thereafter Laxman saw him off. Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus bowled some good balls, while Shane Watson and Marcus North bowled a few overs - not poorly, but neither is a frontliner - as India approached the target. Perhaps Michael Clarke or Simon Katich could have had an over or two

The second Test starts in four days. It'll be interesting to see how many of the injured from both teams are able to take the field then. Australia's best hope of pulling back may be if neither Laxman nor Sharma is able to play. Bollinger's absence would weaken Australia and the selectors will need to think hard about whether to play Hauritz or rely on North, who failed twice with the bat, or perhaps Steven Smith, for the spin bowling. I suspect that Australia's reserves are not as strong as India's.

It would be good to see another Test as enthralling as this one has been, and also to see the authorities recognise that Test cricket is not dead, even if its audience, judging from the poor attendance at this one, is mostly confined to television viewers like me.

Scorecard

Fox Sports report & link to video highlights

Times of India report

Cricinfo Bulletin

14 wickets in day, though late Australian revival sets up tight finish : T1 D4

India 405 & 4/55 (17ov) need 161 more runs with 6 wkts in hand to beat Australia 428 & 192 (60.5 ov, S Watson 57): T1/2 D4/5 at Mohali.

Another intriguing day's cricket with some good batting and a lot of good bowling saw India wrest the initiative from Australia before, chasing what looked like an achievable target, they faltered again. Tomorrow should see one side win: a draw (though not a tie) is out of the question.

For a time, as Shane Watson piled on and Simon Katich accumulated runs, it looked as if Australia would build a substantial lead. But when, with the total 87, Watson played on to Ishant Sharma the wheels began to fall off Australia's innings. The captain (another failed pull shot) and vice-captain (bamboozled by Sharma) fell cheaply while Katich held the fort. Mike Hussey contributed to the defence but after Katich fell for 37/118b (2x4) at 137 India's grip tightened as the bowlers made it hard for the middle and lower order to score.

Zaheer Khan delivered the coup de grace with two great balls which accounted for Nathan Hauritz and Ben Hilfenhaus. This left Australia, having lost 10/105, with a disappointing 192 and India a target of 216. Watson's 56/59b (1x6, 7x4) was the highest score of the innings (and the day). The wicket didn't play easily but Watson showed that many of its demons could be, if not cast out, then tamed.

About this time Cricinfo's Facebook page reported

"It's all happening in Mohali ... Australia have lost wickets in a heap and it is India who are on top."

Hubris gave way to a partial nemesis as Australia fought back to have India 4/55 at stumps. Ben Hilfenhaus may have been lucky to get Gautam Gambhir lbw for a duck (one of several questionable umpiring decisions from a pair who hitherto had been pretty good) but he and the other bowlers kept the pressure on. Virender Sehwag (a modest, by his standards 17/23b) , Rahul Dravid and Suresh Raina couldn't reproduce their first innings form.

But Sachin Tendulkar is still there with a watchful 10*/25 (1x4). M S Dhoni and the injured V V S Laxman (beware the injured batsman?) are still to come so India should not be written off.. just yet.

Scorecard .

Fox Sports report and link to video .

Times of India report

Cricinfo Bulletin .

Australia struggle but India blow chance of 1st inns lead T1D3

Australia 428 lead India 405 (108.1 ov, S Tendulkar 98, S Raina 86, R Dravid 77, V Sehwag 59, M Johnson 5/64) by 23 runs on 1st innings: T1/2 D3/5 at Mohali.

At tea India had lost only two wickets during the day (one of them the nightwatchman) and at 4/280 looked set for a comfortable first innings lead over Australia. But it didn't turn out that way. The Australian fielding was below par and the bowling had lacked pentration. Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina seemed determined to have their team well in front by stumps, then some rash strokeplay against bowlers who had found their second wind saw them lose 5/23 and concede a mall first innings lead.

After Ishant Sharma had irked the Australians by hanging around for 18/56b Rahul Dravid 77/134b (12x4) and Tendulkar added 79 together beforeTendulkar and Raina strengthened India's platform before tea. After the interval they disdainfully took to the Australian bowling until Marcus North against the run of play trapped a perhaps overconfident Tendulkar lbw for 98/189b (13x4). A vintage innings : yes, it deserved a century.

Nevertheless at 5/354 India still looked well placed. But M S Dhoni, after a couple of imperious strokes, edged Mitchell Johnson to first slip. Shane Watson wasn't sure whether he'd taken the catch, but the third umpireSanjay Hazare (on the evidence of a limited number of replays) decided that he had. 6/382 then 7/382 as Harbhajan Singh edged his first ball to the keeper. Johnson missed his hat trick but soon after bagged Raina, who until then had, like Tendulkar, looked set for a century, for 86/128b (14x4). Nathan Hauritz offset some ordinary bowling - too often too wide of off stump - with a couple of late wickets

It was an amazing about turn. Australia looked gone for all money: chances and half chances were missed and shoulders drooped. The pitch is still playing well so the game is still open. After another day like today I'm not game to make any predictions but will watch D4 with much interest.

Scorecard

Fox Sports report & link to video highlights

Times of India report

The Hindu report

Cricinfo Bulletin

India in hot pursuit of Australia's 428: T1D2

India 2/110 (21 ov, V Sehwag 59) trail Australia 428 (151.4 ov, S Watson 126, T Paine 92, R Ponting 71, Zaheer Khan 5/94) by 318 runs with 8.1st innings wickets in hand. T1/2 D2/5 at Mohali.

Australia probably did as well, if not a little better, with the bat than they would have expected at the start of the day's play, reaching 428 with a combination of grit and aggression. In the last session India came out pugnaciously, scoring at 5.23 runs an over (cf Australia's 2.82) putting the wind up their opponents before two late wickets shifted the advantage back to Australia.

In the first session Australia added 1/74, though lost Shane Watson for an extremely accomplished (notwithstanding that second ball chance) 126/338b (10x4).

Tim Paine was batting with more assurance and with Mitchell Johnson added 82 from 20overs before Johnson was caught behind off Zaheer Khan, clearly the best Indian bowler over the innings, for an ebullient 47/66b (3x6, 5x4).

7/357 became 10/428 as Tim Paine took over and the Indian fielding lost its zest (and some of the bowling its accuracy). Having done the hard yards and moved within sight of a century Paine was caught in the slips for an initially gritty, subsequently more fluent, 92/196 (12x4) which put Australia on top. At least for the moment .

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir began well , the former batting fearlessly, the latter more circumspectly, long enough to worry (though not rattle Australia). Yet both were out before stumps to Johnson: Gambhir lbw for 21/45b (2x4), Sehwag miscueing for 59/54b (10x4).

While Australia are in the better position it's still relatively early in the match. How will India's strong batting respond? Does Australia have the bowling to dismiss them twice?

I feel that India have made it easier for Australia, most notably by dropping Watson from the second ball of the match. but the match is still there for the taking. A draw is also still a possibility as the pitch doesn't seem to have deteriorated: it played better than on D1.


Scorecard

Fox Sports report & link to video highlights

Cricinfo Bulletin

Classic Test cricket: Aust on top early but India claw back to gain ascendancy T1D1

Australia 5/224 (90ov, S Watson 101*, R Ponting 71, Z Khan 3/45) v India T1/2 D1/5 at Mohali.

A day of quintessential Test cricket.

First acknowledge Shane Watson, who rode his good fortune of being dropped at second slip from the second ball of the match to underpin Australia's modest 5/224 with 101*/279b (8x4) .

Then note how the match developed:

Session 1: 1/101, 28 ov
Session 2: 2/78, 29 ov
Session 3: 3/45, 33 ov.

Ricky Ponting's 71/124b (10x4) was the connoisseur's choice though Watson's persistence and extra 30 runs will count for more at the end.

The Indian fielding was sloppy at first - some of the batting legends were lead legged - but recovered when Suresh Raina ran out Ponting and took the wind out of Australia's sails.

Pragyan Ohja's slow left arm bowling spun occasionally and kept the visitors in something like check before Zaheer Khan came back in the last session to take a couple of vital wickets and give India the upper hand.

The wicket kept low, which doesn't augur well for the side batting last, and Ishant Sharma is injured so to stay in the game India will need to take the last five Australian wickets cheaply and use its batting firepower to post a competitive total, which IMO would be a lead of 150+.

Scorecard

Fox Sports report (inc video highlights)

Cricinfo Bulletin