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Monday, 29 December 2014

Aus v Ind (1st Test Match, Adelaide, 2014)

Border Gavaskar Trophy
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide


These two teams seemed to have decided to pay tribute to #PhilHughes and test cricket in the best possible way!. A stunner of a test match !!

Until end of Day 4, it looked pale and one-sided with Australia looking the only side to win this match. On the back of two centuries from #DavidWarner in each innings and some superb batting performances from #SteveSmitth and #MichaelClarke, the Aussies looked like they had this game in the bag!

Capt. Clarke declared the Aussie second innings at 290 for 5, setting up India an improbable 363 to win the test match in 90 overs on turning Adelaide Oval pitch.

What turned out was absolute magic and test cricket at its absolute best! 2 for 100 odd at lunch seemed like same old story of wickets falling at regular intervals leading to an Aussie victory.

#MuraliVijay and #ViratKohli had different ideas after lunch though. Virat on the back of his first innings century started playing confidently while Vijay gained fluidity in his strokeplay as the game progressed. No wickets fell in the second session and with India around 200 mark at tea, things started looking like turning the tide around.

Then Lyon struck, not one, not twice but thrice in quick succession claiming Vijay plumb in front, Rahane adjudged caught at silly point albeit controversially and Rohit Sharma. Suddenly Aussies were favorites again!

This is when Kohli sensed he needed to up the tempo and start pushing on. And boy did he push it? Along with Saha he started inching ever  so closer to Australian total. When Saha went, he accelerated even further! Things looked pretty comfortable.
India need 60 runs to win, 4 wickets in hand.

Alas, tragedy struck, a rank long hop by Lyon, Kohli could have dispatched it anywhere outside the ground on any other day. But this wasn't his, it was Lyon's. As luck would have it, he pulled that delivery straight to mid-wicket in Mitch Marsh's hands. This was the big fish Aussies were waiting for! They had it delivered on a plate! A superb innings of 145 had come to an end.

The end for India wasn't far from here. It came soon after and Australia went 1 up in the series. A game to remember for
 - In remembrance of Phil Hughes
 - Dave Warner and Virat Kohli - tons in both innings
 - Lyon's 12 wicket match haul. 5 for in the second bettered legendary Warne's record against India (Lyon - two 5-fors against India vs Warne's one).


Memorable test all the way!
Man of the Match - Nathan Lyon
 

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