Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Sithara007]

Once again, it was Marnus Labuschagne/Steven Smith show for Australia. The other batsmen are hardly contributing anything (apart from Will Pucovski in the first innings and Cameron Green in the second). If the other batsmen are not scoring runs, then I believe that it will be better if they go with a 5-member or 6-member bowling attack. Bowlers such as Michael Neser and James Pattinson will be able to score at least 10-15 runs each per innings (which is more than what batsmen such as Matthew Wade has managed to score).

[7788bitcoin]

Australia finally batted well in this match and put a target of 407 runs for India and till now they started carefully and they have two injured players and hence the openers should stay in the crease as long as possible and it will be a battle whether they can chase the score down or bat as long as possible and draw the match as the target is not that easy to chase. My bet is on Australia to win as a couple of wickets will open up the cracks in the Indian batting lineup.

[mersal]

Australia finally batted well in this match and put a target of 407 runs for India and till now they started carefully and they have two injured players and hence the openers should stay in the crease as long as possible and it will be a battle whether they can chase the score down or bat as long as possible and draw the match as the target is not that easy to chase. My bet is on Australia to win as a couple of wickets will open up the cracks in the Indian batting lineup.

Good approach by Indian batting now, they are playing steady especially the hitman is in the crease now while Gill lost his wicket. India need to score 327 more runs to in this match or survive 103 overs to draw this match. Looks possible but the 5th day is going to be a real battle for batting. Is there any chance of Rain tomorrow?

[Haunebu]

Looks possible but the 5th day is going to be a real battle for batting. Is there any chance of Rain tomorrow?

Sharma is gone too. The chances for India to win this one from here on out is very slim unless someone produces something special. I guess India might try to end this one in a draw if they lose a couple more wickets.

Rahane and Jadeja are the key wickets. They need to learn from the previous innings and not get run out through proper calls.

[mersal]

Looks possible but the 5th day is going to be a real battle for batting. Is there any chance of Rain tomorrow?

Sharma is gone too. The chances for India to win this one from here on out is very slim unless someone produces something special. I guess India might try to end this one in a draw if they lose a couple more wickets.

Rahane and Jadeja are the key wickets. They need to learn from the previous innings and not get run out through proper calls.

Jadeja is also injured so probably we may not see him in the second innings I guess so OZ will literally win this match if they take 7 or 8 wickets maximum. Already 2 wickets down so 5 or 6 wickets more will give extra confidence to AUS bowlers in the 1st session of day 5.If Rahane or Puraja lost their wickets in the first session then the match may end in the 2nd session itself.

[JohnBitCo]

There are still two days left in the match so i don't think we are heading for a draw here. If Australia could play first two session tomorrow and can make another 200 runs, they will get lead of 400 runs. Will Australia will risk to declare on 400 runs or they will make more runs to secure their position ?

I don't think they need to score 400 runs. If Australia can play 2 sessions tomorrow and give India a target of 310/320, then I think it is enough. Australia will win easily. Let’s see how Australia starts tomorrow morning. If their batting is disrupted, India will win this match too.

Most chances Aussies going to play for maximum two sessions and then they will give batting to Indian team because now they have some good advantage with Jadeja is out and they will attack on them 197 is already added just 150+ could be enough for win this target can achieved in maximum 50 overs.

I think no matter what the Australian team scores, their main goal in the last innings of the Indian team will be to survive at the crease. And draw the Test match. The match is now in Australia's favor. Australia is in a very good position. If they play the first session tomorrow and play half the time of the second session then give India a chance to bat, then maybe Australia will be able to win.

India made 98/2 and still they need around 300 more runs to win ? If India can play the first session tomorrow without losing the wickets, then for sure they could try for a win. The match has entered in a very interesting stage and anyone can win the match and/or it can be a draw too.

[JSRAW]

Every time Indian batsmen looked set, No 1 bowler Pat Cummins comes in and said hi to them... Every single time, that's why he's no 1 test bowler. I felt that Rohit could have used his head this time and could have played the grounded shot but that was juicy ball.

Another testing time for the middle order. Don't mind losing the game but they should fight till the end and show some character.

[covfefe_]

India made 98/2 and still they need around 300 more runs to win ? If India can play the first session tomorrow without losing the wickets, then for sure they could try for a win. The match has entered in a very interesting stage and anyone can win the match and/or it can be a draw too.

400 plus is an impossible target, especially when playing against world class bowlers such as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. On top of that, India is facing injury issues, with Jadeja and Pant unlikely to bat. For me, the outcome of the match is already decided and Australia will win the match and lead the series 2-1. Now the last match, to be played at Brisbane will be the series decider.

Test cricket indeed are of different league than of limited over games. India surely won't be trying to chase that target but to play the whole day for a draw while Australia would be trying to take away as many wickets as possible. It's not that playing aggressively on the final day haven't been tried on test cricket but most of the times, it have ended on undesired side.

[onrise]

India made 98/2 and still they need around 300 more runs to win ? If India can play the first session tomorrow without losing the wickets, then for sure they could try for a win. The match has entered in a very interesting stage and anyone can win the match and/or it can be a draw too.

400 plus is an impossible target, especially when playing against world class bowlers such as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. On top of that, India is facing injury issues, with Jadeja and Pant unlikely to bat. For me, the outcome of the match is already decided and Australia will win the match and lead the series 2-1. Now the last match, to be played at Brisbane will be the series decider.

Test cricket indeed are of different league than of limited over games. India surely won't be trying to chase that target but to play the whole day for a draw while Australia would be trying to take away as many wickets as possible. It's not that playing aggressively on the final day haven't been tried on test cricket but most of the times, it have ended on undesired side.

This is exact same position of Team India who on 2nd day ended score nearly same on same with 2 wickets down. But very next day India's wicket continuously kept falling and thus could not make a big score. So same challenge would be tomorrow if they could play the first session with maximum losing 2 more wickets then chances of draw or India's winning increases else OZ winning chances looks high.

[Haunebu]

Every time Indian batsmen looked set, No 1 bowler Pat Cummins comes in and said hi to them... Every single time, that's why he's no 1 test bowler. I felt that Rohit could have used his head this time and could have played the grounded shot but that was juicy ball.

Another testing time for the middle order. Don't mind losing the game but they should fight till the end and show some character.

Well said. Rohit is a great replacement on top. He isn't getting out in single digits like Shaw which leads to less pressure on the remaining batsmen. It's up to Rahane and Pujara now to stabilize the innings.

They resemble Marnus and Smith somewhat. If these two form a great partnership, India will have a much better chance of drawing or winning this one.

However, if Jadeja isn't available to play as mersal pointed out above, chances of India winning this one are minimal in my opinion.

[Iranus]

India made 98/2 and still they need around 300 more runs to win ? If India can play the first session tomorrow without losing the wickets, then for sure they could try for a win. The match has entered in a very interesting stage and anyone can win the match and/or it can be a draw too.

400 plus is an impossible target, especially when playing against world class bowlers such as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. On top of that, India is facing injury issues, with Jadeja and Pant unlikely to bat. For me, the outcome of the match is already decided and Australia will win the match and lead the series 2-1. Now the last match, to be played at Brisbane will be the series decider.

Test cricket indeed are of different league than of limited over games. India surely won't be trying to chase that target but to play the whole day for a draw while Australia would be trying to take away as many wickets as possible. It's not that playing aggressively on the final day haven't been tried on test cricket but most of the times, it have ended on undesired side.

This is exact same position of Team India who on 2nd day ended score nearly same on same with 2 wickets down. But very next day India's wicket continuously kept falling and thus could not make a big score. So same challenge would be tomorrow if they could play the first session with maximum losing 2 more wickets then chances of draw or India's winning increases else OZ winning chances looks high.

I think if India do not lose any wickets in the first session or lose a maximum of one wicket then they have a chance to draw the match. Otherwise they will lose. India can learn from their previous innings mistakes. And may try to correct their own mistakes. They still have enough time.

[Yudhisthir]

India made 98/2 and still they need around 300 more runs to win ? If India can play the first session tomorrow without losing the wickets, then for sure they could try for a win. The match has entered in a very interesting stage and anyone can win the match and/or it can be a draw too.

400 plus is an impossible target, especially when playing against world class bowlers such as Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. On top of that, India is facing injury issues, with Jadeja and Pant unlikely to bat. For me, the outcome of the match is already decided and Australia will win the match and lead the series 2-1. Now the last match, to be played at Brisbane will be the series decider.

Test cricket indeed are of different league than of limited over games. India surely won't be trying to chase that target but to play the whole day for a draw while Australia would be trying to take away as many wickets as possible. It's not that playing aggressively on the final day haven't been tried on test cricket but most of the times, it have ended on undesired side.

This is exact same position of Team India who on 2nd day ended score nearly same on same with 2 wickets down. But very next day India's wicket continuously kept falling and thus could not make a big score. So same challenge would be tomorrow if they could play the first session with maximum losing 2 more wickets then chances of draw or India's winning increases else OZ winning chances looks high.

I think if India do not lose any wickets in the first session or lose a maximum of one wicket then they have a chance to draw the match. Otherwise they will lose. India can learn from their previous innings mistakes. And may try to correct their own mistakes. They still have enough time.

There's no possibility of India achieving more than 300 runs in a day but it's probable that Australia maybe able to take the remaining wickets considering how they are bowling in this match. With Rohit Sharma out and a lot of runs from Australia to spare, they are likely to try different strategies to make Indian batsmen make a mistake. I'm predicting am aggressive bowling by Australian team tomorrow for a win.

[bryant.coleman]

This is exact same position of Team India who on 2nd day ended score nearly same on same with 2 wickets down. But very next day India's wicket continuously kept falling and thus could not make a big score. So same challenge would be tomorrow if they could play the first session with maximum losing 2 more wickets then chances of draw or India's winning increases else OZ winning chances looks high.

Two of the most experienced batsmen are at the crease now (Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane) and if one of them gets out early, then it will be easy for the Australians to wrap up the Indian innings. And also, on the paper India is only down by two wickets. But actually they are down by three, as Ravindra Jadeja has dislocated his left thumb and may not be able to bat. Rishabh Pant also looks doubtful, due to elbow injury.

[eaLiTy]

Two of the most experienced batsmen are at the crease now (Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane) and if one of them gets out early, then it will be easy for the Australians to wrap up the Indian innings. And also, on the paper India is only down by two wickets. But actually they are down by three, as Ravindra Jadeja has dislocated his left thumb and may not be able to bat. Rishabh Pant also looks doubtful, due to elbow injury.

It is a tough task even for Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to bat the entire day and India does not have the middle order strength to bat the entire day if there is a fall of wicket and Ravindra Jadeja will not come out to bat and Rishabh Pant injured his elbow and he did not field the entire day and even if he comes out to bat it will not make much of a difference as the Australian fast bowlers will pepper with short balls knowing he is injured.

[ene1980]

Another testing time for the middle order. Don't mind losing the game but they should fight till the end and show some character.

The Australian bowlers will be hot in the morning and will intimidate their captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara as they are the senior most players and their performance determine how long India will resist the defeat. They have two injured players in the team and it is highly unlikely they will be coming out to bat and with a weak middle order this is the only established Test players and a wicket will expose the entire batting line up.

[Indymoney]

Another testing time for the middle order. Don't mind losing the game but they should fight till the end and show some character.

The Australian bowlers will be hot in the morning and will intimidate their captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara as they are the senior most players and their performance determine how long India will resist the defeat. They have two injured players in the team and it is highly unlikely they will be coming out to bat and with a weak middle order this is the only established Test players and a wicket will expose the entire batting line up.

Now last hope is India need these two on crease for very long time or minimum for two sessions because 2 outs and 2 injured mean now very few opportunities available for me its still 50/50 for Draw/Australia but first hour play will give all clear message whats going to happen on last day of this very interesting test match.

[vella85]

I thought that once Smith and Labuschagne went out that it was over for Australia getting a lead of 400 runs as the middle to tail order have been terrible in the series but finally the middle order performed well and put Australia in a strong position to win this test match. However I still give India a chance to win as long as the two batsman at the crease right now are able to form a big partnership. If they can form a 100+ run partnership then I think India can go on and win the match but if Australia get a quick wicket or two in the morning session then I can't see India playing out the day for a draw. I think we will see a result with one team winning.

[Sithara007]

Rishabh Pant is scoring runs almost at a rate of one run per ball. The advantage is now with India and they need another 157 runs to win, with 7 wickets in hand. 51.5 overs remain now, and that should not be a concern. If India manages to win this test match (and thereby the series), then it is going to be historic. The Australian captain looks like he doesn't know what to do.

[JSRAW]

Rishabh Pant is scoring runs almost at a rate of one run per ball. The advantage is now with India and they need another 157 runs to win, with 7 wickets in hand. 51.5 overs remain now, and that should not be a concern. If India manages to win this test match (and thereby the series), then it is going to be historic. The Australian captain looks like he doesn't know what to do.

I was nervous throughout Pant's inning and at the same time enjoyed the counter attack..
 
Sadly he got out on 97. Poor guy got out on 90's 3 times in test format in his short career. He loves to live by sword and die by sword in the test cricket. One of the reason i prefer him in the longer format, he has capability of take away game from the opposition. I think they should always select him in the squad as a pure batsman when touring in SENA countries, especially in the Australia as he averages more than 50 there.

Tim Paine and his squad looked helpless when he was batting, they were very defensive against him.

262/4 ( Pujara- Vihari) Last batting pair for India, not sure if Jadeja is going to bat or not. I would say Vihari is batting for his spot now, if he fails here then he's going to get lot of criticism even from his fans.

5 day Test cricket is here to stay at least for some..

https://twitter.com/tommorris32/status/1348459762808020995

On Pant

https://twitter.com/bhogleharsha/status/1348468646377529346

[Sithara007]

Cheteshwar Pujara is gone, and what this means is that the tail has started for India (Jadeja in all probability is not going to bat). Hanuma Vihari is having a batting average of around 30, and I don't think that he has the capability to stay there with the tail-enders and score the required runs. It was Rishabh Pant who changed the course of the game, and once he got out momentum shifted again to Australia.