Australia v India Test Series

Australia minus Warner for 1 test.
India minus Kohli for 3 tests.

I think on balance, with the emerging stability of Labuschagne and Smith looking in rare form, the loss of Warner could be covered for a test. However, Kohli means too much to India for them to sustain consistent defensible totals without him.

As always it will still be intriguing to watch.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ talks
Im expecting flat pitches
5 day test matches are a must for $$$$$

Pat Cummins has been rested from the current 20/20 series against India
That might suggest he is being freshened up for the Test series on flat decks ?
We might see some draws this series

I wonder whether India (without Kohli) will make that their target?
IE A draw. I hope not.

Who will open the batting for Australia in the First Test?
David Warner injured might be available
Will Pucovski was hit and concussed in a scratch match
Joe Burns has had a horror season to date and cant get going
Marcus Harris , who was prob the 4th choice at some stage is burning and could be picked

Cameron Green must be very very close to selection ?
In the scratch match against India
0/9 off 8 overs
125 not out of 9/306
2/10 off 4 overs, when he dismissed both openers

We may have found the next Shane Watson

Scrappy wrote:$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ talks
Im expecting flat pitches
5 day test matches are a must for $$$$$

Pat Cummins has been rested from the current 20/20 series against India
That might suggest he is being freshened up for the Test series on flat decks ?
We might see some draws this series

Australia lead the series 1-0 winning the first test on day 3

So what happened?

The pink ball has not produced big totals on the batting paradise of Adelaide Oval.

All 3 completed innings had ball on top over bat.
Only the Kohli / REhane partnership had the makings of a lengthy tenure and Paine was resolute for his 70-odd not out.

But what the hell happened to India?
All 9 wickets were caught.
Was this just a classic collective brain fade or did pitch or ball or timeslot contribute?

I thought I heard this was India's first day - night pink ball test.

We will see what a match sans Kohli produces. And whether India has the mettle without their spiritual leader.

Well clearly they did have the metal without Kohli and 6 other of their first stringers. A sensational effort by India when you stack it all up.

I like the look of Gill who debuted this series. Has plenty of aggression and likes to hit the ball around.

And also Siraj. He looks a likely type as a fast bowler too. I can see these 2 being in the side for a long time.

So India rises to the top of the World Test championship and we sink to 3rd and (for the moment) out of contention.

So where are we at as there are some troubling signs from the last 3 tests.

Let's start at the top.
Paine as captain. Whilst he took over when we were at an all time low and has restored some faith in Australian cricket, I don;t think his tactics and leadership under pressure is quite up to it if you expect a side to be at the top of the rankings.

For mine, he has fallen short at critical times with some field placements, bowling strategies and general leadership. We have lost at least 2 tests that we should not have lost. One in England and one yesterday.

Batting.
Well this is a bit brittle at present and out most pressing problem. Warner has not impressed albeit his absence at the start robbed him of form and momentum.

Pucovski aside, all other openers have been ordinary.
Wade, Burns, Harris. If Pucovski can get fit and stay that was he looks ok, but it is only early days. He needs to cement himself quickly. Hopefully in South Africa he can.

Labushagne has been a revelation since England and is our best batsman by a street at the moment. He seems to have modelled himself as a clone of Smith.
However, the latter has been a bit wobbly of late. His back end form this series has been much better as he's been much more positive in his batting.

After Warner, Lab and Smith, we look average.

Wade doesn't impress me in terms of consistency. And he seems to have brain fades which prevent big scores. Similarly Head is in the same boat. Neither give me confidence that they will produce enough to remain valid selections.

Green has promise as a batsman but needs to push on with it after getting a number of starts. However, his bowling seemed to lack penetration. Still no wickets after 3 tests. There may be an injury cloud over him, but he has been used fairly sparingly.

Certainly, India's batsmen displayed a resilience that we didn't.

All the bowlers are regarded as world class and you wouldn't replace them, however, for 2 tests they have not managed to dismiss India's middle order and tail. I would imagine the fatigue of playing these tests fairly close together has taken a toll.

However, it would be nice to see a bit more variation from them in what balls they have in their armory.
We don't see much reverse swing all that often from them. Anyway, all in all the 4 bowlers have shouldered a big load without a big score margin behind them to attack.

One question is; without the captaincy, does Paine fit into this unit? Does he hold on keeping / batting alone?