Day 5:
The emotional Test match for Australian cricket team turned out in their favour. Exceptional performance from David Warner, who scored two hundreds, while hundreds from Michael Clarke and Steve Smith helped Australia to be put a big total in front of Kohli’s army.
In response, Indian team started on a good note. Virat Kohli’s century looked promising for India’s win but Nathan Lyon’s exceptional bowling ensured that the Indian captain’s hundred goes in vain. Indian middle order fell like a pack of cards in front of Nathan Lyon, who finished with 12 wickets and Australia’s victory.
As reiterated by Skymet Meteorological Division in India, clear skies with bright sunshine prevailed on Day 5. Winds from east-southeast direction continued to blow over the region, with speed of about 20-25 kmph.
Day 4:
As expected, the Adelaide test continued smoothly as clear skies greeted the players at the start of the day. Australia are in a commanding position at 290/5 with a lead of 363 runs. With Nathan Lyon’s 'fifer' and David Warner’s second century of the match has put Australia in this position.
The weather forecast suggests clear skies with bright sunshine for Day 5 as well. Winds from east southeast direction will continue to blow over the region. Wind speeds of about 20-25 kmph are predicted for Day 5.
Earlier on day four, Nathan Lyon’s five wicket haul ripped through the Indian middle and lower order, putting Australia with a lead of 73 runs. Later on David Warner played yet another aggressive innings and scored his second century of the match. There was an incident during Warner’s innings that he was out on a no-ball bowled by Varun Aaron. After which there were some heated words between Aaron and Warner. Steven Smith continued his good form to complete a half century. During his innings too some more heated words were exchanged when in a Rohit Sharma delivery, to which Smith danced down the track and offered no shot. The ball struck the pad and Rohit appealed, following which Smith had a few words to say. Virat Kohli at short thirdman was annoyed by Smith's reaction and had a word with him. Stump mic picked up Kohli asking Smith if he had a problem with everything and asked him to stay in his limits.
Day 5 seems to be heading for a stern test of Indian batsmen, who will be up against Nathan Lyon on a turning track. Nathan has already sent five Indian batsmen to the pavilion in the first innings.
Day 3:
As expected, Australia declared their first innings at the overnight score of 517/7. India reached 369/5 at the end of Day 3 with Rohit Sharma unbeaten on 33* accompanied by Saha on 1*. The clear skies, bright sunshine, and the easy-paced pitch at the Adelaide Oval provided very little assistance to the Aussie pace attack as Indian batsmen looked largely comfortable. However, off-spinner Nathan Lyon was able to reap generous amounts of turn from the surface. Perhaps a sign of things to come.
The weather forecast suggests clear skies with bright sunshine for Day 4 as well. Winds from east southeast direction will continue to blow over the region. Wind speeds of around 35-55 kmph are expected on Friday whereas slightly lighter wind speeds of about 20-25 kmph are predicted for Day 5.
Coming back to the day's play, Indian batsmen rode on technique & patience as all the top order batsmen managed to enter double figures. Wickets fell at regular intervals but the likes of Pujara, Vijay and Rahane reached their respective half centuries. Virat Kohli played a captain's knock and reached his second Test century. In the process, Kohli became the 3rd Indian captain to knock up a ton his captaincy debut.
Earlier today, Kohli was greeted by a first-ball bouncer from Mitchell Johnson which struck the Indian captain on his helmet. Interestingly though, the Aussie camp was more rattled than Kohli after the incident with captain Michael Clarke having a short discussion with his lead strike bowler. The Aussies crowded Kohli and the orthodox Aussie sledging was replaced by gestures & words of concern. Later in the day, Kohli (115) fell while trying to pull a short one from Johnson.
India now trail by 148 runs with 5 wickets remaining. The Test seems to be evenly balanced as of now. How the pair of Rohit Sharma & Saha fare on Day 4 shall be instrumental in deciding the course of the match. While most would place bets on a draw, the unpredictable nature of the game will continue to ask questions. Skymet will keep you updated on the topic.
Day 2:
Australia have reached 517/7 on Day 2 as bad light stopped play after heavy showers interrupted the proceedings at the Adelaide Oval. Captain Michael Clarke and Steve Smith completed their centuries and added 163 valuable runs for the 7th wicket. Indian bowlers toiled hard on the Adelaide surface but to no avail. In order to compensate for the 60 overs lost on Day 2, play is expected to start half an hour early on each of the remaining days. Let's take a look at how the weather will fare during the rest of the game.
As predicted by Skymet Division, rain did affect play on Day 2 of the ongoing Adelaide Test. However, heavy rains were not expected and the conditions at the Adelaide Oval have now become dark & gloomy. But the good news is that the cloud cover is expected to clear out by tomorrow and bright sunshine with a light breeze is predicted for the next three days.
The heavy rain on Day 2 will result in a slower outfield during the first session on Day 3. The partially damp conditions will favor the bowlers initially, but with the passage of time, the outfield & the conditions are expected to improve. Coming to cricket per se, Australia is expected to declare their innings any moment now. Indian batsmen will now have to pass a testing phase of fading musty conditions and a seasoned Aussie pace attack. Skymet will keep you updated on any further developments in weather conditions at Adelaide.
Day 1:
Cricket will look to recover from testing times as India take on Australia in the first Test at Adelaide on Tuesday. The sad & unfortunate demise of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes left the cricket world in a state of limbo. Ongoing matches were put on hold while India-Australia bilateral tour was postponed. As Clarke and his men walk out to face Kohli's young brigade on Tuesday, the entire cricketing fraternity will have their eyes set on the game. The healing, as they say, begins.
The weather could not have been more promising for the 'ice breaker'. Adelaide, which is set to host the opening Test, is expected to welcome the players with a bright & clear weather. The weather forecast for the region, over the next five days, suggests that clear skies with few patches of clouds will preside over the proceedings. The temperatures are expected to stick to a moderate 24-26 °C (Maximum) and 14-16 °C (Minimum). A short delay is expected on Day 2 (Wednesday) in case of mild showers.
Phil Hughes has been named the 13th man in Australia's squad for the first Test. Michael Clarke has been declared fit and will be leading the baggy greens. Also, the two teams will mourn for 63 (Phil's score in his last innings) seconds before start of play. The Aussies will wear black bands as a sign of mourning with the number 408 (Phil's Test debut number) written on their white flannels. The teams will also observe a video tribute to Phil Hughes before start of play.
Meanwhile in the Indian camp, MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the first Test due to fitness issues. Virat Kohli is set to lead India in Tests for the first time. Swing maestro and Indian Cricketer of the Year Bhuvneshwar Kumar will also be seen warming the bench due to an ankle injury. The pace & carry on the surface of Adelaide is expected to assist the faster bowlers and hence both teams are expected to step out with a steaming pace attack. However, the pitch is expected to slow down as the game goes on thereby offering the occasional turn and bounce for the slower bowlers.
India Playing XI (Probables): Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin/Karn Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Varun Aaron.
Australia Playing XI (Probables): David Warner, Chris Rogers, Michael Clarke (c), Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Natahn Lyon, and Peter Siddle. (Phil Hughes as 13th man)
Also read: Bright Weather In Tragic Times For India-Australia Test Series 2014-15
