JUST IN: In a bizarre turn of events following the MCG Test, MS Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect. The announcement was made via a BCCI press release shortly after the customary post match press conference. Virat Kohli is set to replace Dhoni as India's Test captain for the fourth and final Test match which begins on January 6, 2015 in Sydney.
MS Dhoni registered 27 wins as Test captain and led the team in 60 games. Overall, Dhoni played 90 Test matches scoring 4876 runs at an average of 38. As a wicket-keeper, he had 294 dismissals to his name, the fifth highest in Test cricket history.
It is safe to say that Dhoni's decision to retire from the longer format of the game is well timed. India's most successful captain retires after ending India's losing streak in Tests. MS Dhoni will continue to lead India in the ODI and T20 format.
30th December, 2014: Australia chose to continue batting on Day 5 and declared only when the scoreboard read 318/9. India were set a near to impossible target of 384 in 70 overs. Despite tight bowling and perseverance, the Aussie bowlers failed to take ten wickets on the final day. India (174/6) survived a last session scare to secure a draw. The captains shook hands with 4 overs to go and Australia reclaimed the famous Border-Gavaskar trophy with a 2-0 lead in the four match series.
As predicted by Skymet, rain did intervene on the fifth and final day of the MCG Test. Rain first delayed start of play, and then caused a slight delay again as play resumed, but all in all no overs were lost. The weather remained pleasant for the rest of the day with traces of clouds hovering above the ground.
Resuming at their overnight score of 261/7, Marsh and Ryan Harris anchored the Aussie innings to the score of 300. Harris provided some much needed support to Marsh who continued to play his shots thereby increasing the lead for Australia. Australia finally declared their innings at 318/9 with Marsh being run out on the score of 99. With Australia lsecuring a lead of 383 runs, India were put into bat by Steve Smith.
India had the worst of starts as they lost both Dhawan and KL Rahul in the first three overs of the innings. Vijay too failed to deliver on this occasion and was trapped LBW off Hazlewood. India were in all sorts of trouble with the score reading 19/3. Another commendable rescue act was stitched by the duo of Rahane and Kohli who added 85 runs for the fourth wicket and more importantly dealt with the new ball for 26 overs. Kohli completed yet another impressive half-century while Rahane too reached into the forties. India looked safe and sound at Tea with both Kohli and Rahane looking in good touch.
But the post-tea session brought smiles for the Aussies. Kohli (54 off 99) was picked up first ball after tea by Ryan Harris. Cheteshwar Pujara joined Rahane in the middle and the two steadied the Indian innings. But after a while, Pujara (21) misread a slower one from Johnson and was castled. Four overs later, Rahane (48) too fell while trying to pull one from Hazlewood. India were reduced to 142/6 with 15 overs left to be bowled. MS Dhoni was then joined by R Ashwin at the crease. The two lower middle order batsmen did extremely well to hang around and ultimately steered the Indian ship to safer shores. India did manage to secure a draw but Australia have now secured an unassailable lead of 2-0, with just one match to go in this four match Test series.
The teams will now travel to Sydney for the fourth and final Test match of the series. The SCG Test begins on January 6, 2015. As always, Skymet will keep you updated on weather conditions and more for the next Test.
29th December, 2014: As expected, the Indian tail failed to wag against a steaming Mitchell Johnson on Day 4, who removed the last two wickets in less than 3 overs. Resuming at the overnight score of 462/8, India were all out for 465 thereby handing a crucial 65-run lead to the home side. Australia, thanks to Shaun Marsh's heroics towards the end, reached 261/7 and were leading by 326 runs at the end of day's play. Ishant Sharma, who went wicket-less in the first innings, was the pick of the bowlers in the second innings. Ishant bowled tight spells and picked up two wickets. In the process, he became the eighth Indian bowler to have taken 300+ international wickets.
As predicted by Skymet, rain did intervene on Day 4 with showers delaying start of play in the post-lunch session. Through the morning session, overcast conditions presided over the proceedings at the MCG. Covers lay over the ground for a short while before play resumed. Weather forecast for Day 5 suggests cloudy conditions with chances of showers in the morning or early afternoon. A good breeze is expected to be experienced throughout the day. India will have their hopes tied to the will of rain Gods in order to secure a draw in this match.
Australia suffered blows at regular intervals but the runs kept coming for the home side. Chris Rogers scored a conventional 69, while Warner (40) and Marsh (62 not out) also chipped in with valuable contributions allowing Australia to extend the lead beyond 300.
India now face an uphill task. Frankly speaking, this is Brisbane Test all over again with India chasing a seemingly impossible total in the fourth innings. Australia is expected to put India to bat early into Day 5. Although, the home side may play for draw in order to secure a series win. In any case, India will have to chase down a 350+ total in a single day. Dhoni and his men will surely go for the kill as only a win at the MCG can keep the visitors alive in the series. The final day of the MCG Test packs thrill and action which is rarely witnessed in Test cricket. As always, Skymet will keep you updated on the proceedings at the MCG.
28th December, 2014: A record fourth-wicket partnership between centurions Virat Kohli (169) and Ajinkya Rahane (147) brought India back in the game on Day 3 at MCG, after the overnight pair of Vijay and Pujara fell in the first session. India ended the day on 462/8, trailing Australia by 68 runs. The weather, as predicted by Skymet, remained bright & sunny for most part of the day.
Meanwhile, a lower order fumble in the final session marred the Indian innings and the dismissal of Virat Kohli in the last over added to the groping. But this was after Rahane and Kohli literally punished the Aussie bowlers throughout the day with Mitchell Johnson facing most of the heat. Australia struggled in the field as well dropping close to half a dozen catches.
Kohli entered into an on-field altercation with Mitchell Johnson in the middle of his innings.The action that unfolded next saw Aussie shoulders drop as the two batsmen crafted a record 262-run partnership which spanned almost three sessions. India inched closer to the first innings total of Australia, and for an instance, a mammoth score of even 600 was very much on the cards.
But Australia did have the last laugh on Day 3 as soon-after Rahane's wicket, debutante KL Rahul too fell while trying to release pressure by taking the aerial route against Nathan Lyon. Interestingly, KL Rahul was earlier dropped in the same over but failed to make use of the life-line granted to him. MS Dhoni's bad run in the series continued as the cucumber cool captain was also dismissed cheaply. Next up, Ashwin too suffered a soft dismissal as he returned a not-so-simple catch to Ryan Harris who did well to hold onto it. A string of wickets put India on the backfoot and with Virat Kohli's dismissal in the last over of the day, India's chances of taking a lead were reduced to almost nil.
How the Indian tail fairs in the morning session of Day 4 may end up deciding the course of the match. The Aussie bowlers have their tail up and Johnson in particular is known for uprooting lower orders. A lead of some 50-odd runs will put the home side in a commanding position when they come out to bat in their second innings. Play is expected to start half an hour early on Day 5 in order to compensate for overs lost today. As always, Skymet will keep you updated on the proceedings at the MCG.
27th December, 2014: Steve Smith's golden run in the series continued as the Aussie skipper's 192 hoisted his team to a daunting total of 530 on Day 2 at the MCG. Australia continued from the overnight total of 259/5 as captain Smith partnered with Brad Haddin to ensure a dominating first innings score for his side. India were 108/1 at the end of day's play. The Indian bowlers were largely ineffective but did well to wrap things up once the partnership between Smith and Haddin ended.
As predicted by Skymet, partially clear skies and bright sunshine allowed a full day's play. Forecast for Day 3 suggests that mild showers are expected early in the morning or late afternoon. This may cause a short delay on Day 3.
Smith and Haddin made amends to Australia's slow scoring rate on Boxing Day and accelerated the Aussie innings on Day 2 of the MCG Test. Smith also shared a vital 106-run stand with Aussie pace-man Ryan Harris who contributed with a hefty 74. Smith fell 8 short of a well deserved double hundred but ensured that the Aussie bowlers had more than enough to bowl at.
Meanwhile, India did well to end the day on 108/1 with 'The Monk' Murali Vijay scoring a well balanced 55 after Dhawan fell for 28. Pujara (25) hung on to the crease with Vijay to end the day for India. India now trail Australia 422 runs with 9 wickets remaining. An exciting Day 3 awaits your viwership. As always, Skymet will keep you updated.
26th December, 2014: The Boxing Day test started with patches of clouds in the sky but the conditions soon turned bright and sunny. The match began with KL Rahul and Joe Burns making their debut for India and Australia respectively.
Australia won the toss and elected to bat on a good batting pitch as the most crucial Test match of the series took off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Indian bowlers showed a lot of discipline and got an early wicket in the form of David Warner who was dismissed for a duck to Umesh Yadav. This brought Shane Watson to the crease. Watson and Rogers put on a 100-run partnership and ensured that there were no hiccups till lunch.
Post lunch, both batsmen completed their half centuries but fell on the team total of 115 runs in successive overs. First to go was Rogers who was caught behind off Mohammed Shami followed by Watson who was caught LBW while trying to sweep Ashwin. This brought two new batsmen to the crease. Aussie skipper Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh initiated damage repair. The two batsmen resurrected the innings and took the score to 184 before Shaun Marsh was caught behind to become Shami’s second victim. Marsh’s departure brought debutante Joe Burns to the pitch. Meanwhile, Smith continued his purple patch. The partnership between Smith and Burns did not last long and Burns was soon dismissed leaving Australia struggling at 216/4. Smith scored yet another half century in the series and Brad Haddin on the other side ensured that no wicket fell till end of day's play. Australia ended the day at the score of 259/5.
The match was evenly poised at the close of play on Day 1. An exciting Day 2 awaits all your cricket fans. Skymet will keep you updated on the proceedings at the MCG.
25th December, 2014: After Australia took an unbeatable lead in the series the action now shifts to MCG in Melbourne. India is 0-2 down and almost out. But if India has to show that the aggression, the fight, the intent to win was real then they have to get up and fight & fight like never before. Because it is not going to be easy, as Australians have got into the groove & are firing on all cylinders. First of all they have to get out of the ‘victim’ mentality, because they are not victims of bad practice pitches, poor vegetarian food or biased umpiring. It is all in the mind as they say, so they have to clear the cobwebs from their mind, wipe it clean and make a fresh start. Couple of changes will help like Raina for Rohit and Bhuvi for Varun Aaron.
The wicket will play true, which means there will be bounce & carry on Day1 but it will get progressively slower & definitely yielding to spin on last day. Though passing showers are likely on first & last day but they will be few & far in between to cause major delays or curtail play for long duration. Australians are unlikely to change their winning combinations as they have ticked most of the boxes. The ground is huge & outfield will be quick, but batsmen will be able to run three, if they want to.
The weather is expected to be mostly sunny during major part of the match. The weather outlook for the five days is as follows:
