You can bet your bottom dollar Jimmy Anderson is straight back in for that next Day/Night Test Freeze!
Fully agree with you, Freez.
India was far superior and I see the First Test result as an aberration.
Massive turnarounds are the nature of Test cricket.
We only have to think of the 1975-76 Australia-West Indies Test series discussed on another thread, when the Windies flogged the Aussies at the WACA but proceeded to lose the series 5-1.
England is not immune to producing doctored Test wickets, with the classic example being the Headingley wicket for the 1972 Ashes series.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/rewind-the-fungus-that-floored-the-aussies-901241
Yes, I know this is 49 years ago, but most Test nations play to their strengths when it comes to wicket preparation (think the traditional WACA pitch).
However, England has an unhealthy dependence on Joe Root to score runs and when he misses out, so, invariably, do the To and Froms.
I’m not being lewd when I say: “No Root, no England.”
OK so here we go again with the series poised at 1-1 and the prospect of a pink ball test. As always is the case in India, the pitch will play a major role. You would expect India to bring Bumrah back and also the return of Anderson and Archer (if fit) for England. You would think that the spinners will still be a big factor in this game. Bess will come back for Moeen Ali who has gone home for some reason.
Ashwin will once more be crucial in this contest.
India need to win the series 3 - 1 to qualify for the World Test Championship final so they will be going all out for a result in this game.
it’s going to turn square pretty early on after the shine disappears - England in trouble already
This left arm spinner Axar is very impressive, he is going to be a nightmare to play on Indian pitches.
Interesting to see Eng play one specialist spinner plus Root…whilst India play3 spinners and 2 fast bowlers…even with winning the toss Eng look farked…no doubt Vaughan will complain about the state of the pitch after Eng piss poor 1st dig…India just needs to get to 250 odd and a lead of 150 odd should be enough to win the game…thank fark Axar was injured for the Aust series…definitely looks the goods.
Freezin: Moen has gone home to rest; reaading the BBC, it appears against the captain’s wishes; from there, as you said, England have forgotten the test is in India.
One point on the Indian commentators, such as Gavaskar, whom seem to have given up fair wickets. He has always resented green tops in England and Australia, never recognising, that, green tops dry and become good for batting. Is he seriously suggesting that this pitch will get better to bat on?
AR Gavaskar has always been a spoilt brat.
I will never forget one day after being given out lbw to Lillee at the MCG in 1980/81 he spat the dummy and then demanded his opening partner Chetan Chauhan walk off the ground with him which would have then forfeited the Test, until the Indian Manager met them at the gate and told Chauhan to get back to the crease.
That wicket was powderising well forward of the creases after less than 20 overs - the dust plume was very obvious
Not a good look for fair cricket and even the polished mud surfaces in the West Indies hold up better than that
Baffled as to why England didn’t play Dom Bess as their second specialist spinner.
Given that Virat Kohli is back in the pavilion, the To and Froms are still a chance of restricting India’s lead to under 100.
However, it will be a tough ask setting the home side a challenging run chase.
I think most countries play to their strengths when it comes to pitch preparation.
Certainly, Australia always relished playing Test matches at the WACA because most visiting teams struggled with the pace and bounce.
Quite possibly the most doctored wicket (and well before my time) was the Ashes pitch at Old Trafford in 1956 (Jim Laker 19-90).
It will never happen, but maybe they should do away with the coin toss and given visiting teams the option of batting or bowling.
English cartoonist Roy Ulyett produced a clever picture of a tombstone reading “Here lies the Aussies of '56, skittled by Laker for next to nix.”
Tied to the shoes of a kangaroo next to the grave was a note saying “Never forgotten. Sorry you thought our wicket rotten. Love from the groundstaff.”
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/rewind-when-laker-skittled-the-aussies-897043
Who needs Dom Bess when you have Joe Root bowling like Jim Laker?
Innings figures of 6.2-3-8-5 - unbelievable!
England very much back in the game.
When a part time spinner can get 5-8, it makes you wonder what the Indian spinners can do. All out 81 is what they can do. What a joke of a pitch.
I remember Michael Clarke getting a 6 for on one of their dustbowls one tour and the Aussies still lost the game
Clarke took 6 for 9 over there back in about 2004 Mike.
That pitch was remarkably similar to this current one in Ahmedabad.
Remarkably, we lost the Test in Mumbai where Michael Clarke took 6-9, Beas.
And despite his 5-8, Joe Root looks like suffering the same fate.
Based on the current Test and the one before in Chennai, Test cricket is not automatically a batsman’s game.
Contrast this with the NZ-Aust 20:20 match earlier today when 15 wickets fell for 434 runs in 40 overs, with 31 sixes being struck.
I am all for evening up the contest between bat and ball in test cricket. There are too many featherbeds produced which don’t give the bowlers a chance. This pitch in India has gone too far the other way. Batsmen who we know are good players of spin have been reduced to incompetence by bowlers who would struggle to get them out in normal circumstances. There must be a happy medium somewhere because no-one wants to see tests over inside 2 days which is what has happened here.
All over just after Tea on Day 2!
I cannot remember in my lifetime another Test being finished so quickly?
Just had a quick look at a stats site BH and the shortest completed test match ever was in 1932 when Australia beat South Africa in Melbourne. Australia bowled SA out for 36 in 23.2 overs, Australia replied with 153 in 54.3 overs the dismissed SA for 45 in 31.3 overs for an innings victory. So this game lasted 109.2 overs.
This test just completed lasted a total of 140.2 overs which would have to be close to the top 10 shortest games because the 5th fastest test was 132 overs in 1899. I cant remember any games in recent memory that would have been so short.
Just had a check of the list on Cricinfo. This test is the 7th shortest of completed matches. There was a test between Australia and Pakistan in Sharjah played in 2002 which was completed in 148 overs. I recall that the temperature was close to 50 degrees for just about the entire duration of this particular match.
Blink and you would of missed that 3rd test…hopefully India can win or draw the final test, so Aust doesn’t have to fly to the other side of the world for a one off test at Lord’s v NZ, who will already be over there playing Eng in a 2 match test series…
Archie, I went to both those T20 matches…here where I live in Christchurch, great ground Hagley Oval and 4 hours down the road in Dunedin…shit that ground is tiny…first game was a shocker, the second a better finish…always a worry if spuds like Guptill and Stonis can score runs like that…as for Finch…seriously the guy will go into the T20 WC with a 20 match run of sub 20 scores…give any one that many chances and the law of averages will see them succeed eventually…pity others aren’t afforded such luxury…was keen to see the young NSW spinner play…but got to see old Agar and Zampa again instead…funny how NZ spinners can take a bag each, yet Agar and Zampa take fark all…can’t believe how useless Aust batsmen are against slow bowling…even after watching cricket for over 40 odd years…nothing has changed…
Hey Freeze it looks a nice old cricket ground down there in Dunedin.
Whatever happened to the old Carisbrook ground where NZ used to play at down there?
Whilst it seems the Aussie selectors are almost obliged to pick the out of form and reckless duo Finch & Maxwell to keep the coVics from meltdown…and sheesh those self proclaimed supposed “Sporting Capital of the World” muppets in coVic still call for them both to be in the Test team!! 
:woohoo: :lol: :dry: :whistle:
Watched that first 3 hours of the second day and just wondered how much Warney would have spun that SG day night ball with that black seam
In reality pitches like that should be on the ICC scrutiny list if they want to ensure parity and coin through gates
And yes pitches can still be prepared to be unique to each country without being outrageously lopsided
obvious now why one team plays 3 specialist spinners