Key events
14th over: India 49-1 (Smriti 24, Richa 13) India need 26 to win More miserly excellence from Gardner, but no reward.
Good morning Ian Forth! “A New Year’s wish is to retire “Moral Victory!” as the supposed epitome in witty ripostes. It’s beginning to remind me of Succession – “Roman, you can’t just keep repeating ‘False flag’ “. Please let’s bury it next to “OK Boomer” and move on. (Full disclosure: I have both Australian and UK passports).”
13th over: India 48-1 (Smriti 23, Richa 13) India need 27 to win McGrath darts one in off the pitch to Smriti first ball. Another misfield, as the ball slides under the body of the diving cover – gifts India an extra run. And then four, as Smriti gets a fuller ball under her nose and leans into a cover drive of perfect balance. Four more, less perfect, harder hands, from Richa, as an edge flies past the slips for four more. Runs flowing freely since lunch off the seamer.
12th over: India 37-1 (Smriti 1t, Richa 9) India need 38 to win Smriti happy to just watch Gardner do her business, picking up a single off the last ball.
11th over: India 36-1 (Smriti 15, Richa 9) India need 39 to win Garth is replaced by McGrath. Nice to see some shots of packed seating areas – though I’ve no real idea how many people are in, as much of the ground is empty. McGrath, white warpaint Tipexed across the nose. A diving stop by Gardner saves four. A handful of singles.
10th over: India 33-1 (Smriti 13, Richa 8) India need 42 to win Gardner to continue her work. A shout for lbw against Richa, and then a streaky four as she aims to drive but edges behind. Goes to drive again off the last ball and inside edges. Living slightly dangerously.
Coffee, and a quick, creaky sun salutation in a fleecy dressing gown. They’re about to restart after lunch at the Wankhede for what will almost certainly, one way or another, be the last session of the match.
India need 46 to win, nine wickets in hand. Australia huddle together in the shade off the field before marching on. Smriti and Richa touch the ground outside the rope and jog in.
Lunch, with India on their way. Nothing is impossible on this sometime capricious pitch, against this attack, but with the target now less than fifty, that historic first Test win is within a tantalising ribbon’s width. Time for me to make a pot of coffee – back soon.
Lunch India 29-1 need 46 to win
9th over: India 29-1 (Smriti 13, Richa 4) India need 46 to win Enthusiastic chants from the Saturday lunchtime crowd. Garth with the last over before lunch. Smriti immaculate in defence. A couple through the covers again, then four byes as one zips hugely off the pitch and flies legside, well out of Healy’s grasp.
8th over: India 23-1 (Smriti 11, Richa 4) India need 52 to win Bright sunshine over Mumbai, Gardner’s tiny shadow following her every move. Dangerously, she reels. Smriti picks up a single, inside out, to cover. Richa drives expansively at the last, and misses.
7th over: India 22-1 (Smriti 10, Richa 4) India need 53 to win Healy plumps for Garth again, despite her expensive last over. Much better, but she still concedes a boundary when McGrath is done by the bounce at mid-off and lets the ball slide between her sprawling limbs to the rope.
6th over: India 18-1 (Smriti 10, Richa 0) India need 57 to win A maiden from Gardner.
5th over: India 18-1 (Smriti 10, Richa 0) India need 57 to win Smriti leans, darts out the front leg and drives gorgeously through the covers. Four more next ball, as Garth drops wide of offstump and Smriti tucks in. We catch a quick view of Marine Drive curling round the Arabian sea.
4th over: India 9-1 (Smriti 1, Richa 0) India need 66 to win A ripper from Gardner bounces over the stumps and past the gloves of Healy, whose mouth forms an 0 of surprise, down to the rope for four byes. Oh dear, and a drop, at slip, two balls later, Mooney shells as Ghosh props forward and gets an outside edge.
3rd over: India 5-1 (Smriti 1, Richa 0) Garth with her second.A wide elbowed, bustling approach. Smriti resists the temptation of a couple of wide ones on leg stump. A maiden. Just over 20 minutes till lunch.
That was the most a visiting team has scored in their 2nd innings of a women’s Test in India.
A good effort by Australia to give themselves even this much to bowl at, but the 1st innings deficit left them with too much to do.#INDvAUS https://t.co/UMFFsIogK3
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) December 24, 2023
2nd over: India 5-1 (Smriti 1, Richa 0) Spin immediately from the other end as Healy throws Gardner the ball. India are cautious. Watchful.
1st over: India 4-1 (Smriti 0, Richa 0) Despite the blackness of the northern hemisphere night, and nearly three hours till sunrise, I just heard the first chirpy whistle of the dawn chorus. Shafali has time only to say thanks very much to a wide half volley from Garth first up, and whistle it through the covers for four, before she’s done by some daemon late swing. 75 looking like an interesting challenge already.
WICKET! Shafali c Healy b Garth 4 (India 4-1)
It takes just four balls for the breakthrough – as Shafali pushes forward and edges into the waiting gloves of Healy. Brutal late swing does the business.
No time actually – here come the players!
India need 75 to win
It took India about an hour and quarter to collect the remaining five wickets, and just as importantly, they only leaked 28 runs. Vastrakar picked up Gardner in the second over of the day, and the spinners did the rest – two in two for Rana and two things of beauty from Rajeshwari.
Time for me to quickly make another cup of tea – I hope – before India start their pursuit of 75 for a historic first Test win over the Aussies. It won’t be simple, the pitch will make sure of that. And this is Australia.
WICKET! Jonassen b Rajeshwari 9 Australia 261 all out, India need 75 to win
105.4 overs: Australia 261 (Cheatle 0) Another beauty of a ball from Rajeshwari, as she loops the ball up, Jonassen is tempted into an expansive drive, and the ball rips through the gap and into the stumps.
105th over: Australia 261-9 (Jonassen 9, Cheatle 0) Jonassen turns down the singles until the fifth ball. Cheatle survives the fifth from Rana.
An email drops by. Hello Desi A Bund, and your mum!
“Greetings from Portland in Oregon where I am watching the girls battling it out in Wankhede Stadium with mum who is still wondering what was the outcome of your earlier trees and lights interactive from a couple days earlier!
“It is late evening here, but not Christmas Eve as we are a few hours away from the rest of the world at both sides of the line.
“Looks like the umpires have a tough day in their office (field) with a couple three overturns already.
“Mum is impressed with your contributions, esp after I told her about your junior, the Aldred k9, your efforts of including others from around the world.
“We will keep reading your OBO. Stay healthy and well,”
Thank you so much! Please tell your mum that I think us coloured lights lovers were completely outvoted. Outrageously! And thank you for writing in, I love hearing from readers almost as much as watching the cricket!
104th over: Australia 260-9 (Jonassen 8, Cheatle 0) Rajeshwari gets the still shiny cherry after drinks and breaks through with her third ball. A beauty to top any Christmas tree, must have spun three inches at least. Immediately has Cheatle playing for daemons.
WICKET! Garth b Rajeshwari 4 (Australia 260-9)
Floats up, screams back, crashes into off stump!
103rd over: Australia 260-8 (Jonassen 8, Garth 4) Ridiculous over from Rana. The first ball gets an outside edge that flies up off Jonassen’s bat and into the hands of Garth. The umpire says the catch isn’t clean, the fielders aren’t sure. Harmanpreet doesn’t review. Jonassen picks up four through point for light relief, then India review an lbw decision against her next ball. It’s missing leg and that’s their final review gone. Could be crucial with so many decisions being overturned. They take drinks.
102nd over: Australia 256-8 (Jonassen 4, Garth 4) Garth picks up four off Deepti, through slip. Runs crucial here for Australia as the wickets wear away – the lead now 69.
101st over: Australia 251-8 (Jonassen 3, Garth 0) Garth survives the hat-trick ball but a mega over from Rana! And excellent reviewing from Harmanpreet who risked burning her last review for Sutherland – who had just started to look at ease.
WICKET! King b Rana 0 (Australia 251-8)
Next ball! Tossed up, King presses forward, gets bat on ball, but it bounces awkwardly and sneaks between bat and pad. She turns round and stares at the ruins of her stumps – yes, that really did just happen.
WICKET! Sutherland c Yastika b Rana 27(Australia 251-7)
The big one! She goes for the sweep and the ball shimmies up and off the glove to Yastika who nearly makes a meal of it – imagine someone trying to catch a hot Christmas pudding in some oven gloves. Not out on the field, but India get their woman on review.
100th over: Australia 251-6 (Sutherland 27, Jonassen 3) Deepti, instantly tricky, a maiden.
99th over: Australia 251-6 (Sutherland 27, Jonassen 3) Sutherland takes a stride forward and drives Rana straight back down the ground for four. A couple of balls later she pushes forward and edges – Deepti Sharma, who has shelled a few at slip, is alert, but no blame here as it bounces just in front of her
98th over: Australia 247-6 (Sutherland 23, Jonassen 3) And spin from both ends now, as Harmanpreet calls for Deepti. She loops it up, and this time Jonassen is the one who plays with suspicious restraint. Another maiden and the spinners immediately dry up the runs.
97th over: Australia 247-6 (Sutherland 23, Jonassen 3) Time for spin. Rana. Sutherland is watchful. A maiden.
96th over: Australia 247-6 (Sutherland 23, Jonassen 3) Vastrakar preps her collar – always up, Brearley style. Suncream well rubbed in on her cheeks. She rubs the seam of the ball. Super over, full and tricky.
95th over: Australia 246-6 (Sutherland 22, Jonassen 3) Glorious shot, as Sutherland drives through the onside for four, Renuka grits her teeth. In fact they pick up seven from the over. The initial Indian grip loosening slightly.
94th over: Australia 239-6 (Sutherland 16, Jonassen 2) Three runs from Vastrakar’s over which included one that barely bothered creeping off the pitch.
Do let me know what you’re up to this Christmas eve, wherever you are. I’m on [email protected]
93rd over: Australia 236-6 (Sutherland 15, Jonassen 0) It’s all happening! This time, Sutherland is given out lbw on the field, but Australia review – she’s hit on the back pad going for the drive… but DRS shows it missing. reprieved. And the first runs of the morning from a delicate Sutherland shovel through midwicket – which Rajeshwari chases all the way and hauls back just before the rope.
92nd over: Australia 233-6 (Sutherland 12, Jonassen 0) Is that two in the over!?A leaden footed Jonassen plays back in her crease and is hit on the front pad. India review but this time the ball is pitching outside off. Superb over by Vastrakar,
WICKET! Gardner lbw Vastrakar 7 (Australia 233-7)
Pooja smiles, ominously. A huge lbw appeal, as the ball seems to plonk Gardner on the front boot. Not out on the field but India appeal confidently – yes, totally out! Harmanpreet pumps her hands, Vastrakar jigs for joy.
Morning session
91st over: Australia 233-5 (Gardner 7, Sutherland 12) Renuka springs in. Her second ball barely leaves the ground, and Sutherland does well to get the bat down on time. The fourth zips up, and past the outside edge. A maiden. This isn’t going to be easy.
Christmas tree lights on, two slips, a gully, Renuka has the ball….
Julia Price with pitch watch: “you can see it is ruffed up a lot, with a lot of turn, lot of variable bounce, lot of the Australian players playing from the crease, not using their feet, but they’re going to have to do this today with the pitch breaking up.”
Stats attack from yesterday:
Hope you’re all rolling through Christmas Eve. One of my brothers sent me a picture of sunrise at Sydney’s Bronte beach – so glorious. Just going to quickly grab a cup of tea, and rescue the whinnying dog, before play starts in eight minutes. Can India defeat Australia for the first time in a Test? Can’t wait to find out!
Good morning / afternoon and happy Christmas Eve! We’ve rolled along to the fourth and final day of this one-off Test, and it is turning into something of a slow-burn thriller.
After starting day three by whistling out the remaining three Indian wickets quickly, and facing a deficit of 197, Australia set out to accumulate. Things looked messy when both Mooney and Lichfield fell within seven runs of each other but Tahlia McGrath built impressive partnerships with both the sublime Ellyse Perry and the restrained Alyssa Healy. With stumps in sight, a target of 200 plus looked possible, but then Harmanpreet took the ball – and shortly afterwards the key wickets of captain and vice-captain.
Australia start the day with a lead of just 46. If they can add another hundred to that, things will look very interesting. But India have never beaten Australia in a Test, and Harmanpreet, the arch competitor, holds the aces. Play starts at 4am GMT, do join us!
