Aust. v India - 2nd Test, Adelaide

[Donny]

The Aussies are off to a good start.

Gilly quickly moves to 25 and Australia to 5/419.

If these two are still here at lunch, it's a bit scary (spesh for the Indians) to think of what the total may be.

It doesn't take a crystal ball to predict a hundred or more for Gilchrist in this first session.

[Donny]

Another great outfield catch to Sehwag. Gilchrist is out for 29.

[Donny]

Ponting brings up his second double century for the year with a pull shot for 4. His 29th.

Australia are 6/460

[Donny]

At lunch, Australia are 7/523.

Gillespie (29 n.o.) has outscored Ponting in their 50 run partbership.

Ponting looks a little jaded from yesterday's marathon but has moved on to 228 n.o.

[Donny]

Ponting goes, for 242. A wonderful innings from the captain in waiting.

Gillespie and Ponting added 83 for the 9th. wicket.

Williams has just been bowled and MacGill goes l.b.w. to the next ball.

Kumble takes 3 wickets in the over to finish with 5/154.

Gillespie was 48 n.o.

[Donny]

Australia made 556.

India start in a positive fashion with 7 from the first over.

[Donny]

India got off to a great start but Andy Bichel just caught Chopra (29) from his own bowling. 1/66.

[Donny]

At tea, it's 2/ 81.

Bichel has 2/28, having got both openers. Sehwag made 47.

[Donny]

After Tendulkar survived a run out attempt from a completely needless risky single, he got an edge through to Gilchrist. The bowler ? Andy Bichel. He has all 3.

Now a great throw from Williams sees Ganguly on his way, run out.

4/86.

[labrooy]

Its great to see Bichel get amongst them. I was surprised that he started this match but love the way he plays the game.

[Donny]

Laxman (57 n.o.) and Dravid (41 n.o.) have added 95 for the 5th. wicket.

4/180 at stumps.

[piedys]

[Donny]

Punter hit 206 against the Windies, Dyso. Port of Spain during the last tour.
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Back Ponting to become world No.1

By Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath - Fox Sports


I KNOW it's a bit of crystal ball gazing, but on what we've seen in the past 18 months I believe Ricky Ponting can finish his career as the leading runs-scorer in Test cricket.

Since he took over the one-day captaincy he seems to have gone to an even higher level, and he's scoring century after century.

His knock of 242 against India was magic.

Punter has plenty of things going for him if he wants to be the highest runs-scorer.

The first one is he's still pretty young. He turns 29 on Friday - the day I hope to make my comeback from injury - and he's got a fair bit of experience already considering he's one of the younger guys in the Australian team.

I think he's easily got five or six years left in him if not more at Test level, so he's got time and the ability to become the leading runs-scorer in Test cricket.

When you compare him to our leading runs-scorers, Stephen Waugh has played 165 Tests and Allan Border 156, which are terrific records. Ricky's playing his 73rd Test and with the amount of cricket we play these days - around 14 or more Tests a year - in another six years he could clock up 84 more Tests.

If you add that to his tally of Tests and he keeps scoring at his average of 55, it's not far-fetched to think he can go all the way to the top.

As I said, it is crystal ball stuff and the job is ahead of him, but he's the quality type of player who can achieve it. What his form shows is that when Ricky does take over the Test captaincy from Stephen he'll do a pretty good job.

An indicator of a real good player is when the pressure is on they perform even better and that's what Ricky has done since they made him one-day captain.

He's probably a lot more relaxed now since he's matured a bit.

He's an aggressive cricketer and he backs himself and that's the way Australian cricket is at the moment and that's the sort of guy I enjoy playing with.

Australians scoring centuries is a pretty regular occurrence these days, but in no way do we get blase about it.

They always get the same reception back in the sheds.

Respect is something Australian players are pretty big on these days and whether you get a five-for as a bowler or a hundred as a batsman, it deserves the respect of the other players.

When we're bowling and one of their batsman gets a 50 or 100, you'll always see the players clapping and saying 'well done'.

I don't know if all teams do that, but the Australians definitely do.

When one of our batsmen is approaching his century, it's interesting watching what goes on in our dressing-room.

When they're on about 96 or 97, most of the guys will come up to the viewing room to be together and applaud.

But some players - Warney springs to mind - prefer to stay exactly where they are because of superstitions and thinking it will cause the batsman bad luck.

They won't move until he's hit the crucial run.

Once they get back into the room the batsman will sit down and take his pads off and the blokes will trundle over one by one and shake their hand and say 'well done'.

You never tire of doing that.

The ankle has come along well in the past two or three days and I'll have a bowl over the weekend, then again early-to-mid next week. If all goes well I'll play against Tasmania.

[Donny]

The Dravid/Laxman stand is 167 as the players go to lunch.

Laxman is 87 n.o. and Dravid, 83. 4/252 and still 104 from the follow on figure.

32 overs produced only 72 runs but that's quite understandable as the Indians had to dig in and the Aussie bowlers have been on the spot today.

[Donny]

Both batsmen completed centuries. Their stand came to an end when Bichel got the edge of Laxman's bat to take his fourth.

Laxman (148) and Dravid put on 303 to probably save the Test for India. Dravid has continued on to 185 n.o. as Katich has Patel (31) caught by Ponting. 6/451.