THIRD TEST, Delhi (close, day three):
India 613-7d v Australia 338-4

By Pranav Soneji

606: DEBATE Discuss the day's play on 606 after 0900 BST

AUSTRALIA FIRST INNINGS

"The most impossible book to finish has to be Gower: The Autobiography. I mean how small do you want the writing? I've pretty much got 20/20 vision but am crosseyed after 30 seconds reading. I asked my granddad if I could borrow his reading glasses but he told me not to be so pathetic and buy a book about a proper cricketer like Harold Larwood or Fred Trueman."
Jay Evans via the TMS inbox

1136: Top day in the hotseat today, thanks for all your emails/texts/606 posts, I've thoroughly enjoyed all your contributions (except you Chops). I'll be back tomorrow - hope you can join me then. Adios.

DAY THREE CLOSE: AUSTRALIA 338-4

1130: Australia 338-4
Michael Clarke faces the last over of the day, although his record in this Test at this stage isn't the greatest having been dismissed twice, once in Bangalore and once in Mohali. And it could have been dismissal number three had he not just got an inside edge onto his pad playing back to a Mishra googly from the last ball of the day. Excellent day of Test cricket at its purest. Chess on grass. The tourists still have a further 275 runs to make up, but they've given themselves an excellent platform to haul back India's advantage.

1127: Australia 338-4
Virender Sehwag ambles up for the penultimate over of the day. First up is an arm ball, which Clarke does well to guide down to third man for three. But Watson - and Dhoni - are bamboozled by the next delivery, attempting to play for the non-existent turn, which skids through the India wicketkeeper's legs for four byes. Watson gets off the mark with an unconvincing edge down past slip for four, top bowling from the Indian opener.

1123: Australia 327-4
Seizing his opportunity, Dhoni brings Amit Mishra with a hardish, newish ball. He throws up a googly first up for Watson, who just about manages to pick the ball. The next ball sees the entire team bust their lungs with an almighty lbw appeal, but umpire Aleem Dar is unmoved. The replays suggest the bowler is very unlucky - Watson takes a big step forward but he's still in line with the stumps as the ball straightens.

"I'd like to take issue with Paul Hallett, 1057. Bromley is in London. It is a London Borough, and we vote for the London Mayor and Assembly. I presume he is from Lewisham and is more of a Londoner for it. Purley's in Surrey though." Rob, from Bromley via the TMS inbox

1116: Australia 326-3
India coach Gary Kirsten is gesturing from the dressing room, presumably advising Sharma to go around the wicket to Hussey. Dhoni pretends not to notice. Nothing special from that over, it's a bit flat right now.

1107: Australia 318-3
Ishant takes the new cherry but his radar is off-kilter, allowing both batsmen to collect well-placed singles along with a horrid wild delivery, which is rightly called a wide by umpire Aleem Dar. The duo collect a further two runs courtesy of a misfield from Zaheer Khan at mid-on. Mike Hussey is one run short of his half-ton.

1100: Australia 313-3
Some more tennis ball bounce from a good length from Sehwag, but well played Michael Clarke, who dips his wrists as the ball flies past the dazzled MS Dhoni for three byes. Time for the new ball and the seamers.

"Reference Davao; is this the same type of deal that sees people from Purley and Bromley saying theyre from London?"
Paul Hallett via the TMS inbox

1057: Australia 310-3
VS continues with his 18th over, all five deliveries in the right areas (Big up to Monty P) before Hussey cuts a wide delivery to point for a single. Mr Cricket then plays an authoritative sweep off Mishra four his seventh four to move to within two runs of a deserved half-ton. We have eight overs left in the day.

1051: Australia 303-3
Hussey moves into the 40s, rocking onto his back foot and smashing Sehwag past mid-wicket for four, a boundary which brings up Australia's 300 too. Worth noting the ball kept a touch low, although it didn't bother the left-hander. Mishy keeps things tighter at the other end, although he eschews the leg-stump line in favour of floating the ball up outside off peg.

"Did know that injured Indian seamer S Sreesanth bowled Leg spin and opened batting for his Club Side in Cochin last weekend for the prestigious and oldest One day tournament in the World called "Pooja Knock Out" being held at Royal Town of Tripunithura in Cochin (Started in early 1940's by the princes of Cochin)? How about Brett Lee doing it for second innings in this Test?"
Keralavarma Vijay Thampuran

I do now.

1046: Australia 297-3
More lovely tweak from Sehwag, who is really fizzing his off-breaks around the wicket to Hussey, who cuts a wide delivery outside off stump for a single, while Clarke moves into double figures with a dab past slip. The Australian vice-captain is beaten by the most sumptuous leg break imaginable, pitching outside leg and turning to miss off stump. He did that so often in Mohali. You could write haikus about deliveries like that.

1040: Australia 294-3
Ishant Sharma pulls off a right good one-handed diving stop as Hussey latches on to a short Sehwag delivery, a shot which would have gone for four had the resplendently maned fast bowler not got a hand to the ball. Sehwag finishes off the over with two unplayable off-breaks which whizz past the outside edge of Mike Hussey's bat. Mishra bowls a loose wide, full toss, which Clarke gratefully tonks to deep square for three. Hussey pushes to Ishant Sharma at mid-on and calls for a quick single, but his partner wants none of it, forcing Hussey to put the brakes and hit reverse. Fortunately for him Sharma's throw is as wild as a night out with Erol Flynn.

"Surely all the English cats licking there lips in anticipation of another Aussie loss could remember that India are also playing quality cricket? I would like to remind English supporters that their beloved team has a long series in India too following their Stanford love-hate tour."
Gerard via the TMS inbox

1031: Australia 289-3
Michael Clarke gets off the mark with an untidy slog sweep, which Gautam Gambhir does well to prevent from crossing the boundary for three. Mike Hussey is the very definition of the word "obdurate", defending Sehwag with unerring conviction. The next over sees Clarke get a decent going over from Mishra, but Pup dances down the wicket to the final ball to add two more to the total.

"Now this is the Australia we have grown to hate. Honestly, it is about time they launched this kind of fightback. I was getting sick of seeing Ishant eat capt. bunny for breakfast everytime. The game at Nagpur will be fun now that Hayden and Ponting have finally struck form. Hopefully Lee and Clark will follow suit."
Arjun, Chennai, India

1026: Australia 284-3
Unsurprisingly there's a real spring in the Indian step. Mishra continues to twirl with two men positioned just in front of Hussey's eyeline at forward short leg and point. The left-hander dutifully watches the ball on to the bat to ensure he doesn't follow the same fate as his captain. Maiden over

"Re comment at 09:01: Davao is far from the second biggest city in the world in terms of size. There are 12 cities in the US alone that are larger than Davao. Davao has a land mass of 2443.61 square kilometers but this really applies to the region rather than what we would define as a city. It is similar to saying that Birmingham is the West Midlands. The population of Davao might be comparable with Birmingham but it is far more densely compacted. Lots of beautiful women there too!"
Andy, Nottingham via the TMS inbox

"Here in Davao (see 0901ish) people are enormously proud of being the world's second largest city and there are signs all over the place to remind you of it. Personaly I don't see what's so clever about incorporating several hundred square miles of jungle within the city boundaries but I'm careful not to say this out loud (whoops - PS). They'd be better learning to appreciate some decent sports like cricket, football and rugby league instead of obsessing over dross like basketball ( don't tell my wife I said that ). By the way Mexico City is the largest in the world which does not stand on a body of water, sea, lake or river."
Christopher Russon, Davao

1013: Australia 283-2
Hussey aerially sweeps Mishra from around the wicket, but the ball falls short of Sourav Ganguly, who didn't exactly use the speed of the puma to get under the ball. Time for drinks.

1009: Australia 282-2
Zaheer continues around the wicket to Ponting and his first ball is edged past second slip to the vacant third man area for his 13th boundary. Number 14 follows soon after as Zaheer attempts to dig a short delivery into the pitch, but Ponting just guides the ball around the corner with a nonchalant flick of the wrists past fine leg. An increasingly exasparated Zaheer attempts to mix things up with a slower ball, but Punter is right behind the line of the ball.

1005: Australia 274-2
Hussey attempts to sweep Mishra outside off stump with the spin, but a tiny explosion of dust sees the ball skid out of the rough past the bat and pad to Dhoni. A smart stop from substitute fielder Subramanian Badrinath at cover prevents a certain four as Hussey drives from the rough. Maiden over.

1001: Australia 274-2
Zaheer once again goes around the wicket to Ponting, the ball spearing in to the right-hander's off stump, but Ponting is looking a lot more settled with Ishant Sharma out of the attack.

0956: Australia 273-2
India's frustration is slowly building. Mishra probes with his bag of wrist spin, but after five dot balls, he let's fly with a wide delivery which Ponting scythes down to third man for four.

0953: Australia 269-2
A change of ends for Zaheer, rather than a blow, but the left-armer is too short with his fourth ball and Hussey takes full advantage with a lovely chop to deep mid-wicket for four. Zaheer probes outside off stump and Hussey edges a full delivery wide of Rahul Dravid at wide first slip four another boundary. Again no second slip. Surely they would have learned by now...And to compound matters further, Zaheer strays on to Hussey's pads and collects his third boundary of the over.

0949: Australia 257-2
Dhoni makes his first bowling change, resting Zaheer and recalling Amit Mishra. Hussey and Ponting each glide single. But the Aussie captain has another dicey shave with fate dancing down the wicket to the leggie but instead of smashing the ball straight , he slices the ball just over the head of the tallest Indian player in the outfield, Ishant Sharma, stationed at mid-off, collecting a boundary in the process to move to 75.

0944: Australia 251-2
More reverse swing jiggery pokery from Sharma, but his line is not quite right as The Huss safely shoulders arms to two deliverues. Dhoni bowled Sharma for some long spells in Mohali - and the seamer looks set for another decent stint here too. Maiden over.

"On the list of books to be read for my course on African History (many, many years ago) was 'The Migrant Cocoa Farmers of Southern Ghana'. I never read it but was intrigued to ponder on the condition of, say, 'The Resident Cocoa Farmers of Northern Ghana' - what about them? Perhaps there weren't any...one of life's mysteries never followed up."
George on the Isle of Wight

0939: Australia 251-2
Dhoni opts to stand up to Zaheer to push Ricky Ponting back in his crease. The Aussie captain brings up the 250 when a thick outside edge squirts past point to third man for four. Zaheer keeps Ponting in check, opting to go around the wicket. The ball is zipping about nicely, interesting to see how long they can persevere before the call for tweak.

"Mate, do you reckon due to the obvious advantage of batting first the loser of a match in a Test series should be able to choose for the next match? It's a bit rough in India if you lose every coin toss. What percentage of test matches are won by the team batting first (especially in India)?"
Browney via the TMS inbox

Interesting concept, but the toss adds such an unpredictable dimension on the way a match pans out, I think it would be too methodical to adopt a scenario as you have suggested Browney. I'm sure Nasser Hussain would have loved that, that man was absolutely useless when it came to calling heads for tails.

0934: Australia 247-2
Top running from the Aussie pair. Sensing a run cosh, both Ponting and Hussey opt for well-judged quick singles off Ishant Sharma to ensure the scoreboard masters are kept busy.

0928: Australia 244-2
More considerate and testing stuff from Zaheer, who makes Hussey think twice about his choice of strokeplay with a mix of in and outswinging deliveries and short balls. Just the one from the over, a quick single to Gautam Gambhir at mid-on. Maybe the opener was pondering what he is going to do when his team-mates fly to Nagpur.

"Here's an odd geographical fact (see 0901ish); Brazil is larger (in terms of area), than Australia. I've sometimes found this quite a useful way to wind up Australian friends, who invariably brag about how large their country is, to which one can respond 'Yes, I think you'll find that it's not quite as big as Brazil, is it?'"
Toby Coles, Sutton via the TMS inbox

"Along with the 'Most Boring Books Ever Written' is of course the search for the Shortest Books - an equally fascinating way to waste one's time. Two of my favourites are: 'Cutting Edge Welsh Architects of the 20th century', and Who's Who in the Dominican Republic'. 'The Budapest Good Restaurant Guide' is another that springs to mind, along with - just out - 'Bush, The Glory Years'."
Alan via the TMS inbox

0924: Australia 243-2
More lovely shape and swing from Ishant, it looks like he's bowling to an under-11 right now, not a man who is 62 not out. Just one run from the over, a leg bye.

0918: Australia 242-2
This is a whole new ballgame right now with his ball swinging about like a bunch of keys on a caretaker's beltloop. Zaheer dissects Ponting in two with an inswinging beauty - but the ball somehow evades off stump. Another excellent over.

0915: Australia 240-2
A viscious inswinging delivery from Ishant Sharma raps Ricky Ponting just above the knee roll of his front pad on the move, but umpire Billy Bowden is unmoved. Replays suggest Ponting was struck in line with off stump and the ball would have just clipped the top of middle stump. Tough call, but umpire Bowden had enough doubt to turn that appeal down. However, a Ponting inside edge just - and I do mean just - misses his off stump as he attempts to shoulder arms to a delivery which he expected to swing in to him, but goes the other way. Top class fast bowling from this seriously talented 20-year-old, how Brett Lee or Mitchell Johnson would love for him to spill his reverse swing secrets...

"Having just finished Ulysses (third time) a few weeks ago, I particularly recommend the 'Oxen of the Sun' chapter for a lazy read on a Saturday afternoon with the cricket on the television. 'Send us, bright one, light one, Horhorn, quickening and wombfruit'. I never could get through the first five pages of 'The Mill on the Floss'.
Philip via the TMS inbox

"Do you know that Delhi is a conglomeration of eight villages, seven ancient and eighth being New Delhi. Fact Courtesy: Delhi tourism guide, who repeated this at least 20 times in a span of four hours when i took a guided tour of the city a couple of months back."
Ratnakar, New Delhi via the TMS inbox

0908: Australia 240-2
Zaheer Khan runs in for his first bowl for a good couple of hours, although his second delivery is worked off Hussey's pads for two. Like Sharma just before tea, Zaheer is covering the ball with his right hand as he comes to bowl to give Hussey no clues about which way the ball is going to swing. Lovely variation from the Bangalore Royal Challenger (doesn't really roll off the tongue), bringing one in and one out, although a no-ball slightly mars his over.

"I went over on my knee whilst drunk at uni (see 0352), dislocating it in the process. Having just recently seen an AFL 'hardman' knock his similarly dislocated knee back into place, I decided (in my drunken stupor) to give that a shot. The result was a fractured kneecap and an incredibly painful 15 hour bus ride home the next day."
Nick, London via the TMS inbox

0901: Right, both teams are marching out to the middle and we should be under way. And Anil Kumble is not among the troops, things aren't looking too rosy for the Indian captain.

"Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy takes the jammy dodger for me. Mind you, despite being an ardent devotee, Wagner's My Life is self-congratulatory beyond belief."
Christopher Clarke via the TMS inbox

"'The development of Accounting Systems in Poland and China' has to be the most boring book I've ever read. Even more boring than watching a video of Geoff Boycott's greatest batting."
Allyd in Teesside

"Circa 1980 I was chasing a ball towards the mid-wicket boundary when I found myself in a swarm of bees. I then commenced running even faster in the opposite direction, much to the bemusement and then amusement of my team-mates. I think the batsmen ran about nine before the umpire got round to calling dead ball. The swarm then settled on the mid-on boundary where they were apprehended in a cardboard box by one of my team who happened to be an amateur bee keeper himself. By the way "Lord of the Rings " is the worst book I ever read all the way through...what a load of turgid tripe, got my revenge by never watching any of the movies."
Chris R, Davao, Philippines

Did you know Davao is the second biggest city in the world in terms of its size? Anyone else got similarly pointless - yet utterly compelling - geographical facts?

TEA: AUSTRALIA 237-2

0842: Australia 237-2
Lovely bowling from Sharma, who is hiding the ball as he races to the crease give the batsmen absolutely no clues about which way he is holding the ball, who beats Hussey outside off stump with a delivery which moves away in the air. His radar is a little off with his third delivery as Hussey tucks a single off his legs. An almighty shout goes up as the ball spoons up in the air to VVS Laxman at short mid-wicket off Ponting's pads, but Billy Bowden is more concerned about a 20-minute sit-down and signals for tea. That last ball moved significantly in the air - expect to see Sharma and Zaheer, who did not bowl in the second session, to have a major say in the final session. See you in 20.

0835: Australia 236-2
On comes Sachin Tendulkar for his mixed bag of twirls. He gets a few to grip, but nothing of alarm for either batsmen, who both add a run each to their scores.

"Re impossible books - Hobbes' 'Leviathan' has to take the biscuit for the most impossible to finish. Think Marx crossed with Chaucer..."
Tim in rainy Hull

Personally I'm a big fan of Jean-Jacques Rosseau's "The Social Contract". An insomniac's dream.

0831: Australia 234-2
Ishant Sharma, the bete noire of Ricky Ponting over these past few weeks, returns for his first bowl after lunch. And he has Punter groping outside off stump with a ball which looks as if he moved away in the air, although the Aussie captain nicks a single. The next ball angles across Hussey, who plays and misses outside off stump. A good sign for India, the ball is wobbling in the air.

"The best thing about telling people that Ulysses by James Joyce (see 0759) is you all-time favourite is that you can do so in the knowledge that nobody else had read either so they won't quiz you about it. Personally I have never picked the thing up."
Chris, Philippines via the TMS inbox

"I'd contend that the most unreadable sounding book ever is 'The History of the Concrete Roofing Tile: Its origin and development in Germany', by Charkes Dobson (1959) & with technical notes by FL Brady. Once you get into it though....."
Paul from Lancs via the TMS inbox

0826: Australia 233-2
Lovely batting from Punter, who dances down the track and lofts Mishra back over his head for four. And he uses his feet again to clip his fifth ball for three through mid-wicket. The Aussie captain is looking in useful nick, the Ponting long stay buzzer must be sounding in the Indian dressing room.

"Personally I regularly struggle to make it through the first 100 words of Peter Roebuck's column in The Age..."
Jon, Melbourne via the TMS inbox

0818: Australia 223-2
Brilliant over from Mishra, who beats Ponting's outside edge on two occasions as Dhoni absolutely destroys the wicket with a vicious stumping appeal. Ponting is safe on both attempts, although the second is very close to the edge of his bat and the Indians are convinced there was some willow through to the acting captain's gloves.

0815: Australia 222-2
Ponting cuts a delivery which really wasn't there to cut from Mishra, the leggie holds his lip as if the gesture will magically remove the Aussie captain from the crease. More twirly goodness from Sehwag sees Mike Hussey rushed by an arm ball, although both batsmen earn singles to keep the scoreboard ticking along.

"For me the worst book on earth has to be Ben Hur or the Odyssey. It took me 7 years to finally get through Ben Hur after many years getting to around the 200th page. With the Odyssey, I was so fed up with the sun waking me up roey cheeked...."
Paul Hallett via the TMS inbox

0807: Australia 220-2
Ponting dances down the track and carresses a full toss from Mishra to the deep mid-wicket boundary for four, which moves him four runs short of his 50. Meanwhile, at the other end, Virender Sehwag rattles the grill of MS Dhoni with a vicious delivery which spits from the rough as the duo run through for a single. We have two men in front of Hussey close to the bat on the offside, but Sehwag tosses the ball up a little too wide of off stump, allowing Hussey to watchfully to offer no stroke.

0759: Australia 212-2
Lovely front-foot drive from Hussey off Mishra races away to the cover boundary for four before he doubles his fours count courtesy of a short-pitched ball on middle stump. Virender Sehwag continues to use the around the wicket tactic for the left-handed Hussey, but the former Durham captain is a solid fellow and keeps everything out.

"Ulysses by James Joyce (see 0722), I tell people it is my all time favourite but have never got past p67."
Jo stobbs via the TMS inbox

0742: Australia 198-1
Amit Mishra attempts to entice Ponting, but he's not having any of it, playing a straight bat before the umpires call for drinks.

"I have tried reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky six times, I think my best is 150 pages. I always fall askeep, and then forget which character is which. I then start again after a few weeks.And repeat everything all over again. It also doesn't help that the Russians use the first name, middle name and last name at different times to refer to the same person."
Aditya Sanyal via the TMS inbox

0739: Australia 198-1
Amit Mishra continues and leaks two runs, while a Sehwag full-toss is crunched down the ground for four by Hayden, who moves on to 78 with a single. Punter then attempts to whack Viru to Agra, but fails to get the meat of the bat anywhere near the ball, which squirts out to mid-wicket for a single. Sehwag squares Hayden up with the most perfect off-break from around the wicket which the opener edges just short to Rahul Dravid at slip. Definitely a case for the former Indian captain to be standing closer, but that's easy for me to say.

"Ulysses by James Joyce (see 0722). Have started tht book about 5-6 times, never got beyond 50 pages..."
Ramanuj Basu via the TMS inbox

"I had the pleasure of watching the last test in Brisbane with a large group of Australians at a wedding. The level of one-eyedness in the commentary was staggering - Mark Waugh suggested, slightly outraged, that the target set by the Indians was entirely unsporting because it didn't give the Australians a chance to win. And there I was thinking that was the point. The sense of entitlement Down Under beggars belief."
Kris via the TMS inbox

0732: Australia 191-1
Virender Sehwag comes on for the departed Kumble and the off-spinner leaks two runs without bowling anything particularly threatening.

"Enjoying your coverage, but I am a little sick of the anti-Australian sentiment. If you talk to most Aussies they will tell you they are happy to see a series in which Australia is getting pushed so much. It is interesting to read all the pompous bragging about how England will take care of us in the next Ashes. If I recall correctly the last Test they won was a dead rubber. Australia vs India is THE next rivalry of the following 20 years. Perhaps the Poms can brag about winning a meaningless 20/20 tournament on the weekend? Anyway, better get back to study."
Tim, Brisbane, Australia via the TMS inbox

0728: Australia 188-1
Hayden dances down the pitch to hit Mishra over mid-wicket, but he doesn't get as much height as he wants and Anil Kumble gets his hands on the ball at short mid-on, but he can't quite cling on and he makes a second - and ultimately fruitless - attempt to grab on to the leather as he lies on the ground, but the ball falls just wide of his hand. And if that wasn't enough, the 38-year-old has a rather nasty cut on his little finger of his left hand. He wanders back to the pavilion to receive treatment, so MSD is back in charge. Mishra squares Hayden up with a brute of a wrong'un from around the wicket, but the Queenslander admirably plays the ball late to avert danger. Eventful over.

0722: Australia 187-1
Ponting attempts an almight mow over mid-off against Mishra, but makes an absolute bear's naval of the shot as it loops up over the head of Sourav Ganguly at point. The bowler looks aghast, as if someone has just told him the end of Don Delillo's Underworld after trudging through 950 pages of pure stodge. Anyone ever read that book? Everyone I know who has made an attempt has given up around the 200-page mark, including myself. Anyone think of other books which are impossible to finish? Ponting opts to leave a Kumble delivery, which was probably a little closer to his off stump than he imagined and the final ball of the over rushes on to the Aussie captain as he plays it late on the back foot, it's the kind of delivery which has earned "Jumbo" hundreds of lbw shouts.

"Please don't take the comments of our less sophisticated press as the opinion of all (see 0641). We like to win, but enjoy a good competition. I was astonished also with the 'Watson's revenge' comment on our news. Win or lose, my only hope is that Australia can get close enough to the Indian total to make a match of it and not let all these great batting performances be wasted on a draw..."
Michael, Queensland, Australia via the TMS inbox

0714: Australia 181-1
More twirl from Sehwag, who continues to toss the ball up but neither batsmen is biting as they eke out singles. Ponting collapses down on one knee in the following over from Kumble to play the finest of sweeps for four. Comfortable, yes. But the ball is turning - anything from a milimetre to two feet. You can't be too complacent in this deck.

I saw something very similar (see 0648) on the England A tour in Harare in 89. A swarm of 'killer bees' swept across the ground. All the Zimbabwe players hit the deck pronto leaving a very bemused couple of English batsmen wondering what was going on. They soon got down when they saw the swarm coming!"
Dave in Bali via the TMS inbox

0707: Australia 175-1
Ponting latches on to his sixth boundary with another powerful back-foot cut as Sehwag drops short and wide outside off stump. But he'll have to be careful as Sehwag gets another delivery to rear alarmingly out of the rough. Ponting races along to 30 with a single and a double off Kumble, who thinks he has Hayden caught at slip with a bat/pad effort, but umpire Billy Bowden just shakes his head. Kumble does not look amused. Replays suggest the Kiwi official is absolutely spot on.

0700: Australia 166-1
Lovely punchy straight drive from Hayden off Sehwag races away for four, but the off-spinner is getting plenty of drift and turn and Ponting has to readjust his stroke to compensate for a sharp, spinning delivery from out of the left-arm seamer's footmarks. Kumble floats up a flighty wrong'un, which Hayden edges, but the ball falls short of Rahul Dravid at first slip. Hayden shoulders arms to the next ball, a ripper which spits and bites as Dhoni collects from around his chest. Kumble's second successive maiden.

"The front page of an Australian newspaper yesterday was blaming the cricket ball for Australians poor performance in the last Test as it was the same type of ball which England used to win the Ashes and they thought it was cheating!! Unreal - just because Pointing can't throw the ball to the best two bowlers in the world they have nothing, come on India from an Englishman in Sydney giving it to the Aussies! Rusty via the TMS inbox

0655: Australia 161-1
Virender Sehwag continues but his second over is not as good as his first as Ponting rocks on to his back foot and crashes a short ball through cover point for four. Kumble follows that up with a maiden, fizzing the ball through the air as Hayden presents the full face of the bat.

0648: Australia 155-1
Unbelievable! Two balls into Kumble's over and all the Indian players, two Australian batsmen and two umpires are all lying down face down on the ground as the Feroz Kotla ground is swamped by a massive swarm of what I think are bees. The players cover their heads with Sachin Tendulkar using his hat to hide the back of his neck. I don't think I have ever seen anything like that before. You can't make this up. Ponting shrugs off his close encounter of the bees kind to stroke a lovely four through cover off his back foot for four. And I keep reading about how the world is going to end because there are no bees anymore... I'm a big fan of the bee - as comedian Eddie Izzard once said, "do earwigs make chutney? Do spiders make gravy?"

0641: Matty Hayden and the rest of the third Test crew are out for the second session with Anil Kumble to bowl the first over after lunch.

"Re Andy's comment about unbiased Australian commentary (see 0554), they also went on and on about Watson getting his revenge on Gambhir. Getting someone out for 206 doesn't quite count as revenge in my book."
James (in Sydney) via the TMS inbox

"I have read nothing but praise for the way the Indian's have gone about their task in the media here. I think the Aussie public in general are all for a great cricketing rivalry and tough stoush with a quality team. The last Ashes series in England is a classic example, we lost the series but many Aussies rate it as one of the best and finest series in many years. Inida have played very well so far and deserve the praise they have received, but some of the anti-Australian bias on here is very disappointing."
Fles of Adelaide via the TMS inbox

0603: News just in - Gautam Gambhir has been given a one-match ban for conduct against the spirit of cricket for his involvement in his set-two with Shane Watson on Wednesday. The double centurion will now miss the fourth Test in Nagpur. "The decision to find Gambhir guilty of a (rule C1) level 2 offence is indicative of the fact that any degree of physical contact is unacceptable," said ICC match referee Chris Broad in a statement.

LUNCH: AUSTRALIA 151-1

0601: Australia 151-1
Virender Sehwag comes on for his customary over before lunch and immediately has Haydos in trouble with two sharp-turning off breaks outside off stump, the second of which just evades his outside edge. His fourth ball somehow manages to miss the off stump. Quality over though, lovely loop and flight from India's dashing opening batsman. Just imagine what Harbhajan could have done. Time for lunch, see you in 40 minutes.

0558: Australia 151-1
Anil Kumble comes back on for his second spell five minutes before lunch and Haydos bags a single wide of slip and point. Ponting is less assured against the Indian captain, but manages to see out the rest of the over.

Yes Harveman (see 0541). Today especially when he took over from the other end, instead of giving it to Ishant Sharma. But, the pitch is perfect for the bowler's of his kind. And, in some cases, Hayden and Katich got lucky and were not dismissed. If that had happened, we would not be really thinking about Kumble's this decision and would be praising his skills! So, his decision was rather understandable."
Kavit via the TMS inbox

0554: Australia 150-1
Good over from Amit Mishra, lots of loopy leggies over Ponting's eyeline, but the Aussie skipper plays them with a nice long front-foot stride without too much difficulty, with both batsmen taking singles from the start of the over to bring up Australia's 150.

"Just thought you'd like an update on the unbiased Aussie media - this morning reports on TV were that India were 'boring' and had batted too long, now making it impossible for Australia to win. Discuss.
Andy, Brisbane via the TMS inbox

Interesting. I wonder if they also mentioned Ponting's deep cover/point/mid-wicket/square leg/slip/gully on day two?

0545: Australia 139-1
Mishra twice oversteps bowling to Ponting, I still can't understand how a spinner can bowl front-foot no balls. And two in one over? Ponting latches on to a wide delivery, transferring his weight on to his back foot and cutting through point for four. He follows that up with another boundary - only this time a lot sketchier with a thick outside edge, wide of the right hand of Rahul Dravid.

0541: Australia 129-1
Sharma and Ponting, very much game on. The Aussie captain has been dismissed three times by the 20-year-old in this series. He squirts a thick outside edge - all along the carpet - for four down to third man, but a moral victory for the bowler. His next delivery strays onto Ponting's pads and he turns the ball down to fine leg for a single.

"I would be very interested to here from the Indian fans whether (or not) they feel that, as captain Anil Kumble bowls himself just a little too much? I'm all for breaking records, but surely this should not be at the expense of your team, especially when bowlers like Mishra & Zaheer Khan are showing such promise. Note at 0515 - he's already bowled more overs than anyone else."
Harveman via the TMS inbox

0531: Australia 123-0
Ishant opts to go around the wicket, but Hayden shoulders arms to a couple of deliveries before the tall fast bowler oversteps with his fifth ball.

Bet your thumb is hurting now after texting that bad boy out.

"On the eyebrows (see 0427), does anyone see the resemblance between Haydos and Lou Ferrigno of Hulk fame?"
Daljit, Sydney, Australia via the TMS inbox

By golly YES!

0525: Australia 122-0
More sharp turn for Mishra, who sees Katich squeeze out a delivery which spits from the rough. Both openers fashion six runs from the over, although an inside edge from Katich squirts through his pads for two down to fine leg.

0522: Australia 116-0
Hayden, who had been averaging 10 at the start of the Test, flicks two runs off his pads down to deep square. Apart from his first over workout from Zaheer, he has looked as comfortable as a front-row rugby forward laying into an all-you-can eat buffet.

0516: Australia 114-0
Hayden moves to 44 with a bludgeoned drive down the ground for four, using his feet and the aerial route for his eighth boundary. However, the Queenslander takes a risky single to Sharma, but the tall fast bowler fails to rattle the stumps with a wayward throw to Dhoni as Katich dives to make his ground.

0512: Australia 109-0
Still a bit of haze/mist/fog/smog knocking about in Delhi, the sun usually burns off the excess but the clouds are keeping the big yellow thing well hidden today. Sharma manages to find the edge of Simon Katich's bat, but the ball races away through the vacant second slip (don't get me started on this) for four. To be fair, there was no chance of a catch as Katich played the ball with soft hands, but look at the scoreboard Anil...

"In 1985 I was playing Aussie Rules with mates. A medical student I didn't know was on the other side. I wrenched my knee, but nothing too serious. Fast forward to a couple of years ago, my knee was slowly falling apart and I was referred to a surgeon. Turned out to be the med student I'd been playing against all those years before. He said I'd walked around for the 20 intervening years (and played cricket, squash, trekking in Nepal etc) with a ruptured anterior cruciate liagament. Wish he'd told me that 23 years ago."
Andrew, Hobart, Tasmania via the TMS inbox

"Sadly I've no stupid sports injuries to report but I'd like to comment on the 0423 eyebrow post. (Tottenham and England winger) Aaron Lennon has eyebrows that put Milhouse to shame, and far exceeds the eyebrows of Buzz Lightyear, Mansell or Johnson."
Rob, Santa Barbara, California via the TMS inbox

0504: Australia 105-0
On comes Amit Mishra for his first tweak of the day - and immediately some huge turn for the leggie, who sees Matthew Hayden just about keep out a delivery which turns sharply from the rough. However, Hayden plays the next delivery - a googly - with more assurance. And he tucks into a short delivery, using the depth of his crease to rock onto his back foot and tonk the ball high over mid-wicket for a maximum. Large. And it brings up the 100 for Australia. Top batting from this belligerent Aussie pair. Beverages.

0459: Australia 98-0
Smart batting from Hayden, who opens the face of the bat to guide Sharma down to third man for four. The rest of the over provides no worries from Hayden, who looks like a man about to settle down to watch the entire catalogue of Curb Your Enthusiasm in one sitting.

0455: Australia 94-0
Hayden gets down on one knee and sweeps Kumble for a single. The leg-spinner then beats Katich with a very well disguised wrong'un, but Katich slides a sharp leg glance off his hip for his ninth boundary. How's about this - Anil Kumble has yet to take a wicket in this series. But if there's one place he loves bowling, it's the Kotla Stadium.

0450: Australia 89-0
Ishant Sharma and his luxurious locks are back for a joust - and the seamer is on the money with six dot balls, all around middle and off. Good start, although no sign of any sort of movement. Considering both Sharma and Zaheer managed to reverse the ball so early on in Mohali, this might be a cause for concern for the Indian pace department.

"Playing in a cricket week near Croydon the day before Prince Charles and Princess Di, bless her, were married, I ran in from mid-wicket to catch a steepler from Simon Hoadley (ex-Sussex), only to drop the catch and see the ring finger of my left hand dangling at a very odd angle. The guy who rushed me to hospital married the nurse who initially looked after me; my finger is still bent at that odd angle."
Brian Atkins, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada via the TMS inbox

0439: Australia 83-0
Simon Katich should probably kiss the inside edge of his bat after it saves him from a certain walk back to the pavilion after a probing Zaheer delivery on off stump. He then launches into a full delivery outside off stump, driving through cover for four. He's hardly the most aesthetic of batsmen, but Katich is more than effective as he moves to one run of his half ton.

0435: Australia 79-0
A massive puff of dust explodes off the pitch as Kumble beats Katich with a well-flighted delivery outside off stump as the ball fizzes sharply through Katich's bat and pad. However, the sharp turn and bounce also beats a helmet-wearing Dhoni, down to the boundary for four byes. Kumble will not mind that one jot.

0431: Australia 74-0
Zaheer makes amends for his previous over - which leaked eight runs - with a tidy over, probing Hayden's off stump. But there is no seam movement or swing to assist the seamer, the Aussie openers are looking comfortable.

"Australia's paying 40s for the win - get on it!"
Brendan, Melbourne via the TMS inbox

"I once went in for a particularly aggressive tackle during a school football match, and although hurt, I thought the best thing to do was to play on. When someone to passed me the ball I discovered I had a new 'joint' in my leg as my foot was swinging from the shin! My friends thought it was funny to see me being loaded into an ambulance though!"
Steve Orkibi, Melbourne via the TMS inbox

0427: Australia 74-0
Lovely cover drive from Katich against the turn from the rough off Anil Kumble, using his feet to get to the pitch of the ball before guiding the ball to the boundary for another boundary. Haydos faces the Indian captain for the first time and he's already down on one knee attempting to bully/sweep, although he doesn't get his bat near the ball, he nicks a leg bye.

0423: Australia 68-0
Hayden does a Virender Sehwag and smashes a short and wide bouncer from Zaheer into the vacant third man area for an aerial four. Still no short leg - and even more bizarrely, just one slip. You've got 613 bloomin' runs on the board Anil!! Haydos, a man who has eyebrows which only former Formula One driver Nigel Mansell or England's World Cup-winning rugby captain Martin Johnson can match, flicks a stray delivery on the pads for four.

0418: Australia 60-0
Katich turns Kumble away for a couple as the leg-spinner probes the rough. But Kato is a shuffler, which means he is doing his darndest to get outside the line of off stump.

"I walked three miles after tearing ligaments in my foot a few years back. Wrecked it for months. Hate to think what 10 mins running has done for your ankle. I currently have a sprained ankle thanks to futsal on Wednesady. Perfect injury for watching India grind down the Aussies this evening. Cameron White has to be a pawn and I'm sure Australia have another 7 spinners waiting in the wings to complete the set."
Jonathan, Sydney via the TMS inbox

It was actually 10 miles Jonathan - I actually used Google Maps to measure the length of my lunacy.

0415: Australia 58-0
Katich, batting deep within his crease, launches into a front-foot pull shot through mid-wicket for four off Zaheer, before a tidy nurdle off his pads sees him move to 37.

"Friend of mine injured his ankle at football, but decided to stick it out and not trouble the medical services. By midweek it had ballooned, so he went to see a doc who gave him a sharp dressing down for not coming sooner. He protested that docs also complain if you overburden the service. - Doc's reply was, That's right. Got you both ways, haven't we?"
David, Spain via the TMS inbox

0410: Australia 53-0
Anil Kumble takes up the attack from the other end as Simon Katich flicks a delivery off his pads down to deep square for two. But the Indian captain's riposte is impressive, fizzing deliveries from the rough, one which sees a touch of bat/pad which falls short of Gautam Gambhir at short leg, while another brushes the front pad into the hands of Rahul Dravid at first slip. Expect plenty more of this stuff all day.

0406: Australia 50-0
Absolute brute of a delivery first up from Zaheer, who rattles Matthew Hayden on the tinlid with a ripper of a bouncer. Haydos - and to be fair, most of us - were not expecting that. But where was the short leg? You've got 613 runs, a rampant fast bowler and no-one anywhere near the bat? Bit naive methinks. Zaheer gives him a right mean stare before beating the left-hander's outside edge with a beauty. Hayden attempts to evade another bouncer, but once again takes a blow, this time on the upper arm, as the ball races through to Mahendra Dhoni. Top over.

0359: Impressive batting from Haydos and Katich on Thursday, although Mishra and Kumble got a few deliveries to rip from the rough outside off stump from around the wicket. The teams are out and Zaheer Khan has the 15-over old ball in his hand.

0356: Gautam Gambhir (good to see a Test opener with the initials GG once again) is set to discover his fate after his ding-dong with Shane Watson sometime today. The Australian all-rounder was fined 10% of his match fee for his part on Thursday.

0352: Be gentle this morning - not because it's some obscene hour in the morning in London - but beacuse I stupidly sprained my ankle for a run on Thursday. The stupid part revolves around turning over my ankle in the first five minutes, only for my brain to decide "we'll run it off". Ten miles later and my ankle was in pieces. If you have similarly idiotic injury stories, please do share them via the TMS inbox or on 606 (which opens at 0900).

0344: Morning team, well done for making it this far. Cricket - chess on grass? If so, what piece would Matthew Hayden be? I couldn't see him being anything less than a rook. Anyway, the burly Queenslander and opening partner Simon Katich played brilliantly in the face of some decent Indian bowling at the end of day two. The pair of them will want to build a total as imposing as Delhi's famous Lal Qilal if Australia have any chance of getting anything from this game.

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