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Updates, analysis and colour from the fourth day of the Australia-India Test from Melbourne

Andrew McGlashan29-Dec-20202.50pm: India win by eight wicketsShubman Gill drives down the ground•Getty ImagesBowled out for 36. Virat Kohli goes home. Mohammed Shami out of the tour. Umesh Yadav limps from the attack. India had to overcome so much that their victory at the MCG, achieved midway through the fourth day by eight wickets, will forever have a part in their cricket folklore. Whether it is part of something even greater will depending on the next three weeks, but for now they can reflect on one of great bounce back victories.The early loss of two wickets will have left India grateful – and Australia rueful – that the target wasn’t in three figures, but it never threatened to be become nervy. Australia’s lower order made them work for the final four wickets during the morning session but they could never break free of the stranglehold on their scoring, so by the time R Ashwin wrapped up the innings on the stroke of a delayed lunch the lead stood at only 69. Their final tally of 200 in 103.1 overs was their slowest Test innings on home soil since 1986 and they managed just 10 boundaries.2.05pm: Nerves for India?Australia have taken two early ones. Is that enough to put India on edge? The struggling Mayank Agarwal edged a big drive against Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins claimed Cheteshwar Pujara again. India’s No. 3 played an uncharacteristically loose flat-footed drive which he thick-edged to gully. A small target has just got a little bigger1.00pm: Lunch – Australia 200 all outMohammed Siraj celebrates the wicket of Cameron Green•Getty ImagesIndia will need 70 to level the Test series. It took them all the morning session to work through Australia’s lower order – it was extended with the innings nine down – before R Ashwin wrapped things when Josh Hazlewood shouldered arms and had his off stump clipped. Australia scored at under two-an-over during the innings, a testament to how well India kept control.It was another interesting session for the DRS as well. Mitchell Starc though he was out, caught at slip, off Ravindra Jadeja but the replays showed he had hit his boot as the ball rebounded off the pad and he was able to make a long walk back to the middle having got almost to the boundary rope. Then late in Australia’s innings Starc survived a line-ball lbw decision when beaten by Ashwin’s carrom ball, the tracker showing it to hitting a good portion of the bails but it remained umpire’s call which had been not out on the field.DRS debates will likely rumble on, but barring something extraordinary India should have wrapped this up by tea.12.10pm: India chip awayIndia have made inroads with the new ball, firstly Jasprit Bumrah bouncing out Pat Cummins and then Mohammed Siraj ending a very good innings from Cameron Green when he picked out midwicket with the pull. Australia’s lead is approaching 50, but they have just two wickets in hand. Green innings, in which he faced 146 balls, was very promising and should ensure that his position is not up for debate for the remainder of the series as Australia try to work out what to do with their misfiring batting order.11.30am: Steve Smith on his strugglesSteven Smith has spoken about his lean series to SEN Radio this morning:”At the moment I’m searching for time in the middle; that’s the most important thing for me,” he said. “When I look at this year, 64 balls is the longest I’ve spent in the middle, during those one-day games.”For me, that’s important. I find a lot of rhythm out in the middle. You can bat as much as you want in the nets but there’s nothing that can replicate what a game can do, so that for me is what I’m searching for at the moment. That can be tough to do, particularly in a Test match when you’ve got some quality bowlers.”And on his battle with Ashwin, he added:”I probably haven’t played Ashwin as well as I would’ve liked; I probably would’ve liked to have put him under a bit more pressure. I’ve sort of let him dictate terms and that’s something I’ve probably never let any spinner do in my career.”I’ve sort of taken it to them, been a bit more aggressive and made them change things. I haven’t allowed that to happen, probably because I’m searching for just being out there for long enough. It’s kind of a two-edged sword in a way, but I think I’ve just got to have the confidence to take it on and play my game.”11.15am: The new ballAustralia have got through the first phase of the day up to the 80-over mark but have only been able to squeeze out 16 runs. They will now have to combat the new ball to have a genuine chance of building a competitive lead. India hustled through their overs, especially R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, building pressure on Cameron Green and Pat Cummins. Both batsmen played quite well – bringing up a fifty partnership – although found it difficult to break the shackles.10.35am: Have your say10.00am: A twist to come?India are on the brink. Australia lead by just two runs with Cameron Green and the bowlers to try and haul the lead towards something defendable. It’s a huge ask. Even if India don’t break through straightaway the new ball is available in 14 overs. Still, stranger things have happened and in this of all years we probably shouldn’t rule out anything. If India do wrap up the game it will have to go down as one of their finest ever victories: bowled out for 36, Virat Kohli goes home, Mohammed Shami injured and then yesterday Umesh Yadav limps off as well.Plenty of questions for Australia to ponder especially around a batting line-up that has completely lost its shape. The return of David Warner can’t come soon enough. They won’t make wholesale changes (for one, the biosecure bubble doesn’t really allow it) but there isn’t really a player in the top six who can claim to have played at the top of their game yet – although a nod to Matthew Wade for how he has adapted to opening.

Ricky Ponting did not hold back in his criticism of hosts Australia, whose major troubles in approach were exposed by a clinical India #AUSvIND

https://t.co/cAiLxmWfJr pic.twitter.com/DEHS5rleKi

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 28, 2020

India had no doubts about taking Hardik to the World Cup even as he struggled through the IPL – he was putting in the hard yards then, and it’s paying off handsomely now

Sidharth Monga12-Jun-20243:07

Hardik: There are ups and downs but you can’t leave the battle

Not long ago, Hardik Pandya was being booed wherever he went. It would have made for a great exercise in sociology if somebody surveyed why people were booing Hardik: out of the love for Rohit Sharma, out of hatred for Hardik, or just following an attention-seeking fad. Whatever might be the cause, Hardik was also leading a team caught on the treadmill of defeat, having his commitment to bowling questioned.Despite everything, India had no doubt they were taking Hardik to the World Cup because when he is anywhere close to his best, he does what no one else in India does. They stuck with him despite the lack of overs early in the IPL and despite his economy rate of over 10. He might not have looked effective, but Hardik was putting in the work in the nets. How do we know? The India support staff was tracking him through the IPL.”I think one thing I’m definitely sure about him is that he has confidence in his ability,” India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said of Hardik. “Sometimes there’s no rhythm in a tournament. Sometimes, even if you try, the rhythm doesn’t come. It takes time. I think that was a phase where the rhythm didn’t come. As a bowler, you do everything. You bowl, you set goals, you bowl consistently, you play. So sometimes he would not maintain his rhythm. I think in his case, it was a factor where he was not able to maintain his rhythm.Related

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“It would have been worrisome had he not done anything in that phase. If he did not work on that, then it was a little worrisome. But one thing was, for sure, I knew that, I also followed that, that his work ethic was going on the same as before. So, if that is going on with him then after one or two matches, the rhythm of the bowler comes. Because he has done a lot of bowling, he has a lot of understanding about his bowling. So, he was sure that if work ethic was going on, he was bowling, nets attendance was going on, so I think the rhythm will come [sooner or later].”And you can see, in the last one or two matches he has bowled, if you compare the IPL and the rhythm now, as a bowler you can see that he has the rhythm [back]. So, I think that’s it. It’s all about rhythm. And I think he has caught the rhythm.”And once he has caught rhythm, Hardik has been irresistible albeit in helpful conditions. He is India’s joint-highest wicket-taker so far in the tournament, and has bowled his allotment of four in each of the three matches. And he has always been the fourth seamer used when the movement has eased out. Not much but still.Hardik Pandya has seven wickets in three games so far at the T20 World Cup•Associated PressHardik’s best contribution perhaps came against Pakistan when he had to use cutters on the short ball to get two key wickets: Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan. Fakhar had looked especially good in his brief stay. These wickets gave India just the breathing space to keep Jasprit Bumrah’s two overs for the back end.Against USA, too, Hardik took out two big hitters, Aaron Jones and Corey Anderson, again with the short ball. He is emerging as the point-of-difference bowler who can bash the middle of the pitch once any movement has died down.Hopefully the booing and the struggles of the IPL are a distant memory now. If they are, this is exactly what India needed from their stay in New York as Hardik has a much more important role to play in the rest of the tournament. India have punted on the extra spinner in their squad, and given the need to have six-hitters till No. 8, the most plausible scenario to play the extra spinner is if India play only two frontline seamers. That is when Hardik’s role will become crucial. And he is the only one in India who can play that role.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s “big ego” is being credited with making the Portuguese superstar the “greatest role model in football history”.

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Standing among all-time greats securedEnjoyed remarkable longevity at the very topIntends to reach 1,000 goals before retiringFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has always had unwavering belief in his own ability, while relentless pursuit of perfection has carried him to the very top of his chosen profession. A standing among the all-time greats has been safely secured.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo is still going strong at 39 years of age, as he produces talismanic performances for Al-Nassr and Portugal, with his intention being to reach 1,000 career goals before considering retirement. Many of the records that he has broken down the years will stand the test of time.

WHAT PETIT SAID

World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit – who spent time in England and Spain during his playing days – has told of what makes the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend special: “Cristiano Ronaldo can be considered the greatest role model in football history when you look at where he came from and where he is today at 39. He came from Sporting and worked step by step to be their star player and he had that ambition to stay at the very highest level for so long. He had the ambition to break all the records and achieved that.

“He has a big ego, but that ego drove him on every single day to be the very best he could. He has set the example for 15 years and I have huge respect for him. I have respect for sportsmen like that who want to get to the very top but also stay there. In terms of the mental side and physical side, what an example Cristiano Ronaldo has set.”

Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Ronaldo’s character can grate on some, but there is no questioning what he has achieved in the global game across a 22-year career. Alongside eternal rival Lionel Messi, he has raised the bar of individual brilliance to a height that few can ever dream of reaching.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently looking for their next head coach after Vitor Pereira was removed from his post after no wins from the first ten matches of the Premier League season.

John Percy reports that Gary O’Neil, sacked by the club in the 2024/25 campaign, is now in advanced talks to take the job for a second time.

Matches

38

16

Wins

13

2

Draws

7

3

Losses

18

11

Points

46

9

Points per game

1.21

0.56

The English tactician was sacked by Wolves after losing 11 of the opening 16 games of last season, but may now be brought in to save the Old Gold from their current position.

Instead of going back to O’Neil, who had the team in relegation form before he left last term, the club should look to another manager on their shortlist.

Wolves identify former Championship manager as target

The former Bournemouth boss is not the only head coach who has been linked with a move to Molineux since Pereira was moved on from his position.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

According to The Athletic, O’Neil is one of three managers in the frame to land the permanent job, alongside Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards and Michael Carrick.

The report claims that all three of them are under consideration, as part of the club’s shortlist, but it did add that they would have to pay compensation to land Edwards.

Carrick is, therefore, the most interesting option on the list as an alternative to O’Neil, because he could be a dream option for Wolves for several reasons.

Why Wolves should appoint Carrick

The English boss, who was hailed as an “insanely talented coach” by former Boro player Lukas Engel, has stepped in to turn a poor start to a season around before.

He arrived at Boro in October 2022 after they won two of their first 11 Championship matches and led them to a fourth-place finish with 18 wins in 30 games, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he can inspire a group to turn their form around.

That suggests that he has a chance of being the source of inspiration that Wolves need to have any chance of avoiding relegation, with the team currently rock bottom of the division.

On top of that, Carrick, who was coy when asked about the Wolves vacancy on Match of the Day, is a proven Championship manager who can coach his side to play exciting football.

As much as supporters will not want to hear it at this stage of the season, it is worth thinking about how the next managerial appointment will fare if they take the team down, given the situation that they are going to inherit.

League finish

8th

10th

xPTS (Expected league finish)

73 (5th)

71 (6th)

xG

69.5

67.4

xGA

55.0

56.4

xGD

+14.5

+11.3

As you can see in the table above, Carrick’s coaching essentially delivered successive play-off level performances in the Championship, on top of actually finishing in the play-offs in his first season, but it was not rewarded by the output from his players.

The xGD numbers show that his Boro team consistently created more high-quality chances than the opposition, which tends to be a sign of a well-coached side.

Whereas, as shown in the post above from when he was linked to Norwich, O’Neil’s Bournemouth and Wolves teams, albeit at Premier League level, consistently conceded more chances than they created.

Therefore, Carrick, who is currently a free agent, would be a dream alternative to O’Neil because of the short and long-term impact that he could have.

Much was made about whether All-Star righty Bryan Woo would start Game 5 of the ALCS for the Mariners, and now we have our answer.

Woo, who has been dealing with a pectoral injury, was not available to pitch Game 1 of the ALCS. Bryce Miller got the ball instead and went six innings, allowing one earned run on two hits with three strikeouts in the win.

The Mariners will start Miller again on Friday in Game 5, but Woo will be available to pitch out of the bullpen.

But that's Friday. On Thursday night, the Mariners have business to attend to. After taking a 2–0 series lead, the Blue Jays bats came alive in Game 3 on Wednesday to the tune of a 13–4 win.

Seattle will look to bounce back on Thursday, looking to take a 3–1 series lead into Friday night, when Miller could play a key role in potentially sending the Mariners to the World Series.

First pitch in Thursday's Game 4 is set for 8:33 p.m. ET in Seattle.