Mini-session analysis 4th test India v Australia, Delhi, 2013

Here is the final mini-session analysis for the fourth test between India and Australia at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

A mini-session is (normally) half a session, either between the start of the session and the drinks break or the drinks break and the end of the session. Occasionally a long session will have 3 mini-sessions where it will be broken up with 2 drinks breaks.

Mini-Session	Score	Winner
1-1a	Australia 47/1 off 14	Australia
1-1b	Australia 47/1 off 14	Australia
1-2a	Australia 35/4 off 18.2	India
1-2b	Australia 24/1 off 20.4	India
1-3a	Australia 44/1 off 18	draw
1-3b	Australia 34/0 off 13	Australia
2-1a	Australia 31/2 off 7	Australia
2-1b	India 59/0 off 14	India
2-2a	India 49/1 off 11.1	India
2-2b	India 24/1 off 12.5	Australia
2-3a	India 73/3 off 13	Australia
2-3b	India 61/3 off 17.1	Australia
3-1a	India 6/2 off 2.1	India
	Australia 51/3 off 16
3-1b	Australia 38/2 off 15	India
3-2a	Australia 68/4 off 13.4	India
3-2b	Australia 7/1 off 1.5	India
	India 72/1 off 12
3-3a	India 56/3 off 14.4	draw
3-3b	India 30/0 off 4.4	India

Final update, click here
India win the match by 6 wickets and the mini-session count 9 - 7


Lunch, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 2-0

A positive start for Australia. They slightly edged both hours. The attacking version of Philip Hughes that was unleashed in the second innings of the last test, and again here, doesn't last any longer than the defensive version, but it's certainly much more fun to watch.

Middle drinks, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 2-1

And like that the game changes. India pick up 4 quick wickets and Australia are placed in a lot of trouble. While they are leading the mini-sesison count, they are well behind in the match now.

Tea, Day 1: The mini-session count is tied up, 2-2

One has to wonder if Australia and New Zealand have swapped teams. New Zealand have batted out a day with only losing one run against England, while Australia are relying on their bowlers for the runs. An almost complete role reversal.

Final drinks, Day 1: The mini-session count is tied up, 2-2

India will be frustrated that they haven't been able to take more than the one wicket this hour.

Stumps, Day 1: Australia lead the mini-session count 3-2

It's India's day, despite them really only being dominant for one hour. But what an hour. Australia will be hoping that Siddle can complete his 50, and they can frustrate the Indian bowlers longer tomorrow. Starc top scored in the last match, and now Siddle in this one. It's almost like watching Northern Districts.

Lunch, Day 2: Australia lead the mini-session count 4-3

Pujara and Vijay are looking relentless. They are scoring at over 4 an over, at the start of the innings against some good bowlers. This match might descend into a real drubbing if this continues.

Middle drinks, Day 2: The mini-session count is tied up, 4-4

A fantastic partnership comes to an end. It was good batting, and it may have set a platform for India to take the match away from Australia here.

Tea, Day 2: Australia lead the mini-session count 5-4

During that hour, the Australian pace bowlers created huge pressure. They conceded 6 runs from 8 overs (4 each from Pattinson and Johnson). That allowed Lyon the pressure to look like a world class spinner. All spin bowlers require pressure to really threaten. This is posibly the first time that Lyon has had that luxury this series.

Final drinks, Day 2: Australia lead the mini-session count 6-4

Now the match gets interesting 73 runs, but 33 wickets. The pressure of the last hour was released, but it came at a significant cost. Australia are back in this match.

Stumps, Day 2: Australia lead the mini-session count 7-4

Another good hour for Australia. Nathan Lyon completed his 5-for and India are now in some difficulty. They lead by 4 with 2 wickets in hand. They are still probably in the better position, but not by much.

First drinks, Day 3: Australia lead the mini-session count 7-5

A good start for Australia, followed by an even better start for India.

Lunch, Day 3: Australia lead the mini-session count 7-6

It looks like the Australians are expecting their bowlers to score the runs again. That worked quite well in the first innings, but I'm not sure it's a good tactic.

Middle drinks, Day 3: The mini-session count is tied up, 7-7

Ravindra Jadeja doesn't look particularly venomous, but he certainly is effective. Australia are in a world of trouble now. They need another big effort from Siddle here to avoid being beaten in 3 days.

Tea, Day 3: India lead the mini-session count 8-7

One has to wonder if Cheteshwar Pujara has a plane to catch. He has approached this run chase as if it was a t20 match. It's very heady batting, as he has denied the bowlers a chance to settle. If they had that opportunity on this pitch then they would have had a chance to bowl Australia into a winning position. It was risky, but it was a risk worth taking.

Final drinks, Day 3: India lead the mini-session count 8-7

Australia are threatening, but India look to be too far ahead. Australia's bowlers have put up a good fight, but their batting was just too inept, and undid all the good work their bowlers did with the bat and ball.

End of match, Day 3: India Win the match by 6 wickets and the mini-session count 9-7

Lyon fell short of his 10 wicket haul, but Siddle managed to join an exclusive group to have been batting on every day of a test. He's also the first number 9 to hit fifties in each innings and to top score in each innings. The last statistic is one that every Australian batsman should hang their heads over. This was a tricky pitch, and the new ball was difficult to navigate, but it wasn't as bad as they made it look. - Mykuhl

Preview - Aus Ind 4th Test Adelaide 11/12

While the series is dead, this match is potentially the most interesting.

Australia are wanting to end this series on a high note. India need redemption.

There is going to be a spotlight on both wicket keepers. Haddin desperately needs a good match. At the moment it is hard to see how he is keeping his spot. He doesn't look to be in as good form with the gloves as some of the keepers in the BBL, (although there is a big difference between test and domestic t20) and also seems to be batting out of a hole.

Saha has sat on the sidelines for about 38 years (it must feel like) watching Dhoni. Now he gets his chance. He is in good form with the bat, averaging 117 in his last 4 first class matches, and that might prove to be a welcome boost for India.

The transition from Dhoni's captaincy to Sehwag's will be interesting. Adelaide is a challenging place to captain a team, with very long straight boundaries and short square ones. Sehwag's last attempt on a pitch like this was vs NZ at McLean Park in Napier. New Zealand scored 619/9d at 4 an over after being 23/3. If he gets an opening like that against Australia he needs to capitalise on it, although that is a lot easier to say from my chair than his.

History would say that Adelaide offers the best chance for India. It is a batsman's ground, with both spinners and quick bowlers averaging over 40 there in the last 10 years. It is one of 14 grounds in the world to hold that distinction. Over the last 5 years India has played 13 matches at grounds in this category. They have won 4, lost 1 and drawn 8. Australia has played 8, won 1, lost 2 and drawn 5. In the last 3 games on these surfaces between the two countries, India have won 1, and 2 have been draws.

Likewise Austraia have had mixed results at Adelaide recently. The last 4 matches have seen a win and a loss, both by an innings and 2 draws. One of the draws was against India.

Things to watch for:

1. How does Saha go? It's one thing hitting unbeaten hundreds in Indian domestic cricket. Doing it in Australia is another issue.

2. How will VVS Laxman do? This pitch is likely to suit him more than the others, but he has been in such poor form it would not be surprising if he had another poor game.

3. Shaun Marsh. In all likely-hood this match is looking like a very important one for Marsh's career. He has underperformed badly so far this series, and while he has shown us that he is capable of succeeding, he needs to prove that he is more than another Marcus North by putting together a good innings (or 2) here.

4. India's fielding and running. Australia have scored 226 more runs than India in this series. However they have only scored 34 more runs in boundaries. Australia have run better, and been better at preventing India running. Australia's activity rate is roughly 0.34 while India are at about 0.25. Part of this is because Australia have been bowling more of a 5th/6th stump line, and slightly forward of a good length as their standard delivery, where as India have bowled a slightly shorter 4th stump as their standard delivery. The fuller wider bowling makes it harder to work singles, but easier to hit boundaries. However India still have had a number of opportunities to score more by running, and have let too many easy runs in through sloppy fielding. Will the change to Sehwag make a difference? I personally doubt it.

5. Forget Tendulkar's hundred, can anyone from India make one? So far India's top scores in this series is 83. They have had the same number of batsmen get to 50 as Australia, but 4 of the Australians managed to convert to 100's. Over the last 10 years Indian batsmen have scored one away century for every 17 innings. So far this test they have had 66 innings without one. Traditionally the probability of an Indian batsman getting to 100 once they had got to 50 away from home is about 30%. So we would have expected 4 centurys given that they had been past fifty 14 times. Surely that trend will break at the benign Adelaide Oval.

Betting tips.

The last couple of matches have not been good. My overall success rate has dropped from about 1.4 (40c profit from every dollar bet) to about 1.05, so hopefully I can make it up to you all this time round.

1. Kohli top Indian batsman 1st innings - $6.50 - He looks like he is coming into form. I'd pick this as about a 25% probability, which makes these good odds.

2. Harris top Australia bowler 1st innings - $3.50 - Lillee said that Adelaide suited bowlers who bowled good cutters. Harris seemed to do this in the bits of the last match that I watched. He also bowled much better than his figures indicated.

3. Tendulkar 86 and over - player performance - $1.83 - I genuinely think he will get his hundred here.

4. Saha 71 and over - player performance - $1.83 - I'd expect him to take at least 2 catches which is 20 points. Then 51 runs in 2 innings seems getable.

5. Siddle 110 and over - player performance - $1.83 - It wouldn't be a massive surprise if he picked up 2 wickets in one innings and 3 in the other, and chipped in with 20 with the bat.