Day 11: Test cricket is the winner but with reservations

The real joy of Test cricket is two teams throwing everything they have got over five days. If done correctly, the victory will be cricket. It felt like that with the third Test between Australia and India. That isn’t to say that there weren’t ugly scenes.

Australia’s will to win nudged the line of the spirit of cricket. Much is made of the phrase. There have been teams and players that have ignored it over the history of the game. Tim Paine felt the pressure today. His spell as Australian captain came out of a time of crisis in the very fabric of how Australia pushes those boundaries.

The will to win does funny things to players, and the spotlight has never shone so brightly on Paine. He spilt three chances that could have wrapped up the game for his side. 

Rishabh Pant threatened to take a game away from Australia with an innings that started with short-pitched bowling. The Australias sensed their chance; Pant was not fully fit and was not done yet. He dug in and changed the momentum. Suddenly Australia were on the back foot. A battered India started to look towards the impossible. Could they win it? It was possible and had Pant breezed past his century anything was possible.

In the end, India knew that a false move could seel their demise and stoically batted out the day. They gave chances, and as Australia did at Headingley in 2019, they let their tempers get the better of them. Mistakes were inevitable; how Australia did not win will be debated for a long time. While in India, this will go down as a moment to celebrate.

Ireland wait on in the sun

Ireland will have to wait for their next ODI a little longer as their game against UAE was suspended as four more players tested positive for Covid-19. It will be little consolation for Ireland to train in the sun of Abu Dhabi, but they will be looking for any little victory.

Finally some Women's International cricket to look forward to

Pakistan’s women have left for their tour of South Africa. With the three ODIs and three T20s to occur in Durban, both teams will be without star players. Dane van Niekerk and Chloe Tryon miss out for the hosts due to injury while Pakistan are without Bismah Maroof who withdrew from the squad for family reasons.