Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood, who is recovering from a side strain, bowled two full spells at Adelaide Oval on Monday and said how he “pulls up” in next 24 hours will determine his availability for the upcoming third Test against India. On what would have been the fourth day of the pink-ball Test, which Australia won by 10 wickets, the 33-year-old Hazlewood bowled through two sessions to simulate match conditions and assess his readiness for the third Test, set to begin in Brisbane on Saturday.

“I think it’ll be how I pull up in the 24 hours following it really,” Hazlewood, who missed the second Test, told reporters.

“It’s just that repetitive (action) and obviously two spells makes a big difference. Cooling down pretty much fully and then going again in the same day, and the intensity has got to be right up there as well.

“So a few boxes to tick, but it’s probably the 24 hours that follow and pulling up again the next day and then thinking ‘yeah, I’d be right to go again if I had to’,” he added.

The veteran pacer who has a history of side issues, however, said the recent one was a minor injury, adding that had the Adelaide Test been the last of the summer, he could have pushed himself to play.

“It’s not necessarily your typical side strain, which I’ve had a couple in my career.

I’ve ticked every box so far this week. The side’s obviously been a troublesome area for me, in the past, so if I can lean on the side of caution, I guess a little bit, (I’ll do that),” Hazlewood said.

“But it’s very minor compared to the last few I’ve had. I played the (Sheffield) Shield game and ticked all that off and I was very happy where I was and it still happened, so I was pretty annoyed for a few days.

“If this (Adelaide) was the last Test of the summer, I could have potentially run the gauntlet and played.

“Obviously (we have) got Scotty (Boland) there, who does a fantastic job every time he plays. So I guess that sort of makes the decision a little easier. Sometimes you’ve sort of got to be pretty much 100 percent to play. And if not, Scott is there (and ready) to go,” he said.

If Hazlewood is declared fit, Scott Boland will make way for him in the playing XI.

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Australia’s wicketkeeping great Adam Gilchrist has pointed out that Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana weren’t up to the desired level in Adelaide to support fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah, who picked eight wickets in India’s 295-run win in Perth, picked 4/61 in the first innings in Adelaide. Though Siraj took 4-98, his economy rate was four, while Rana, who shined on debut by taking four wickets in Perth, conceded 86 runs without taking a single wicket.

“Coming into the series, the uncertainty for India was what the support act for Bumrah is like. Siraj and Rana did a really good job in Perth, but they just weren’t up to that same level in Adelaide. That still is the glaringly obvious part of that discussion. Bumrah is at a certain level, and the rest of them aren’t quite there,” said Gilchrist on Fox Cricket’s The Follow-On podcast on Monday.

He also believes pacer Josh Hazlewood should return to the Australian playing eleven in Brisbane if he is fully fit after recovering from a side strain which kept him out of Australia’s ten-wicket win in Adelaide.

“That’s the nature of the beast. I would expect if Hazlewood is fit, they’ll go back to Hazelwood, particularly at the Gabba. I think that the conditions that will suit him. I mean, either way you go, you know exactly what you get, and that’s consistency and an opposing batting order that’ll be under threat.”

If Hazlewood comes in, then Scott Boland, who took five wickets in Adelaide, makes way for him. Gilchrist felt it’s a luxury for Australia to have a strong reserve bowler in Boland at their disposal to step up in Tests whenever called upon.

“The time is unfortunate for Scotty, but I just love the way he steps up. It is like plugging in a ball machine that’s got a setting on and it just cranks up again to the identical setting. I love the way the crowd embrace him and broadcasters. He’s just a fascinating story, such a humble guy, who by just going about his day at work, he can electrify a nation and 50,000 people in the grandstands.”

With the first two Tests in Perth and Adelaide not being played out for entire five days, Gilchrist signed off by saying the intensity in both teams’ bowling attacks will be sustained throughout the five-match series currently tied at 1-1.

“As far as the workload, clearly that works in Australia’s favour, but also, the game moves so quickly (that) India didn’t exactly have to bowl a mountain of overs either. Looking at the two games, Australia has bowled more overs, but it’s been a nice spread out now, with that extended break between (the) first and second (Tests) and now an extra few days gives them near enough to a week to be ready to go.”

“So that’s just going to mean the intensity of battle is going to be high quality and continue deeper into the series. By the time we get to Sydney, the bowlers could still well be feeling reasonably not fresh, but certainly not running to the ground. So that all goes well for the series.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant shared a light-hearted moment with Australia great Adam Gilchrist on Sunday. Ahead of the start of play on Day 3, legendary Australia wicketkeeper Gilchrist, who is a part of the experts’ panel for broadcaster Star Sports, was taken by surprise when Pant approached him from behind and closed the latter’s eyes with both his hands. As soon as Gilchrist realised that it was Pant behind him, the duo shared a warm hug. “I was surprised there, didn’t know who was behind me,” said Gilchrist about the incident later.

Watch it all here:

Gilly got a surprise on the field#Cricket #AUSvIND #RishabhPant #AdamGilchrist #BrettLee #IsaGuha #RaviShastri #Foxtel pic.twitter.com/6PvwP5pr6j

— Foxtel (@Foxtel) December 8, 2024

Skipper Pat Cummins used short balls to good effect and pick 5 for 57 in his 14 overs to set the base for Australia securing a commanding ten-wicket win over India on day three of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. The result also meant that Australia squared the five-match series 1-1.

Resuming from 128/5, India could add only 47 runs before their second innings was brought to a swift end in 36.5 overs by Australia, with Nitish Kumar Reddy continuing to be impressive by top-scoring with 42.

India’s hopes of going out of trouble met a swift end on day three as Starc got a full ball to just straighten off the seam and take Pant’s outside edge to second slip to dismiss him for 28. Cummins’ bouncer plan worked when he found the glove edge of Ravichandran Ashwin’s attempted hook and was easily caught behind by Alex Carey.

Even as Reddy looked solid in defence, the bouncer ploy worked again for Cummins when he prised out the shoulder edge of a tangled Harshit Rana and was caught easily by gully, just an over after Starc hit him on the helmet with a pacy lifter.

Reddy pushed India into a slender lead when he hammered Scott Boland over long-on for a one-bounce four, and hooked a bumper from Cummins over backward square leg for six. But Cummins had the last laugh as Reddy arched back to ramp over slips, but was caught by third man.

Boland ended India’s innings by having Mohammed Siraj mistime to Travis Head at mid-wicket, who backpedalled and tumbled on his back to complete the catch. With Australia taking the winning honours over India in Adelaide, both teams have now got two more days of rest before meeting in the third game at The Gabba in Brisbane on December 14.

(With IANS Inputs)