The Indian shoulders drop so easily even with the new ball. Bumrah lost his length, slips were about half a metre behind, and how much can Bumrah bowl. Now the big guns are set, and the ball is 40 overs old. As awful as it may sound, but the team hasn't responded as well to Rohit's captaincy. They should have told Ashwin that he is in for Melbourne and Sydney. Something against the run of play or some magic in the field is what looks like the only way for a wicket to fall.
Agree about the dropped shoulders -- this was the first time the bowling, particularly with the new ball, came in for serious tap, and suddenly everyone looked baffled. The problem, at the end of the first hour after lunch, is that these two batsmen are grinding the bowlers down -- with Smith, Head, Marsh and Carey to follow. Not sure how much the captaincy has to do with this, but for sure, the bowling when Bumrah can't strike hard and early looks flat. (Re Ashwin -- notable that 39 overs in, there is still no sign of Sundar getting a bowl).
Against the run of play we have Khwaja. Another point you made was that Kontas faced 33 of the first 36 balls from Bumrah who had the wood on Khwaja. I am also not understanding why slips didn't come a bit forward after so many edges dropped short. Akash Deep was plucky but unlucky in Brisbane. Bowled well here as well, but as Ashwin was saying in his interview with Sky Sports that it's one thing to bowl well or tight and quite another to always think wickets, and create them. That second skill he had in loads.
Once correction as far as Gill is concerned, it's thrice in 3 innings since he didn't play the 1st test.
The Indian shoulders drop so easily even with the new ball. Bumrah lost his length, slips were about half a metre behind, and how much can Bumrah bowl. Now the big guns are set, and the ball is 40 overs old. As awful as it may sound, but the team hasn't responded as well to Rohit's captaincy. They should have told Ashwin that he is in for Melbourne and Sydney. Something against the run of play or some magic in the field is what looks like the only way for a wicket to fall.
Agree about the dropped shoulders -- this was the first time the bowling, particularly with the new ball, came in for serious tap, and suddenly everyone looked baffled. The problem, at the end of the first hour after lunch, is that these two batsmen are grinding the bowlers down -- with Smith, Head, Marsh and Carey to follow. Not sure how much the captaincy has to do with this, but for sure, the bowling when Bumrah can't strike hard and early looks flat. (Re Ashwin -- notable that 39 overs in, there is still no sign of Sundar getting a bowl).
Against the run of play we have Khwaja. Another point you made was that Kontas faced 33 of the first 36 balls from Bumrah who had the wood on Khwaja. I am also not understanding why slips didn't come a bit forward after so many edges dropped short. Akash Deep was plucky but unlucky in Brisbane. Bowled well here as well, but as Ashwin was saying in his interview with Sky Sports that it's one thing to bowl well or tight and quite another to always think wickets, and create them. That second skill he had in loads.