(CHEERING, LAUGHTER)
Righto, before we start this song, I just want to say a couple of words.
They're a good side. We know that.
We're a young side, we're learning, we're getting better.
But we know how to play here in Australia.
You know that, I know that, they know that.
So, on the count of three for Painey,
for JL, for Finchy, for Headie, for Marcus,
let's make this loud and proud.
One, two, three.
(CROWD ROARS)
(SHOUTS)
JIM MAXWELL: (ON RADIO) Joe Root around the wicket, bowls to Clarke on 99.
And he comes forward, and there it is.
He punches it away through the on side.
That's a very good hundred for the Australian captain.
GERARD WHATELEY: In Australia, cricket is summer.
Cricket at the beach. Cricket on Christmas Day.
The backyard, in the street.
As soon as the weather turns, the stumps come out.
Kids everywhere are picking up bats,
taping tennis balls one half.
There are cricket balls thudding into willow at your local school, at your local park.
And on a Saturday afternoon, you can be quietly wandering the streets
and from somewhere there'll be a "Howzat?!"
(MEN SHOUT)
Cricket was summer for us.
I just remember I'd be waiting for my older brothers to come home from school,
and we'd just play in the backyard.
Every Saturday morning, the first thing I'd do, I'd run out and open the windows
to make sure that there was sunlight.
JUSTIN LANGER: Every time I smell the cut grass,
it takes me way back to my first games of cricket.
JOE BURNS: We had a lot of kids in our neighbourhood
that we always played down the street with, with wheelie bins.
No-one was ever out when they were batting. That's for sure.
I'd field most weeks, bat at 11, wouldn't bowl, but loved it.
It's the sound, it's the sight, it's the heart of summer in Australia.
(CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK)
MAN: Cameras, are we rolling? Are you good to go?
OK.
MAN: Chris Mitchell, BBC Sport.
Given everything that's happened to Australia over recent months and post Cape Town,
are you expecting to meet a different sort of side that play differently?
And do you think for that reason they could be vulnerable?
I personally don't think any Australian side is vulnerable at home.
Whatever happened, regardless of all the things that have gone by,
the skill level's still there.
We're definitely not taking anything for granted.
We're not even expecting them to play in a certain manner.
Our focus is purely on our team.
Obviously, there are going to be times
when you have to put the batsmen under pressure,
not necessarily crossing the line, but just get into their heads.
Which you expect from any side in the world, not just Australia.
But I think a bit of banter there is not harmful at all.
Thank you, guys.
LANGER: Virat Kohli, superstar of the game.
He averages above 50 in every single form of the game.
Nobody is that good across all three forms as Virat Kohli.
HARSHA BHOGLE: Virat Kohli is at the pinnacle of his form.
In the last two years, at the pinnacle of world cricket as well.
And he's done everything that's needed to become
arguably the best player in the world.
India is such a big country.
He's so popular over there that he's become a bit of a global superstar.
Wherever he goes, there's just people. They're just around him.
Outstanding player. Probably the best player in the world at the moment.
Well, I just remember watching him in the nets.
They put that footage out pre-series and he was absolutely smacking them.
And I was sort of sitting there, thinking, "How are we gonna get this bloke out?"
And Mum being Mum just said, "Oh, he's only another person."
I said, "Oh, OK, Mum. Thanks. That's good advice."
That's gonna help us get him out, isn't it?
Have you seen A Star Is Born yet?
MAN: Nah.
Oh, my God! It is, like, my new favourite movie,
and it's the saddest, most beautiful movie I've ever seen.
Right, bring it in, boys.
Alright, boys, as soon as we start our warm-up -
two hours, proper Australian-level standard training, OK?
So you're ready for the first morning.
Good catching, Finch!
Oh, that's a good catch!
My view was that Australia would be up against it, against India.
India was as strong as they've ever been.
World-class fast bowlers, quality spinners, tremendous batting depth.
Confident, bullish team under Virat Kohli.
This was India's best chance.
BHOGLE: India had never won in Australia.
And for India to come and win a series in Australia
was for a long time beyond our imagination.
It's the first time I've come to Australia thinking,
"You know what? India could win the series here."
LALOR: India are a really good cricket side.
Australia didn't really know what its Test side was.
- Hey, mate. - Hello, mate. How are you going?
I'm alright. How are you going?
What do you reckon about the team?
When do you want to finalise it?
- As soon as possible? - Now.
When it comes to me, I'd have Mitch Marsh or Handscomb at five or six.
That'd be my feeling.
Nothing's that simple at the moment, is it?
Or is it always like that?
How are you going, gents?
- All good? - Good.
You're all good? We're going to do a couple of things here.
We'll go through the players individually
and then we'll start talking about how we're gonna beat India after that.
So, we'll worry about us...
And before we go to anyone, I don't reckon we're really 100% set on our batting line-up yet.
BRAD HADDIN: Why's that?
Well, to be honest, mate, because I can tell you, hand on heart,
I've sort of been going round lots.
And is that a positive thing? No, it's probably a really negative thing.
That's just the truth.
In Test cricket, you've got to have your six best batters, in my opinion,
and your wickie.
Wickie's a bonus if he can bat a bit, but he's gotta be your best wickie.
And you've gotta get your four wicket-taking bowlers.
So it's pretty simple stuff.
Is Finch a certainty?
He got 50 and 1, or a duck or something, in the last game.
Is he a certainty?
Problem is, then, who's gonna open?
I think if Finch plays, the only way he can play is opening.
That's my gut feeling. With the team we've got, the only way he can...
'Cause we've got enough guys who can bat middle order.
So, Usi's right to go?
- MAN: In training, he's been great. - LANGER: OK. That's good.
He took a bloody screamer at gully.
Did you see that the other day?
HADDIN: He's been catching well.
- LANGER: Mate, it was a ripper. - It's just where we use him.
LANGER: Handscomb's been in good form, plays spin pretty well.
Does he come into the middle order?
Harry. Has anyone got anything on Harry?
Debut? He's obviously gonna be nervous.
Travis Head.
My view on Travis is that we all know he's a great young bloke, he's been working so hard.
And he played two Tests, he did a pretty good job.
My honest feeling is we've got to pick him. That's my gut feeling.
We've got to stick to some of the young blokes who we think are good people and good cricketers.
14 into 11 doesn't go.
The great thing about Australian cricket is every time you pick 11,
there's probably 14 or 15 guys who could be in the 11.
You can't win. So all you can do is what you think's right.
If it works, you're a genius. If it don't, you're a dud.
WHATELEY: Clearly, selection was difficult and imprecise.
Australia's batting had been gutted,
but its bowling unit, which was held up as the world's best, it was intact.
That was Australia's chance -
take 20 wickets in each Test
and compensate for what might have been missing on the batting front.
LANGER: We're gonna need our senior players to stand up.
It's gonna be a tough series, but equally, India are under the pump as well.
They haven't won a Test series here.
They think this is their time. This is their time.
WHATELEY: (ON RADIO) So, let's start with Justin Langer.
- Justin, welcome to 1116 SEN. - Morning, Gerard.
WHATELEY: What are the rhythms of the final day of preparation? What's in store today?
LANGER: Mate, very relaxed.
We almost feel, to be completely honest, like we're Cherry Ripe.
WHATELEY: Have you made your decisions on the top six?
LANGER: Yeah, they always keep me up.
Pretty sure Marcus Harris will make his debut, which is very exciting for him.
He's a terrific young player and he's looked very good
against some of the most competitive net sessions I've seen for a long time in Australian cricket.
So, we'll have our final strategy meeting in half an hour's time
and then we'll be firing for tomorrow morning.
MAN: They're the number-one ranked team in the world.
They've lost their last two away series in England and South Africa.
Indian batting.
He's their man. He's the one we need to get, or put pressure on everyone else.
The big thing he wants to do is put his presence on us,
on his game straightaway.
He wants to show, "I'm here to dominate Australia."
That's his mindset coming out.
PAINE: He's either gonna go two ways.
He's either gonna come out and look for a fight
or he's gonna go to blokes he knows and try and be all mates with.
So, either way, I want him completely ignored.
I don't want anyone engaging with him. We just flat out ignore him.
MAN: (SHOUTS) The Test series comes down here now! Don't miss out!
BRENDON JULIAN: We've been waiting, and finally we're here
for the first Test of the Australian summer.
NEROLI MEADOWS: I can tell you it's going to get to around 40 degrees here today
and almost the same tomorrow.
The opening six, the top six batsmen,
are the least experienced since World Series Cricket for an Aussie side.
SHANE WARNE: This is the most exciting Test series I can remember on Australian soil for a long time.
ALISON MITCHELL: So, the news from the middle is that India have won the toss
and will bat first.
MAN: Catch!
DAMIEN FLEMING: Oh, there it is! The first one!
(CROWD ROARS)
A big blow for India. And that's the first wicket of the summer.
I remember standing at mid-off and as soon as they started driving one,
it was one nick, 1/2.
Josh Hazlewood was like, "Boys..."
Like, I'm in the huddle going, "We're on. They're driving the ball.
"We are on big-time here."
FLEMING: Ooh, is that an edge? It is!
Two down for India. The big leftie's got one.
WARNE: Just what Australia needed. A good start. 2/15, India.
Well, here he is, the number-one batsman in the world, Virat Kohli.
FLEMING: And it's exactly what the Australians wanted.
They wanted to get the number-one batsman in the world out early.
COMMENTATOR: Exciting. Paddy Cummins gets ready to swing into the attack.
This is a man that does have the ability to get the big wicket.
Edge! What a catch!
Unbelievable!
(CROWD ROARS)
And the massive wicket of Virat Kohli falls.
Jesus! Now we're talking, little fella!
(LAUGHS)
Yeah, pretty stock standard, isn't it?
CUMMINS: Someone like Usi, it was not just about the catch.
To do that really early on the morning of day one, I thought really set the tone.
And Virat Kohli - doesn't get better than that.
And the king is gone. They're 3/19.
Brilliant from the Australians. All going to plan.
MAN: Catch!
(CROWD ROARS)
This is a chance!
Oh! This is out!
It has to be out. Pat Cummins late in the day!
What a moment!
What a way to finish for the Australians.
That'll have their tails up. For 250.
There was action aplenty, particularly early.
Well done. Well done. Well done.
LANGER: If at the start of the day we had have said we'd have India at 250 after losing the toss,
we'd all be saying, "What a great day," OK?
I thought the catching was brilliant, the run-out at the end was brilliant,
the energy was brilliant.
Overall, the bowling was fantastic.
I said to Usi as he walked in, for about a thousand reasons,
his catch is one of my favourite memories of my whole Test career, mate.
That was just, like, gold.
You could see the boys get around you, take the screamer.
Mate, it was awesome.
But today is day one of a four-Test-match series.
We know it's gonna be a bit of a wrestle. and expect them to fight back.
OK, let's not settle for it.
MARCUS HARRIS: The dream as any young... boy or girl now is to play for Australia.
So, it's easy to have a dream and, you know, think it's there,
but sometimes it's not always attainable.
But when it actually happens, it's something pretty special.
Marcus Harris, number 456. Wow, who would have thought?
The cheeky little kid from Scarborough?
NEROLI MEADOWS: It's a good number to have, isn't it?
456 for Marcus Harris, the West Australian, now Victorian-based young man gets his opportunity.
HARRIS: The first thing I did was ring my dad.
MAN: Driving down our driveway, the phone rings, and I know it's Marcus.
He goes, "I'm in the team!" And he's fighting back tears trying to yell it out.
- LANGER: You little beauty. - Thanks, mate.
Congratulations, brother.
MEADOWS: I can tell you there are about 30 to 40 Harrises
here at the Adelaide Oval watching.
MARCUS HARRIS: If it wasn't for my mum and dad, I wouldn't be where I am now.
And the great thing is, for them, is when you do well, is to see how much they love it.
I think they ride the bumps more than I do.
Thank you. Good luck, bro.
Untried openers at the top there - Harris and Finch have never opened together,
'cause, of course, it is Harris's debut
and this is Aaron Finch's first ever Test on Aussie soil after his two Tests in the UAE.
COMMENTATOR: Aaron Finch.
Straight through!
Australia lose that first one.
India have fired back.
Aaron Finch, he has to go for a duck.
Disappointment for him, and it's a horrible start for Australia. They're 1/0.
It's Marcus Harris.
He'll be so nervous and he'll be thinking, "I just want to get that first run under my belt."
KIM HARRIS: I just said, "Look, you've earnt this, buddy. You've absolutely earnt this.
"You've worked hard. You've sacrificed everything. You've done the first part.
"Now it's the bit that you've always wanted to do - show people how good you really are."
Don't you love that?
The parents, the family. Whoa!
You get to that time as a dad, you gotta say, "Hands off now."
You can only do so much.
Harris flirts with the short one and then plays it really nicely
and brings up his first boundary in Test cricket.
This didn't start last week. It's been a long road and it's been hard...a hard one to hoe.
So that's why it means so much more to us.
It's been amazing to be able to come with him on this journey.
(PLAYERS SHOUT)
Ooh, they like it! India get one!
Promising start, but Marcus Harris is out for 26.
And Harris has played very, very well.
Test cricket has so many stories.
There's so many little narrative lines that run through each batsman's innings -
where they are in life, where they are in their career, where they are in the contest.
(APPLAUSE)
BHOGLE: I like many things about Test match cricket.
I like words like resilience and defiance.
And the fact that you play time.
- Come on, boys! Come on, boys! - Bowling there, Ash. Come on, Ash!
We go through difficult phases in life.
Maybe financially, you're not that well off...
(PLAYERS SHOUT)
..or maybe the mortgage has suddenly gone up...
(APPLAUSE)
..but you ride the difficult times in search of the better times thereafter.
You don't give up in the difficult times. Test cricket is exactly like that.
(PLAYERS SHOUT)
(CROWD ROARS)
If the bowlers are doing well, you respect the bowler and say,
"I know it's your time at the moment...
"..but it won't be your time forever."
HEAD: There's so many ups and downs and ebbs and flows
and momentum shifts and changes.
You've just got to believe that at any stage, the game can turn, for good or for bad.
(CROWD ROARS)
LANGER: I love cricket. I love the fight.
You've got to be resilient, you've gotta be tough.
INDIAN PLAYER: Well done, Paddy. Not easy to play here, man.
Throw some sixes here. Come on!
LANGER: When you talk to someone who doesn't know the game,
"What, you can get a draw after five days? That doesn't make sense!"
But that's the uniqueness of Test cricket.
MAN: Win this battle, guys! Win this battle, guys! Come on!
NATHAN LYON: It's a roller-coaster ride. One day you go up...
Catch! Yeah!
COMMENTATOR: It's a big wicket! Virat Kohli.
..one day you go down.
The way I look at cricket, it's more problem-solving than anything.
Catch!
Taken! It's what they've wanted, Australia.
It's about being able to work out someone one over to two overs, to 10 overs, to 17 overs.
MAN: Oh, Lyno! Love this, Lyno!
The Australians have gotta get back into this game.
Catch!
Oh, taken!
Catch!
There you go. First ball up in the air. He's got six!
Nathan Lyon, 6/122. Reward for perseverance.
Just kept at it, kept at it, and eventually the tide turned for him.
Who wants to be a hero? Who wants to be a hero?
Alright, boys. First, uh, Gaz?
- GAVIN: Awesome, mate. Another record. - Well done, mate.
(APPLAUSE)
Yeah, really good, mate. Awesome.
Got us back in the game, and we're still in the game, eh?
We said at the very start, we've got to be prepared
to take it to the last session of day five.
That's...that's what's gonna happen tomorrow.
We've gotta be prepared to take it to the last session.
Painey, got anything, mate?
Just that two Test matches ago, a lot of guys in this room did something pretty special.
So we can do it. We've done it before. Anything is possible.
So, believe that, because it is.
COMMENTATOR: Game on here. There's a buzz around the ground.
323 to win this first Test match of the summer.
And for India, they'll be thinking about 10 wickets.
Oh, that's dashing from Harris.
That's good from Finch.
(PLAYERS SHOUT)
Finch...goes!
He's going to have a chat with Harris.
I felt something on my glove.
I didn't know whether it was ball on glove, glove on pad.
Now, what will the Australians do?
You've generally got about 15 seconds.
By the time you process it and get down to your partner,
that's not a real lot of time left.
And when I went down to Harry at the other end, he said, "Oh, I couldn't really tell."
So, I'm sitting there going, "Shit, I don't want to waste a review
"because I'd got a duck in the first innings, I'm on a handful here.
"I want to get a good start and get away."
And I just couldn't be sure.
He looks like he's going, Aaron Finch. He is! The first Australian wicket falls.
He came down. He was almost begging his batting partner to say, "Yes, refer it."
This will be very interesting to see if it caught some glove. We'll have to have a look at it.
Did that flick my glove?
Ooh.
We saw some uncertainty from Aaron Finch.
But he's gone. He chose not to refer.
PAINE: Did you feel anything, Grinch?
Oh, my... The glove went next to my pad, so I don't know...
PAINE: That's what I'm saying. Did you feel anything to review it?
Well, I felt something, but I don't know whether it was my...
PAINE: Oh. Well, it was harmless. Glove hit your pad.
(SHOUTS) Fuck!
Fuck me!
It's difficult. Even as a captain, I've found it really challenging.
Because you don't want to make a mistake, you don't want to not refer it and it be out,
but you also don't want to be wasting them.
I didn't know if it was my gloves hitting my pad there or the ball flicking.
And we were sort of having a bit of a conversation about it when JL walked in,
and we sort of went pretty quiet and scurried off.
LANGER: What happened?
I-I...I flicked my pad with my glove to here.
I wasn't sure if it was the glove... the ball flicking my glove
or fuckin' my gloves on my pads.
LANGER: What did Harris say?
FINCH: He said, "If you feel anything, review it."
But I felt something on my gloves and I didn't know if it was pad or...
So, it was just one of those things that, looking back, you go, "Yeah, use a review, idiot."
COMMENTATOR: On the flip side of the coin, Virat Kohli addressing his Indian troops.
A wonderful breakthrough for them,
and they are in a wonderful position in this Test match.
Harris edges!
Over the top. Will it fall in the gap?
It won't! It's taken.
Handscomb pulls with no power and goes!
Marsh goes.
The skipper goes!
Big, big problems for the Aussies now.
Again, Shami gets the big breakthrough.
India take one step closer to victory.
Now...
..the job is handed over to the bowlers.
LANGER: The truth is, it's not the bowlers' job to get the runs, it's the batters' job.
And India one wicket away from victory in the first Test of the summer.
Much more pressure batting, 'cause with the ball in hand,
I'm very confident with my skill set to get the job done against anyone in the world,
where I've struggled with belief with the bat.
And hits Nathan Lyon.
Yeah, I'm gonna get ducked here and there playing against good bowlers,
but if I can play my role, I can get to five, get to 10, get to 15
and just tick it off slowly and... and try and enjoy it as well.
That's hit hard through point.
The first boundary for Nathan Lyon.
Pulled wide of mid-on.
Out of the middle of the bat, Nathan Lyon.
And another boundary.
I've got the belief in any side I walk out with that we can win any game,
and my role had to be with the bat that innings.
He edges it wide of the slips.
It goes to the rope!
40 to win for Australia.
The beautiful thing about cricket is
that you've always got a partner - you're never by yourself.
The partnership, 24.
And you've got to hand it to Australia, they just haven't given up.
They've fought right till the end.
JOSH HAZLEWOOD: You really see the panic start to set in on the other team.
You forget that as a bowler going out there and batting
that, you know, "If I actually get a few runs here, they'll start to panic,
"because they're expecting to get me out pretty cheaply."
Oh, that will go all the way down to the rope
off the bat of Josh Hazlewood!
33 for Australia to manufacture what would be an incredible win.
HAZLEWOOD: I guess it really goes the other way.
You get close and batters start to think,
"We can get these runs here. We can...we can we can do it."
And then, you know, you're trying to force yourself not to think like that.
But as soon as it happens, it just... (CHUCKLES)
..it's hard to...hard to put out of your mind.
Hazlewood is out!
India win the Test match!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
LYON: Gutted. Absolutely gutted in Adelaide.
No-one really rated us as an Australian cricket side.
I hate losing, and you've just got to sit back and reflect.
Cricket's about learning,
and I've always said, each and every day, "I'll go out and get better."
Whether that's fitness, bowling, fielding, batting, the mental side of the game.
I will never conquer this game.
WHATELEY: In that first test, Australians saw the character of the team -
that they were willing to fight for as long as it took.
Australia went down a Test match,
but they gave a glimpse of how they would compete,
and I think it's a glimpse that resonated with its public.
MAN: What did we do really well in the first session that we stopped doing?
PAINE: When we get in a position at the moment,
we're about to go massively ahead of the game.
I feel a bit of a...bit of a "Shit!"...
..from...not from everyone, but from the majority.
MAN: The three numbers going up the graph,
that's the total number of sessions we've had after the last three Tests.
So it'll be 14. The red means lost seven. The orange at the top means we've drawn three.
Right? Then you move into the second session.
Out of the 14 sessions that we've played during the last three Test matches,
we've won one.
The red means we've lost eight.
HADDIN: I would have thought the biggest worry there -
there's 19 sessions that we've lost.
LANGER: We're losing too many sessions.
It's simple. Simple as that. We're losing too many sessions for us to win Test matches.
We've got to get better at 100% attention to every single ball.
Um...how's our team look?
So, we just talked a bit about that.
SAKER: If you go with Finch in the middle, what happens at the top?
Obviously Usi opens...
LANGER: Well, this is the issue, mate.
SAKER: Finchy can't bat at the top. Not in Australia.
Well, he can't play, then, mate.
No.
At the moment.
Who else are we gonna pick?
What about if we just put Usi up one,
and Finch is at three?
The openers do a job. He comes in when the ball's not doing as much.
That's a simple fix.
LANGER: And the five in the group?
PAINE: Even though we lost, I'm sensing there's actually a bit more confidence.
I think now we've seen them, I think blokes are thinking,
"Yeah, we lost that, but I think we can beat 'em.
"And we will beat 'em."
WOMAN: Go well.
The baby Buddha!
Good luck, Buddha.
That's our good luck.
See ya, China.
I'm a bit nervous. I've had a really good morning today, though.
It's always nice for me back in Perth to come home,
and I love my mornings.
I had a swim in the ocean, did my meditation, had a nice breakfast...
..and now I'm back into it.
One of the reasons I'm nervous about today is that it's at the new stadium.
It's a drop-in wicket, and...
When I was opening the batting with Haydos, there was no better feeling
than you get there, it's a green wicket and everyone's all nervous about it.
And Steve Waugh, the captain, would say, "We know it's green.
"We know it's gonna do a bit. But we need you and Haydos.
"We need you to fight your arse off for the first two hours,
"because if you get through that first two hours for us,
"that will literally set the game up for us."
If we do win the toss and bat, which will be a risk, 'cause it's so green,
then our top order, who are under some scrutiny at the moment,
they're gonna have to fight their backsides off.
So, yeah, a good challenge for them, I reckon.
It's days like these I'm not really sure
whether I'm happy to be retired or wish I was out there for the fight.
To see that wicket, day one, oh, mate!
COMMENTATOR: Welcome to Perth and the first ever test match at this magnificent Optus Stadium,
becoming the 10th Test match venue in Australia.
Now, the talk of the week has been this pitch.
Just look at the amount of live, green grass there is on it.
Expect plenty of movement, plenty of bounce. So, plenty in it for the bowlers.
Overall, I'd rather be a bowler this week.
PAINE: To be honest, we had no idea what to do on that pitch
and we just thought, well, the Australian way traditionally is to win the toss and bat.
That took a fair bit of courage from our batting group
to get their heads around the fact that if we won the toss, we were going to bat.
- KOHLI: Heads. - MAN 2: Heads is the call!
It is tails. Australia.
- MEADOWS: What are you gonna do? - PAINE: We're gonna have a bat first.
PAINE: To their credit, no-one complained and they took it on.
COMMENTATOR: And it will be Aaron Finch to open alongside Marcus Harris.
There was some chat about whether he should move down the order.
Australia have stuck to their guns.
LANGER: The opening partnership is crucial.
If you can take some of the oxygen out of the fire early
at such a crucially important part of winning Test matches...
WHATELEY: Opening partnerships settle the nerves. They settle the dressing-room.
They give you a chance of getting on top of the bowling
and they prevent the procession of players out to the middle
when the ball is new and lively and moving.
FINCH: The first change that happened that game was Harry took first ball.
He'd never done it in his whole career,
which in professional cricket, as an opening batter, I find it extraordinary.
And I said, "You've got first ball this game." He's, like, "Why? I can't do that."
I said, "Mate, you saw what happened in the last Test."
COMMENTATOR: Here we go. We're ready to get under way. Ishant Sharma.
MAN: Catch!
There's a little feel for one early on.
HARRIS: Obviously the ball moves around. The ball's new. It swings. It's hard.
So you've got to be wary early.
Still yet to score, Marcus Harris.
Oh, well, there you go.
HARRIS: With guys that are naturally attacking, like myself and Finchy,
if you can get us off to a good start, you can get the ball rolling
and the scoreboard can start ticking pretty quickly,
and it puts pressure straight back on the bowlers.
Oh, hammered off the back foot from Finch.
FINCH: You don't go out to achieve...
..five runs or 10 runs or 20 runs or 200.
Like, it's just something that... it's something that flows,
and both being new to Test cricket as well,
we were sort of a bit naive, a little bit wide-eyed and just enjoying it.
Well done, Aaron Finch. He's been under all sorts of pressure this week.
People have questioned his position in the side, whether he should bat at the top of the order.
A fine 50.
A lovely little milestone for Marcus Harris - his first Test 50.
LANGER: In tough conditions, for the boys to get a 100-run partnership, it lifts everyone.
It lifts the team. But it also sets you up. It sets you up for the game.
CUMMINS: It was the first 100-run partnership we've had in a long time.
It just felt like we kind of continued off where we'd finished in Adelaide.
We were really in control of the game
and, yeah, us bowlers were chomping to go and have a bowl.
Looks like Mitchell Starc's gonna bowl the first ball for Australia.
- (CHEERING) - Oh, got him! First ball!
First wicket down.
- (CHEERING) - Well bowled! Josh Hazlewood!
What a beauty!
Australia have two early ones.
And that'll mean the man, Virat Kohli. Wow, what pressure he's under now.
STADIUM ANNOUNCER: The captain for India, Virat Kohli.
You can just see his attitude. Look at him striding out to the crease.
He's up for any challenge. The fans absolutely love him.
LYON: I used to look at Virat and think he's...
..he's got, like, the Australian fight in him.
He won't shy away from anything.
But he's gonna be certainly tested against a fired-up Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
LANGER: Just from memory, he played an on drive to get off the mark,
and great players play on drives.
It's the hardest shot in the book to play.
Your balance has got to be perfect. You've got to watch the ball.
Punter used to do it all the time - get off the mark with an on drive.
And I used to be batting at the other end going, "Mate, you're a freak."
Oh, what a shot.
That is classy stuff from Virat Kohli early on.
Nicely driven.
I've always felt if there's 11 people get picked out of a billion and a half,
you've got to be pretty good.
BHOGLE: You look at Virat Kohli and you see energy all the time.
And yet Virat Kohli, when he's batting, is a different entity.
He's almost lost in his own perfection.
Nicely worked away again.
This is a man full of pure class.
PAINE: When we had Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc
bowling fast and swinging the ball,
he just made it look like it wasn't what it was.
That'll go all the way down to the rope, and that's 50 to Virat Kohli.
At times, as hard as it is when he's belting you around the park,
you really do just have to sit back and sometimes think, "That's just amazing."
He's done it!
Virat Kohli, his 25th Test match century.
Virat Kohli's the best player I've ever seen in my life.
I actually, uh, broke my own thing before.
He absolutely shit himself.
Hey? You what?
I broke my own code about engaging with him.
You gave it to him, did you? What did he say?
He just yips as you walk past him all the time.
But real quietly.
ADAM GILCHRIST: 43-run lead.
The Australians will be coming out shortly to pad up in their second innings.
You can feel the atmosphere around
as Virat Kohli lays down the law to his team.
Very vocal.
(PLAYERS SHOUT)
Turning up the heat, the Indians.
HARSHA BHOGLE: He so desperately wants to win the series,
and he's looking at that lead of 43 and saying,
"Right, we just so need to keep Australia down to a low score."
It means so much to him.
Oh, good ball!
LALOR: People think that cricket's a gentle game, don't they?
Gee, I don't reckon it's a gentle game when you're out there and they're bowling fast.
(PLAYERS SHOUT)
I'll tell you what we underestimate the most - how hard the cricket ball is.
Ooh! Gets hit in the helmet!
And he's rocked! He's down!
To have that coming at you off 19 yards...
..I think sometimes we don't give batsmen enough credit.
Ouch! Yeah, that would really hurt. He could be in trouble here, Aaron Finch.
(GROANS)
Fuck!
Two Australian batsmen hit. Harris in the head. Finch, has he broken a finger?
Courage is to stick to the process of watching the ball.
That's what mental toughness is, that's what concentration is,
because you know if it hits you, it's gonna hurt you.
Justin Langer's DNA is all over this side. You know, tough it out, take some on the body.
You get a pitch like Perth, where you've got cracks,
where you're just not sure what the ball's gonna do,
for you just to stand in line with it and eyeball the bowler isn't easy.
And it takes courage to face back up to 150 kays when it's just hit you flush in the forehead.
Ooh! He thought about ducking. He changed his mind.
I was scared shitless.
Facing that attack on that wicket,
it might look good on TV, but it was scary.
A little edge on it from Marsh. And he goes!
(CROWD ROARS)
Good bowling, and Kohli is absolutely pumped.
Whoo!
Go on, man!
LANGER: Yeah, I remember that afternoon I felt a bit like a punching bag.
But we can't fight back,
because it felt like we had our hands behind our back and we just had to take it.
It was just like, "Mmm." Just felt a bit double standards for me.
Imagine if we behaved...
..2 out of 10 for that.
COMMENTATOR: Australian captain Tim Paine strides to the crease.
PAINE: I was sort of sitting and watching before I went in
and he gave a few of our guys send-offs.
The plan was not to talk to him when he was batting.
When we were batting, it's kind of up to the individual what they want to do.
And I sort of just had enough and thought
you also have to stand up for yourselves and stand up for your teammates,
and...yeah, that was one of the reasons.
I just thought, "No, I'm the captain. It's my turn now.
"I have to stand up and show him that we were here for the fight."
The aggression continues from the Indians.
KOHLI: If he messes it up, it's 2-0.
Who's gonna talk then?
You've got to bat first, big-head.
Nice, mate. It's your nerves talking.
So, Tim Paine drawing Virat's attention to the fact that India will bat last.
And what a finish.
The verbal volleys continue.
The Aussies have had to fight extremely hard in their second innings
as they've worked their way to a lead of 175.
LANGER: Yeah, I was probably a bit edgy, 'cause we were 1-0 down in the series,
but I just felt, yeah, I thought Virat that day...
..was getting under our skin.
Um, boys, to be honest, I'm pretty emotional tonight, eh?
Because I just think, one, you must all be feeling the double standards
the way their captain's carrying on, and we sort of have to be really careful.
With him, what I'm feeling is he's getting nervous.
He still needs six wickets. He knows how hard our lower order is with the bat.
And I think in terms of putting him under pressure, I thought...
..I think we're getting there, I think we're close,
and you're seeing him starting to get a bit punchy and a bit aggro.
They're all getting worried. So if we keep our cool, deliver our skill, we've got this game.
LANGER: OK, now, I just want to remind everyone,
I've said it for nine months now, there's a difference between abuse and banter.
There's no room for abuse. We don't need to abuse him.
We do not need to abuse him, right?
Because we have got zero to gain from it, actually.
But there's banter, where you stick up for your mates.
This is what playing for your country's about, boys.
Feel it. And tomorrow's a big day.
PAINE: We know we're going to be closely watched,
we know we're probably going to be harshly dealt with from a media point of view,
particularly foreign media,
and we know that some of those people are looking for us to slip up.
COMMENTATOR: Oh, it was on offer there, and taken by Paine.
Commanding stroke from the Australian captain.
He was trying to upset me with "just the part-time captain",
and I sort of went the opposite with him.
I was sort of telling him how good he was and that he was the greatest player ever.
KOHLI: I'm not saying a word to you. Why are you getting riled up?
I'm not, eh? I'm fine.
You're the one that lost it yesterday.
- UMPIRE: Hey, hey. - Why are you trying to be cool today?
Oi, that's enough. That's enough.
- We're allowed to talk. - No, no, no. Come on, play the game.
You guys are the captains.
We can have a conversation.
There's no swearing.
Tim, you're the captain.
Keep your cool, Virat.
You don't want to get right into a fight with him, 'cause that's what he likes,
so I was just trying to poke him a little bit
and then see if I could get him to implode a little bit.
COMMENTATOR: Nothing but impressed with the leadership of Tim Paine.
He's doing this in a really measured, calculated way.
He's not shying away from any issue out there.
LANGER: To be completely honest, when I first took on the role,
people said, "Oh, Tim Paine's gonna be the captain."
I sort of went, "Tim Paine? Like, good bloke, but captain of Australia?"
He has been so impressive.
I think Paine won the masses in the verbal exchanges.
HEAD: He had the respect of us, but I think he earnt in that Test match
the respect of the country as well, and the fans.
WHATELEY: He carried himself with the dignity of a captain
but was gonna stand toe to toe and stare down Virat Kohli.
And he who laughs last laughs longest - that was Perth.
COMMENTATOR: Nathan Lyon bowling to the Indian captain.
When Virat Kohli got dismissed in the fourth innings,
Tim Paine was able to stand there and declare the new Australia.
(CROWD ROARS)
But he did it with that Anzac banter and humour, and it was just gold.
Like, and it just... The boys go, "Oh, actually, well, we can be in the fight."
Murali, I know he's your captain, but you can't seriously like him as a bloke.
You couldn't possibly like him.
I thought Tim Paine was absolutely exceptional.
I think that's done wonders for him and the Australian cricket side.
- Yes! - (CROWD ROARS)
PAINE: From that moment, we were kind of able to just keep our nose ahead
and keep them under pressure the whole time.
Yeah, we bowled really well, fielded really well.
MAN: Catch!
You beauty!
I think it was good for us to know that we could win a test without Smith and Warner.
Bumrah goes high in the air. Paddy Cummins underneath it.
Takes the catch! The Aussies win the match!
Ha ha! Yes!
Oh, relief. (LAUGHS)
I reckon more relief than anything else.
The series is level at one apiece. Bring on Boxing Day!
Mike Hussey told me that you never know when your last win's gonna be,
so you make sure you celebrate every win.
So I'm a big one for that.
Whoo!
It's not just us who are touring.
You know, it's families, your friends, everyone that comes along on the journey with you
and gives up their lives to follow you around.
You know, it's not always glamorous,
but those moments when you win a Test, it kind of makes it all worthwhile.
Everyone in there realises how much work's gone into it and...
..yeah, and then it could be an hour or five later,
Lyno will get us in for the song and it tends to go up a notch from there.
(ALL LAUGH)
There's been a drought. Let's be honest, there's been a drought.
But there's a few people I want to mention before we get into the mighty song.
There's a couple of first Test wins.
There's obviously Marcus, Finchy, Headie,
but there's also a new captain who's really stood up,
taken Virat Kohli on.
(ALL CHEER)
But there's also a new coach who we haven't seen smile in nine months.
(ALL CHEER AND LAUGH)
So, on the count of three, for Painey, for JL, for Finchy, for Headie, for Marcus,
let's make this loud and proud.
One, two, three.
ALL: (SCREAM) # Underneath the Southern Cross I stand... #
VOICEOVER: Next on The Test...
MAN: Boxing Day, everyone in Australia is watching.
We've talked about it's gonna be an arm wrestle.
Who's gonna break first? Is it gonna be us or is it gonna be them?
We can't be flat! And we can't be non-aggressive!
LANGER: That was a really dark time.
PAINE: When you can represent your country, you'd do anything just to make everyone proud.
If we think he's in our best six, "You're in."
We can't lose this Test match.