More than one billion cricket fans are buzzing with excitement, not about the Test series against Australia but about next month’s annual Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.
And Australia’s specialist batsmen are playing the type of high-risk, high-reward shots that are well suited to the ultra-short form of the game.
Unfortunately for them, though, they’re playing in a Test match in Delhi.
Delhi Daredevils IPL big hitter David Warner played a loose shot outside off stump in Australia’s first innings and was out in the second over of the match for a duck.
It was his second cheap dismissal in similar fashion in two Test innings.
Glenn Maxwell, the Mumbai Indians’ million-dollar man, came to the crease at 5-117 and launched an extravagant lofted drive to mid-on where he was caught for 10 at 6-129.
On Saturday morning, No.9 Peter Siddle continued to grind away, presenting the full face of the bat and reaching his maiden Test half-century.
The tailender batted for 170 minutes for his career-best 51 and, without him, Australia would not have come anywhere near their first-innings total of 262.
Six players have scored a total of seven centuries so far in the series. Australian captain Michael Clarke – who is missing the fourth Test because of a back injury – has been the only Australian contributor in the centuries’ column.
Clarke has been crying out for his specialist batsmen to turn starts into hundreds.
“It’s good to be critical of that,” No.5 batsman Steve Smith said after his knock of 46 in Australia’s first innings.
“It’s something we haven’t done very well this series.
“There’s not much you can do sometimes on these wickets if the ball takes some rough.
“A ball’s got your name on it sometimes and it will get you.”
Australia’s batsmen have spoken all tour about how hard it is to acclimatise to Indian conditions and pitches, but the lessons of the tour are still yet to be learnt.
Patience with shot selection would be one.
With only one innings left in the series for the visitors, their top four of Ed Cowan, Warner, Phil Hughes and Shane Watson are all averaging under 35.
Clarke and Smith average 47.66.
By midway through day two, India were 0-78 from 18 overs.