You gotta love what the Indians are doing in the 3rd test versus Australia. The visiting side has got the home side in a spot of bother at the end of the 3rd day of a very gripping 3rd test. Will the Indians end the Aussie winning streak at 16 just like they did back in 2001? Most of the cricketing world is hoping to see the invincible Aussies lose to make some in-roads to making the playing field somewhat even.

The spring in the Indian team really can be attributed to the inclusion of the talented all-rounder Irfan Pathan. It is mind boggling why he was not included in the first two tests. In my opinion he is one of the best all-rounders in the game today and he has proved it again in this test match.

Pathan's bowling has been spot on in this match - bowling aggressive and with a lot of variety. He was among the wickets in the first innings and has removed both the Australian openers in the 2nd innings to put India in a commanding position. But perhaps what really has put India in a commanding position at the end of day 3 is Pathan's gritty and fighting innings of 46 with all the batsmen around him falling. This really gave India the impetus to put up a sizeable lead and Laxman built on that and ensured that the visiting team put enough runs on the board to give their bowlers the marked advantage.

Pathan brings a lot of the intagibles that I was referring to in my last post. To add to that he is a really good bowler and a decent bat. Pathan should be an automatic selection in the Indian team in any form of the game!