India captain Virat Kohli in one tweet summed up the team’s performance in the final Test match of the series against Australia. “WHAT A WIN!!! Yessssss. To everyone who doubted us after Adelaide, stand up and take notice. Exemplary performance but the grit and determination was the standout for us the whole way. Well done to all the boys and the management. Enjoy this historic feat lads. Cheers,” he wrote.
Well as an Indian fan, you can’t deny the fact that this team has actually shown courage and determination to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While an Indian supporter is delighted, the Aussie fans would be pissed with the kind of display their team had shown. From bundling out a team at 36, they suffered a 2-1 defeat in the four-match Test series and especially at home.
What actually went wrong?
To start with, skipper Tim Paine’s captaincy has been one questionable aspect. From forcing the pacers to go for an extra bit to putting defensive fields whenever a batsman was on song, Paine certainly got most things wrong. The excessive workload on the seamers resulted in Indian batsmen getting the room for settling in and getting their groove in the game. Cheteshwar Pujara who was being criticised for “slow batting” literally sat at the crease and didn’t get out easily on the couple of occasions when it was most needed.
While Pujara frustrated the Australian bowlers with his defence, Rishabh Pant was ready for the uphill task. He let himself settle down and then took on the bowling attack in both the third and fourth Test respectively. While he scored 97 in the second innings of the third Test while remained unbeaten at 89 in the second innings of the last match.
Pant and Pujara’s contrasting traits supported each other well. Apart from this partnership, another couple of stands made the headlines. R Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari’s courageous display of batting at the SCG despite being injured while Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur’s strong-headed approach when the side was in trouble.
While you can’t take away the credits from the kind of batting they unveiled, it was a lot to do with Paine’s captaincy.
The captain persisted at bowling the seamers that eventually led them to burn out and resulted in building partnerships for India. The Aussie bowling line up was eventually frustrated, irritated and their shoulder dropped in disarray.
India eventually clinched a win by 2-1 and are now sitting at the helm in WTC points table.
Instances when Australia choked
Ashes 2005
The Australian team was touring England in 2005 for the Ashes series. They started off the series in a great manner after winning the first match by a comprehensive margin of 239 runs. Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne had gained some form. McGrath scalped 9 wickets in the match while Warne bagged six.
But then came the turnaround in the match that could have gone either way and probably changed the complexion of the series too. Riding on Marcus Trescothick’s 90, England posted 407 in the first innings and then took the first-innings lead after bowling out Australia for 308.
The visitors then had fightback and Brett Lee and Warne rattled the English batting line up. England had been bundled out for 182 in the second innings handing them a target of 282.
The Ricky-Ponting led Australian side was 220/9 when the real drama began. Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz stitched a partnership of 59 runs for the last wicket and needed just three more to win when Stephen Harrison removed Kasprowicz for 20. England had fought hard for this win but eventually levelled the series and got the momentum back in their favour.
The third Test ended in a draw after the batsmen had some good day at the office. Michael Vaughan struck a hundred for England in the first innings taking their score to 302 while Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting notched up individual tons in the second innings.
The fourth Test in Nottingham unfolded the reason why Test cricket is still the best form. England had posted 477 in the first innings and then enforced a follow on after bowling them out for 218. Australia responded well in the second innings scored 387 to hand the home an easy target of 129. But England were in a spot of bother when they reduced to 57/4. But Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff steadied the ship and scored 46 runs for the fifth wicket. The hosts then lost a couple of more wickets but eventually won the game to take 2-1 lead in the series.
The fifth and final Test in London also ended in a draw.
Australia tour of India 2001
How many of you have received some beating from your mother for watching a cricket match while your final term exams were on? I have. I was probably 8 or 9 when this series took place in India. Belonging to an orthodox family where “studies come first” was the mantra for life, the biggest trouble I had to face was to watch a cricket match especially when the examinations are on. Well, I was someone who could take the beating but can’t miss the match and if I would have missed that mammoth stand between Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, I would have regretted for life. But I don’t have to because I didn’t miss it.
India were coming in this match with a defeat in their kitty against Australia in Mumbai. Chasing a paltry 47, the Australian team went over the line by 10 wickets.
Adding to the misery in the first innings of the second Test, Steve Waugh scored a ton while Matthew Hayden missed out on a hundred by just three runs. But there was something for the Indian fans as off-spinner Harbhajan Singh scalped a seven-wicket haul including a hat trick. But the Australian pace attack rattled Indian batting and en-forced a follow on as the home side was all out for 171 in the first innings. Then came the big day for Indian cricket. Dravid and Laxman were together out in the middle as India’s scoresheet read 232/4. The two put on a huge partnership of 376 with Laxman scoring 281 and Dravid getting out for 180 as India finished the second innings at 657/7 (D). Chasing 384, Australia didn’t really find any momentum and were bowled out for 212, losing the match by 171 runs. Harbhajan Singh once again showed his class and bagged six wickets.
India had gained confidence from the win in the second Test as the two sides locked horns in Chennai for the decider. India posted 501 in reply to Australia’s 391 in the first innings and were eventually handed a target of 155 in the second innings. Australian bowlers did fight well and reduced India to 135/6 with the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar back in the hut. But Sameer Dighe held the innings from one end and remained unbeaten at 22 to anchor the team to a series win.
There have been instances where Australia have started off the series well but a defeat has pushed them on the backfoot and eventually resulting in series loss.
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