TOP FORGETTABLE MOMENTS

The Test series, though extremely competitive, will go down as one of the worst in terms of on and off-the-field controversies

PUNE’S MINEFIELD

To leave a good impression with the India team, officials in Pune reportedly went against the wishes of the local curator to provide possibly one of the worst home pitches in recent times. Losing the toss cost Virat Kohli, as Australia scored 260 runs before their spinners shot out India for 105 on a crumbling pitch. The match was sealed there itself.

ISHANT’S MONKEY FACE

We all laughed at it, commentators had fun mimicking and it even made some India players smile. But was it good advertisement for cricket? Definitely not. Instead of trying to intimidate the opposition with his bowling, Ishant Sharma tried the simian route that not only left Steve Smith amused but also made former cricketers like Bishan Bedi lose his cool.

KOHLI’S LEAN PATCH

For all the talk that Virat Kohli might preserve his best against Australia, he came to an unimaginable standstill with some nightmarish dismissals. Shouldering arms to Steve O’Keefe on an unpredictable but turning pitch in Pune was probably the lowest point of Kohli’s batting this series. Scores of 0, 13, 12, 15 and 6 tells the entire story.

A ‘BRAIN FADE’ WORTH REMEMBERING

Till Steve Smith signalled to the dressing room seeking advice on taking a review, Australia were actually ahead of India in the series. That little ‘brain fade’, prompted by Peter Handscomb’s immature advice, kicked off a storm that refused to die till the end of the series.

SUTHERLAND’S COMMENTS

For the sake of cricket, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and CA CEO James Sutherland got together when things were getting out of hand with India filing a complaint against Smith after the Bangalore Test. But then Sutherland was quoted as saying that he wasn’t sure if Virat knows ‘how to spell sorry’. BCCI wouldn’t be blamed if they felt betrayed.