Emphatic India end Aussie dream
Australia’s bid for a rare test series win in India, so full of promise during the past six weeks, was snuffed out when they suffered an eightwicket belting early on day four of the Dharamsala decider yesterday.
Steve Smith’s side threatened to complete Australia’s second test series win in India since 1969 after shocking the top-ranked side during the series opener in Pune.
They had control of the second and third tests early on, lost it, then showed good fight to front up to the fourth and final test with the series level at 1-1.
But Australia’s collapses in their first and second innings of the final test ensured that it all ended not with a bang, but a whimper.
India hauled in the victory target of 106 with ease to complete a 2-1 series win.
‘‘It was a magnificent series, probably one of the best I’ve been a part of,’’ Australia skipper Smith said in the post-match ceremony.
‘‘We played some very good cricket throughout this series . . . India are a fantastic side, particularly in their own backyard if you give them a sniff they’re going to take it.
‘‘It was a fantastic learning curve [for young players] . . . I’m really proud of the way the boys competed in this series.’’
Smith, the leading runscorer of the series who was at the centre of a handful of spats, admitted he got carried away at some points.
‘‘I’ve been pretty intense throughout this series. I really wanted to do well for my team and lead from the front with my performance,’’ the classy right-hander said, having scored 499 runs in the series.
‘‘At times I’ve probably been in my own little bubble and let my emotions slip a little bit, so I apologise for that.’’
Ajinkya Rahane, leading India in the absence of injured captain Virat Kohli, smacked consecutive sixes off Pat Cummins before KL Rahul stroked the winning runs before lunch.
Both sides turned up to the scenic venue at the foot of the Himalayas on day four knowing Australia required a miracle to make things interesting, let alone genuinely threaten to win.
India, the top-ranked test side in the world, resumed at 19-0, requiring a further 87 runs to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar trophy and bank a seventh straight series win.
Fittingly in a series stacked with twists and momentum shifts, the routine run chase hit a snag during a dramatic 14th over.
Cummins had Murali Vijay caught behind; then Glenn Maxwell uprooted middle stump at the nonstriker’s end, running Cheteshwar Pujara out for a duck.
India required a further 60 runs at that point. It could well have been a nailbiting finish if the visitors had not suffered collapses of 3-21, 2-5 and 3-1 on the preceding day, but they didn’t have anywhere near enough runs to play with.
‘‘To come back from 1-0 down against the Aussies, when you could see there were tired bodies out there, was just brilliant,’’ Indian coach Anil Kumble said.