‘Unbelievable’ India crushes Australia to clinch Test series
SCOREBOARD
DHARAMSALA, India: India thrashed Australia by eight wickets on Tuesday to seal a Test series marked by outbursts and controversies 2-1 and underline their status as the world’s No. 1 side.
Chasing 106 on the penultimate day of the fourth Test, opener Lokesh Rahul hit 51 not out in Dharamsala as India seized back the Border-Gavaskar trophy from Australia.
India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane (38 not out) hit two sixes in a row off Pat Cummins en route to the comprehensive win, as fans waved giant India flags and danced in the stands.
India have now won seven Test series win in a row, a run that kicked off with their triumph in Sri Lanka in 2015, and includes victories over New Zealand, England and Bangladesh in an extended home season.
Skipper Virat Kohli, who was forced to sit out the final Test with a shoulder injury, said the hard-fought win over Australia was the most satisfying of the recent run.
“Unbelievable. This is the best series win so far,” said Kohli, who received the Test mace on behalf of India for ending the season as the world’s top side.
“The way the Australian team gave us a fight was really amazing, but the way the guys kept bouncing back showed the true character of the side.”
Australia captain Steve Smith apologized for letting emotion get the better of him. On Monday, footage indicated he called Murali Vijay a “cheat” for wrongly claiming a catch on Monday.
“I have been pretty intense throughout this series. I really wanted to do well for the team. At times I have been in my own bubble and have let my emotions slip. I apologize for that,” said Smith.
It was one of several incidents during the bad-tempered series, including Kohli HAMILTON: Kane Williamson’s superb 176 almost exactly measured New Zealand’s first-innings advantage over South Africa in the third cricket test Tuesday before a top order collapse left the Proteas’ second innings in disarray at stumps on day four.
Under Williamson’s guidance New Zealand achieved a 175-run first-innings lead, reaching 489 in reply to South Africa’s 314.
At stumps the tourists were 80-5 after a sometimes chaotic start to their second innings, still 95 behind.
The Proteas stumbled to 59-5, losing Dean Elgar (5), Theunis de Bruyn (12), Hashim Amla (19), J.P. Duminy (13) and Temba Bavuma (1), before captain Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, both 15 not out, steered them to stumps.
South Africa came into the Test at Seddon Park with a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series, which seemed formidable at a ground where defending a series lead was likely to be easier than overturning it.
The Proteas’ 314 from almost 90 overs in a match which suffered rain delays on the first three days seemed a further bulwark against any New Zealand effort to retrieve the series. But the Black Caps were able to fashion a significant first- innings lead then push to salvage a drawn series with a superb bowling and fielding effort in Tuesday’s final session.
They will enter the last day in a position to claim a win but the threat of rain still hovers over the match and it may be weather that has the final say.
The self-inflicted damage that overtook South Africa’s second innings was unexpected. The Proteas seemed to have all the batting resources they needed to negotiate the final session with little loss and to turn pressure back onto New Zealand on the final day.
But opener Elgar was out in the sixth over, caught by wicketkeeper B.J. Watling from the bowling of makeshift new ball bowler Colin de Grandhomme and that precipitated a cascade of wickets.
De Grandhomme had a major influence on the day, scoring his maiden test half-century at No. 8 to inflate New Zealand’s total after Williamson’s dismissal. He then claimed a catch to dismiss Elgar and added the wicket of Amla.
Chaos entered the South African innings in the manner of de Bruyn’s dismissal in his maiden test. After being out for a duck in the first innings, he had batted 46 minutes for 12 when run out in a slapstick mix-up with Amla.
Amla drove the ball down the on-side of the pitch; de Bruyn turned to watch the ball go past him without realizing Amla was bearing down on him at great speed. When he finally set off for the run, their collision was inevitable and both were left sprawling on the pitch. accusing Smith of systematically abusing the decision review system during the second Bangalore Test.
In the maiden Test played in Dharamsala, India scored 332 in their first innings in reply to Australia's 300, before the tourists collapsed for just 137 on the third day.
On day four, India lost Vijay to fast bowler Cummins and Cheteshwar Pujara to a run out, but they were the only scares for the hosts who reached their target in less than 24 overs.
India owed their win to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who top-scored with 63 runs in the first innings before taking three wickets with his left-arm spin during Australia's second knock — and was duly named man of the match and man of the series.
“The way the guys handled situations and the way Ajinkya led was outstanding. But the maturity and the responsibility shown by all the guys in the team was pleasing to see, especially from the outside,” said Kohli.
The contest will also be remembered for the form of Aussie skipper Smith, who amassed 499 runs with three centuries, becoming only the sixth visiting batsman to hit as many tons.
Kohli, who was disparagingly compared to US President Donald Trump as he came under fire from Australian media, had a series to forget, scoring only 46 in the first three Tests.