By declaring their second innings in Adelaide, and setting India a target of 364 runs in the opening Test match, of the four-match series, the canny Aussies set bait for the visitors. India accepted the challenge but fell for it, losing the match to Australia by 48 runs, on the last day.
In hindsight the visitors and hosts both got an opportunity to make a strong statement with their performances – the former thanks to Virat Kohli who let his bat do the talking. Australia kept coming hard at the Indians and Kohli too scored runs for his team — till the fifth day of the third Test match in Melbourne arrived.
This time Australia set a target of 384 runs before India from 70 overs – slightly more than two sessions. The Indians were hoping for a closure of the Australian innings earlier than they actually did to allow their batsmen the chance to pursue a target in the region of 350. But Steven Smith pressed on to ensure Shaun Marsh would get his third Test century and wipe out bad memories of knocks against India. Like the delayed declaration from Australia, a throw from Kohli spoiled everything for Marsh.
The delayed declaration also slightly tarnished the reputation of the Australians. By virtue of being ahead in the series 2-0, the Australian team management pushed for a series win rather than challenging the new Indian batting exuberance – led by three in-form batsmen – Kohli, Rahane and Murali Vijay. It seemed as though Australia were not confident about risking their chance of winning the Test series in Sydney. In fact some former Australian cricketers went on to say, on air, that a delayed declaration was a waste of time for Australian cricket.
However, all seemed okay with the home team in the post-lunch session when they claimed three quick wickets of the Indian top-order. There was a crisis in the middle when Kohli and Rahane repaired the Indian innings with a solid partnership. Kohli’s departure from the crease right after tea may have given another glimpse of hope to the Aussies, but it was Rahane who held the Indian innings together with a tentative Cheteshwar Pujara for a while. They kept the Australian bowlers at bay.
Even after Pujara’s dismissal – which was possible due to Mitchell Johnson’s pumped-up spell – India were still under pressure to save the Test match. It went from bad to worse when Rahane mistimed one to the square-leg area. This was a reminder of the fact that if Australia would have declared their innings earlier than when they did, it could have added more excitement to the game. But Dhoni and Rahane stayed till the end to ensure India don’t suffer any more hiccups.
Eventually, India may have lost this Test series with the last Test to be played in Sydney; but this Boxing Day Test wasn’t bad for MS Dhoni‘s team. They batted well though they could have bowled better. The bowling performance wasn’t as bad as the last two Test matches, but there is a huge scope for improvement. It’s in the wicket-taking department that the Indian team is acutely lacking, at the moment. In comparison, the Australian bowlers have it in them to run through the opposition. All things considered, it is India’s lacklustre bowling that let India down in the series. Otherwise, India’s batting has been at par with the Aussies, to take an optimistic view of the performance!
