India clinch Test series 2—0; outplay Australia

Categorized | Sports

Posted on 11 November 2008 by ashok

India came very close to winning the Test series against the Steve Waugh’s Australians when the skipper and Simon Katich helped the team to a draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2001. Again, in 2007-08 the verdict would have been 2-1 in India’s favour but for the unsavory umpiring decisions at the SCG in the second Test that helped Australia wrap up the series 2-1.

But this time, a more determined India did not allow Australians to dominate the series except for the First Test at Bengaluru. In the second, third and the fourth tests, India emphatically and comprehensively outplayed Ricky Ponting and his men in all departments of the game to win the series 2-0 and wrest the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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Leg-spinner Amit Mishra and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh shared seven wickets to bowl out Australia for 209 in their second innings with almost a session to spare on the last day. Incidentally, all the four matches went into the fifth day.

“We had motivation, we had plans, the best part was we executed them very well,” India’s new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.Fast bowler Ishant Sharma provided the early breakthrough with the dismissals of first-innings centurion Simon Katich (16) and Michael Clarke (22) after India had set the tourists an imposing target of 382 for a series-squaring victory.

“The fast bowlers did the trick for us in the series. They bowled their hearts out and were backed by the spinners and part-time bowlers”, Dhoni said.

With this result, India moved to the second place in the ICC Test rankings and only 13 points separate them from Australia.”This tour we’ve just been totally outplayed,” Australia captain Ricky Ponting said.

“There’s no doubt they’ve used the conditions (better), they’ve used the ball, they’ve had a chance to bowl on older wickets.

“Losing three tosses in a row if you don’t actually get yourself back in front after the first innings it’s very hard to win here.

“We’ve bowled first in the last three Tests where it’s hard to get the ball reversing till really late in the day’s play. Their batsmen have out-batted us as well.”

“There’s no doubt they’ve used the conditions (better), they’ve used the ball, they’ve had a chance to bowl on older wickets.
Harbhajan took four wickets and Mishra three, as well as running out Ricky Ponting, as the tourists dramatically lost their last seven wickets for 59 runs.

Matthew Hayden had given Australia hope by scoring 77 at a healthy rate but he fell to Harbhajan lbw after Mishra had Michael Hussey (19) caught by Rahul Dravid at slip to trigger the collapse.

Hayden had put on 45 for the third wicket with Clarke and 68 for the next with Hussey to force India on to the defensive before Harbhajan struck to regain control of the match.

The fourth Test will also be remembered as being the last one for former skipper Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni’s first as a full-fledged captain. Though, the first victory came for India in the series with Dhoni as stand-in skipper.