Life’s a pitch: victory came with a flat feeling
India knew early on it couldn’t get what it wanted. Australia went the distance without capturing what it needed.
• Smith, Burns blast Australia into box seat
• It’s time to acknowledge Virat Kohli
A generally excellent Border-Gavaskar series deserved a soaring conclusion. So many days over the past month have been poised at their commencement and more than a few followed though.
Nice job: Warner and Rogers at the close. Photo: Getty
But not this one. A disappointing SCG pitch probably wasn’t entitled to stage such a finale at any rate.
Needing a repeat of his First Test heroics, Nathan Lyon could conjure only two fourth innings wickets.
Ravi Ashwin had given a hint that a spin bowler might become unplayable on the wearing surface. While Lyon created uncertainty, he couldn’t parlay it into something more menacing.
His Adelaide rout remains the exception rather than the rule.
Australia’s bowling took India out of the game in the opening session.
After the necessary period of occupation, Murali Vijay started to threaten. He advanced and deposited Lyon into the crowd at mid-wicket. After 41 minutes the intent was sounded.
But Ryan Harris probed the weaker link. First innings centurion Lokesh Rahul never looked comfortable. Trapped in a maiden over, Harris had the youngster unsuccessfully attempt a smearing drive to escape the restraint. It was a false and telling swish.
The next over Lyon tidied Rahul up, as he got a ball to touch both gloves and was caught in close by Dave Warner.
Rohit Sharma barely survived the next delivery as he overstretched and was in the closest of photo finishes in a dozen stumping replays. The jitters were in.
Smith cannily introduced Josh Hazlewood and the tall right-armer combined with Lyon to send down 38 scoreless deliveries.
That period of strangulation ensured there would be no historic 349-run chase. It was the sort of phase from which the Australians would have expected rapid inroads.
Nathan Lyon grabbed a couple of late wickets. Photo: Getty
But what India did from there spoke of a team that has made substantial gains in its time on these shores.
It’s been easy to focus on the moments in which India vague out. You could pinpoint them in each of the four Tests. On every occasion it cost them their place in running. Australia, in home conditions, capitalised.
But there is more to this next incarnation of the Indian Test team than such foibles.
Virat Kohli, whose team this is now, speaks of character and intent. You could repeatedly see such traits also.
India batted determinedly and competently through an entire day five in Sydney to achieve a draw. That alone is meritorious.
Australia dared it to collapse late in the piece. Where it lost eight final session wickets in Adelaide, that halted at five this time.
Yet Kohli was left disappointed they couldn’t get into a position from which to launch a run at victory. Character and intent.
At the conclusion of hostilities, the two commanding forces of the series shook hands. It was an ironclad contract of the battles that lie ahead between Kohli and Smith.
For now Australia should feel both pride and accomplishment in its series win. No one could truly have known how a group of grief-stricken young men would meet the task.
Warner’s centuries at the Adelaide Oval and SCG were wondrous feats of will and tribute. As was noted, it’s one thing to resolve such a response but quite another to bring it to being.
The opener’s worth is beyond reproach and he’s not even the best batsman in the side. Smith’s graduation has been astounding and delightful.
They are two hefty bedrocks in most interesting times.
Where the mind wanders to the winter Ashes it is riddled with questions.
Is handing the team back to Michael Clarke halting progress? How much of a grueling series could he withstand?
Who will bat at three for surely it won’t be Shane Watson in England?
Do two all-rounders – Watson and Mitch Marsh – play in the same first-choice team?
Will Mitch Johnson terrorise in the manner that wrenched the urn but was absent for much of this summer?
The pace bowling stocks are thick but inexperienced so what’s the right combination to handle the Dukes?
And given his addition to the Test squad is Ashton Agar threatening Lyon?
Beyond the tours of the West Indies and England, when Australia next don the creams here, it will need an opener to succeed Chris Rogers, in all likelihood a bowler to replace Ryan Harris and quite possibly a wicketkeeper to follow Brad Haddin.
When ultimately this becomes Smith’s team it will be a most different Australia from the one he just marshalled.