India got a taste of its own medicine as Australia — riding on captain Steven Smith’s second innings hundred and left-arm spinner Stephen O’Keefe’s second six-wicket haul of the match — completed a crushing 333-run win on a rank turner, with almost seven sessions to spare, to take the lead in the four-match series.
So comprehensive was Australia’s victory that Virat Kohli’s men — coming into the Test on a high of a 19-Test unbeaten streak — got a reality check in the worst possible manner as they were outdone in all three departments of the game.
It reflected in the fact that Australia’s last six wickets piled on 142 runs in 129 minutes before the visitors were bowled out for 285, setting India a near-impossible target of 441.
Spin sweep
In reply, India lasted just 125 minutes and 33.5 overs — 6.2 overs fewer than its first essay — to concede all ten wickets to the spin duo of O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon. India’s match aggregate of 212 runs was the worst ever for any team after losing 20 wickets on Indian soil.
Smith, dropped thrice on the second evening, continued to enjoy his bout of fortune as Ajinkya Rahane at leg-slip dropped the inside edge off R. Ashwin’s bowling when he was on 67.
However, despite the chances he created, Smith’s courageous knock — his fifth consecutive hundred in as many Tests against India — was full of flair. He tackled India’s spin triumvirate really well, even pulling off the sweep shot — not his go-to stroke usually — at will.
By the time he missed a pull off a quicker one from Ravindra Jadeja, the Australia captain had raised his 18th Test ton and in the company of Mitchell Starc — had ensured India would have to create a world record if it was to win the match.
For the second day in succession, India’s batsmen just couldn’t cope with tidy spin, with O’Keefe yet again running through the middle order.
The left-arm spinner was introduced into the attack in the fifth over, after Mitchell Starc had bowled a maiden to each opener. And O’Keefe took just five balls to strike, rapping Vijay — dropped at forward short-leg off Lyon earlier – on to the pads.
Review fiasco
In the next over, K.L. Rahul had no answer to one from Lyon that turned in. With both the openers opting for a review, India had not only lost their wickets but even the two reviews, inside the first six overs.
The onus was naturally on stayer Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli to stretch the match into the fourth day. However, Kohli shouldered arms to a straight one from O’Keefe to let the Australian camp burst into wild celebrations and force a majority of the 15,763 spectators towards the exit.
Pujara then had an ally in Ajinkya Rahane for the next 22 minutes until Rahane lobbed a drive off O’Keefe straight to Lyon at covers. In the next over, O’Keefe rapped Ashwin on to the pads before repeating the act four overs later to leave India reeling at 99 for six at tea.
It took just 18 minutes after the break for Lyon to wipe off the tail and and trigger a cheerful team huddle. While the two Yadavs — Jayant and Umesh — waited for ages to shake the hands, the duo, along with the rest of their teammates, would have realised that the final stretch of its long home season is going to be far from being a cakewalk.
By the numbers
This is Australia’s first Test win in Asia since August 2011. In its previous 11 Tests in Asia it lost nine and drew two.
The last time Australia won a Test in India, there was no Twitter, no Instagram and no WhatsApp.
This is the third instance of a bowler having identical figures in both innings (five plus wickets).
The previous two were B.S. Chandrasekhar’s six for 52 (vs Australia in Melbourne, 1977-78) and Intikhab Alam’s five for 91 (vs New Zealand at Dhaka in the erstwhile East Pakistan, 1969).
India has previously been bowled out twice for scores of less than 150 in a home Test, both against Australia.
The first was in Kolkata in 1956 (136 in both innings) and in Chennai (1960, 149 and 138).
Virat Kohli’s 13 runs in the match is his lowest in a home Test having batted in both innings.
With 212 runs in 74 overs, it represents the lowest match aggregate for India in a home Test losing all 20 wickets and also the least overs faced.
