The Test was at stake when Mitchell Marsh positioned himself under the swirling ball at deep mid-wicket.
The Aussie, with the weight of expectations descending on him, closed his hands over the ball. His teammates, bowler Nathan Lyon included, gambolled towards him in celebration.
Virat Kohli looked despondent at the crease; his magnificent 141 of aggression, innovation and sheer brilliance on a wearing last day track had come to an end.
This was the decisive moment of an outstanding first Test on a pulsating fifth day at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday. A resurgent Australia — doing it for its 13th man Phillip Hughes — emerged victorious by 48 runs. Australia leads the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series 1-0.
Bold declaration
It was a day when you admired the bold Australian declaration and marvelled at the spirit of a young Indian line-up on the chase.
You also lauded some outstanding bowling by off-spinner Lyon, who added seven wickets to his first innings tally of five, and acknowledged the technical attributes behind opener Murali Vijay’s battling 99.
Yet, as the fascinating Test unfolded on a decisive day of fortune swings, it was an opportunity lost for India.
Going to tea at 205 for two, pursuing 364, India held the aces. The side went on to lose the match from there as Australia staged a dramatic comeback.
As wickets tumbled in a tumultuous final session, India had no option but to go for strokes since some of its present batsmen and the tail simply did not possess the defensive skills to save a Test when the ball turned and bounced for Lyon.
In other words, India had no plan ‘B’ to bat out the overs once its key batsmen were dismissed.
Credit to Australia that held its nerve once skipper Michael Clarke departed after lunch with a hamstring injury.
Stand-in captain Brad Haddin — despite a frustrating wicket-less session between lunch and tea where India added 100 runs — kept attacking fields for both Kohli and Vijay.
The Aussies were willing to trade runs for wickets. The gamble worked.
Once Vijay went back to a sharp Lyon off-spinner and was trapped leg-before — the dismissal ended the 185-run third-wicket association between him and Kohli — Australia opened up one end. The host, then, made serious inroads.
The Aussies were, however, fortunate when Ajinkya Rahane was adjudged caught at short-leg off Lyon when the ball went off his pad.
A struggling Rohit Sharma was consumed by Lyon; the Aussie bowled a teasing outside-the-off-stump line. Wriddhiman Saha’s brief blitzkrieg ended with a rash waltz that lacked common sense. Then the gallant Kohli fell to a miscued pull.
With Man-of-the-Match Lyon from one end and the Australian pacemen from the other applying pressure, the resistance from the lower-order ended swiftly. Before he departed, Kohli conjured what must rank as a great fifth day Test innings. His confidence borders on brashness, but Kohli has a truckload of self-belief.
Brilliant knock
He was astonishing in the manner he played on a deteriorating surface. He used his feet, manoeuvred his hands to produce extraordinary strokes such as the flat-batted slap past covers off a Lyon off-spinner on this track.
Lyon was also wristed with power by Kohli over long-on, swept, and swung. Kohli created strokes out of nothing even as he performed the feat of scoring a century in each innings in his first Test as captain.
Travelling deep into his crease, Kohli often shortened the length against Lyon. On occasion Lyon went round the wicket, Kohli opened his stance slightly to counter the angle and give himself greater room on the leg-side.
When Johnson pitched short, he pulled and guided the ball through slips. Ryan Harris was blasted through covers.
Vijay handled Johnson’s pace and lift with sound back-foot play — his feet and mind were in harmony.
When Harris pounded in from round the wicket, Vijay left the delivery alone in typical fashion. The opener employed the sweep against Lyon. When Lyon, consequently, pitched shorter, Vijay cut him past the ropes.
The opener, on 85, was put down at short cover by Marsh off Johnson.
The Vijay-Kohli association — the two joined forces after a confident-looking Cheteshwar Pujara prodded at and nicked a Lyon delivery outside off — was a period of Indian dominance. Eventually, Lyon and Australia fought back.
Umpiring errors
It was a day of umpiring errors, too. Shikhar Dhawan was adjudged caught when a Johnson lifter went off his shoulder. Vijay was fortunate on 24 when he padded up to Lyon; replays showed the ball hitting the stumps.
Scoreboard
Australia — 1st innings: 517 for seven decl.
India — 1st innings: 444.
Australia — 2nd innings: 290 for five decl.
India — 2nd innings: M. Vijay lbw b Lyon 99 (234b, 10x4, 2x6), S. Dhawan c Haddin b Johnson 9 (8b, 1x4), C. Pujara c Haddin b Lyon 21 (38b, 4x4), V. Kohli c Marsh b Lyon 141 (175b, 16x4, 1x6), A. Rahane c Rogers b Lyon 0 (5b), Rohit c Warner b Lyon 6 (18b, 1x4), W. Saha b Lyon 13 (10b, 1x4, 1x6), Karn (not out) 4 (20b), M. Shami c Johnson b Harris 5 (10b, 1x4), V. Aaron lbw b Johnson 1 (3b), Ishant st. Haddin b Lyon 1 (2b); Extras (b-5, lb-8, w-2): 15; Total (in 87.1 overs): 315.
Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Dhawan), 2-57 (Pujara), 3-242 (Vijay), 4-242 (Rahane), 5-277 (Rohit), 6-299 (Saha), 7-304 (Kohli), 8-309 (Shami), 9-314 (Aaron).
Australia bowling: Johnson 16-2-45-2, Harris 19-6-49-1, Lyon 34.1-5-152-7, Siddle 9-3-21-0, Watson 2-0-6-0, Smith 3-0-18-0, Marsh 4-1-11-0.
