Test Cricket: India Win Delhi Thriller To Sweep Australia 4-0!

Cheteshwar Pujara (82 not out) and Virat Kohli (41) made the tricky Delhi pitch look easy as they helped India romp home crushing Australia by 6 wickets in the fourth Test match today and India swept the Series 4-0—for the first time against mighty Australia.  They lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2013 after throwing it away in Australia exactly in the reverse manner of a 0-4 drubbing. It was a great moment when the legends Alan Border and Sunil Gavaskar presented the Trophy to the winning captain MS Dhoni.

Cheteshwar Pujara

Justifying his tag as the new ‘wall’ of India Mr. Consistent Pujara played an outstanding unbeaten innings seeing through the end. Virat Kohli who was expected to play a crucial role today gave him perfect company and nearly achieved the target of 155 runs between themselves. The most positive aspect of these two youngsters was that they did not play in fear or in anticipation of the tricky pitch and just batted naturally facing Lyon and Maxwell with authority. They hit boundaries regularly and stole singles at every opportunity racing to 50 in the ninth over and 100 in the twentieth over. The highest run-scorer of the Series Murali Vijay (430 runs) fell to an awkward shot early on and there were a few hiccups when Tendulkar and Rahane followed Kohli in quick succession as if not to rob the suspense out of a genuine thriller. And it was all over within three days. 

Jadeja and Ashwin

On the bowling front, man-of-the-match Ravindra Jadeja delivered a five-wicket haul with some superlative spin bowling foxing the batsmen all the time and nearly achieving a hattrick. Man-of-the-Series Ravichandran Ashwin captured two wickets today taking his tally to an astonishing 29 wickets—the highest of the Series followed by Jadeja with 24 and Nathan Lyon with 15.

Earlier, Lyon got the remaining two Indian wickets out quickly and Australia conceded just 10 lead to India. At that moment the Delhi Test was still anybody’s game. However, Australia failed to live up to the highs achieved yesterday and their batsmen fell in heaps thanks more to the mindset and the fear of the conditions than to batting prowess and application. Fast bowler Peter Siddle again emerged as the only Australian batsman of substance making his second half century of the match. This is enough to prove that the pitch was not exactly a demon that could devour a full batting line-up within two sessions for a paltry 164. At that point too, 12 wickets had fallen for just 170 runs and all the anxiety and tension of the Indian fans was focused on how India would go about it. When they just about relaxed with Pujara and Kohli taking the match away from Australia, wickets started falling. The best Indian captain ever MS Dhoni thought enough was enough and ensured the absolute victory with the resolute Pujara. The Scorecard:

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test Series in India will be remembered for a host of healthy and positive reasons. Team India achieved this whitewash with a lot of promising youngsters and without the greats of Dravid, Laxman, Gambhir and Sehwag; the super comeback of the Indian captain Dhoni with a wonderful double hundred in the Chennai Test; Cheteshwar Pujara double hundred and his record 370 run partnership with Murali Vijay for the second wicket in the Hyderabad Test; the dream debut of Shikhar Dhawan with the fastest debut hundred and his record 289 run opening partnership with Vijay in the Mohlai Test; the Jadeja avatar of a Test all-rounder and a class act of specialist spin bowling by Ashwin and Jadeja. For Australia it’d be better if they forget this Series fast—forget particularly the unprecedented episode of axing key players for team indiscipline—and try coming back to their usual tough and competitive cricket. Australia never had a 0-4 whitewash since 1970 when they suffered this humiliation against South Africa in South Africa.

A long domestic season ends for India that started with a Series win against New Zealand, a shock loss against England and a huge triumph against Australia.  Genuine cricket is over for the moment, the revelers of the game may get ready for IPL-6 that unfolds from 3^rdApril.

Cricket India Vs Australia: Intense Struggle In Delhi Test!

Nathan Lyon

At last when the Series is a foregone conclusion Australia showed today why they were considered the best in cricket not very long ago. With Aussie skipper Michael Clarke having left for home following his back problems, and Shane Watson returning from the disciplinary action plus reaction to take up the leadership, Australia still managed to regroup tremendously and showed intensity both in bowling and in fielding as they have been used to, and they seemed to be back at their aggressive best attacking the Indians in more ways other than strictly cricketing so characteristic with the Australian cricket teams. Call these mind games, sledging, or whatever. The most important thing being they managed to put India on the mat leaving the match wide open on a tricky Delhi pitch.

At stumps on the second day of the fourth cricket Test match between India and Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2013 in Delhi today India had to struggle every inch of the way to finally take a slender lead of 4 runs losing as many as 8 wickets. The dry and turning pitch offered uneven bounce with the odd ball keeping low and the Australian bowlers, Nathan Lyon who took a five haul, Siddle and Mitchell Johnson in particular, bowled their heart out never allowing India to build a partnership except for the opening one between Vijay (57) and Pujara (52). Tendulkar (32), Dhoni (24) and Jadeja (43) had good starts, but could not build on those. Virat Kohli and Rahane, replacement for injured Shikhar Dhawan, flopped miserably to add to the Indian woes. At 266/8, India have no genuine batsman left on the crease to hope rather optimistically for a big lead. Australian spinner Lyon finally mustered the tricks of bowling on Indian turners and his effort had come a little too late.

Australia struggled too on the first day yesterday and at 136/7, the match looked set to get over in three days. However, as in the Mohali Test the eight wicket partnership rescued Australia again with Smith (46) and Siddle (51) fighting it out. The ninth wicket partnership too yielded more than fifty runs thanks to a stubborn 30 by pacer Pattinson. Interestingly, a fast bowler made the only half century of the innings. Australia progressed to a respectable 262 and those runs by the tailenders could prove crucial. Traling 0-3 in the Series Australia consistently won the toss every time though and this toss in Delhi could also prove crucial considering the behavior of the pitch only on the second day. For India Ravichandran Ashwin achieved a five-wicket haul yet again. The Scorecard:

Cricket fans today could not take their eyes off their television sets. This is only to get keener and edgier tomorrow and maybe the day after. Get ready for a Sunday treat. Just anything could happen. Be wise and do not try predicting.

Headlines Of The Day!

Justice Delivered After Twenty Years: The Supreme Court today delivered the final verdict on the convicts for the 1993 Mumbai Serial Blasts (March 12, 1993) case. It upheld the death penalty for the main accused Yakub Memon, converted death into life for a few others and sentenced Bollywood actor of Munnabhai fame Sanjay Dutt to five years of imprisonment. Mumbai reacted in a mixed way--a sense of sadness combined with a feeling of assurance that everybody is equal before the law. Fondly called Sanju Baba, Dutt is to spend about three and half years in prison as he had already served 18 months of imprisonment and will have to surrender withing a month. After twenty long years final justice has been done for a brutal terror act that killed 257 people and changed Mumbai forever transforming it into a permanent terror target.

Anti-Rape Bill Becomes A Law: The upper house of the Indian Parliament, Rajya Sabha today passed the anti-rape Bill and as it was already passed by the Lok Sabha the Bill has become a criminal Law replacing the Ordinance. The Government of India kept its promise and the elected members voted for the much needed change though in poor attendance. Anyway, a new chapter opens today for women safety. 

CBI Raids On DMK Leader: As a huge embarrassment for the ruling coalition the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today raided the residence of a prominent leader of the DMK, the party in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu that withdrew support from the Government on March 19. The timing of the raid raised a political storm with DMK alleging that CBI was being used to 'punish' the party for deserting the coalition. The Prime Minister expressed his unhappiness over the incident and vowed to find out who was behind it. Finance Minister P Chidamabaram too expressed his total disapproval of the raid. 

Elected Representatives In Police Custody: Two of the the 15 elected members of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly who beat up a police officer inside the Assembly on March 19 surrendered to Mumbai Police today. They were put in police custody for a day and are likely to be produced before a court tomorrow. 

India Vs Australia Fourth Test Starts In Delhi: The fourth and the last Test match between India and Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts in Delhi tomorrow. India already pocketing the Trophy with a historic 3-0 lead looks to wrap up a brown-wash of 4-0. While it would be a toss between troubled Clarke and returning Watson for the Australian captaincy India would be without the services of the Mohali hero, Shikhar Dhawan.