India crushed Australia by eight wickets to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the fourth day of the fourth Test at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday with Lokesh Rahul hitting an unbeaten half-century. India thus won the four-Test series 2-1 to end the home season on an emphatic note.
As expected, Australia ensured that India didn't have it easy. Murali Vijay (8) endured a tough time before Pat Cummins ended his misery by having him caught behind with a good outswinger with India still 60 runs short of victory. India's highest run scorer in this series, Cheteshwar Pujara, was then run out for a duck with a direct hit from Glenn Maxwell to briefly lift Australia's spirits, but Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane then made sure India didn't have any more hiccups. Rahul scored a solid half-century, his sixth of the series, but it was the whirlwind 38-run knock from the stand-in Indian captain that nailed the series.
Cummins moved around the stumps in an attempt to intimidate Rahane at the start the 20th over and banged his first ball in, but an undeterred Rahane pulled it nonchalantly over midwicket for a stunning six. The next ball was pitched short and wide outside off stump, and anticipating it brilliantly Rahane gave himself room and smashed it over the covers for a six. A gutsy statement was made.
The winning runs came when Rahul moved from 49 to 52 with a whip past midwicket, and both batsmen celebrated the victory animatedly. This victory rounded off India's home season of 13 Tests on a resounding note, and is their fourth in row over Australia at home after 2008/09 (2-0), 2010/11 (2-0) and 2012/13 (4-0).
Bowlers hand India advantage against Australia
A superb display of both pace and spin bowling by the Indians saw Australia losing five wickets in the second session to be in a spot of bother at 92/5 at tea on the third day. Australia have a lead of 60 runs with only Glenn Maxwell as the specialist batsman at the crease. Umesh Yadav gave India the first breakthrough when he had David Warner (6) caught behind by Wriddhiman Saha off a good length delivery. Warner, who was dropped in the previous over by Karun Nair at third slip off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, was all at sea against some hostile bowling by the Indian pacers. This was the sixth time that Umesh dismissed Warner.
Bhuvneshwar then got the prized wicket of Steve Smith when the Australian captain played on a delivery onto his stumps. Smith started off in his innings with his trademark flicks and looked set for another big score till he opted to pull a delivery from outside off stump instead of cutting it. Smith, one short of 500 runs this series, got a bottom edge and the ball went on to hit the stumps.
Matt Renshaw was peppered with short deliveries and such was the intensity by the Indian pacers that the Australian opener was forced to make an error and he was squared up by a brilliant delivery by Umesh that was just short of a length and rose onto the chest to take the edge for Wriddhiman Saha to do the rest.
Peter Handscomb and Maxwell added 56 runs for the fourth wicket before a superb catch by Rahane at first slip broke the resolute stand. The edge induced by Ashwin flew to Rahane's right but the ball stuck in and he used his left to cup it in quickfire time.
Jadeja struck in the next over when he had Shaun Marsh caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg at the stroke of tea. Earlier, Jadeja scored a fine half-century to help India overhaul Australia's first innings lead as the hosts were 332 all out at lunch. Nathan Lyon took 5/92 as India secured a 32-run lead over Australia thanks to Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha.
Pat Cummins tested Jadeja with sheer pace and bounce at the start of Day 3. Jadeja's start was scratchy but he hung in there and gradually got his eye in, fended off Cummins' bouncers and was more than aware to cash in on anything pitched up and came up with an elegant straight drive that went screaming past the fast outfield for four on the first ball of his second over of the day. Jadeja broke the shackles by hitting a six off Nathan Lyon's first over of the day. The Aussies looked clearly rattled and verbals were exchanged first between Josh Hazlewood and Jadeja and then between Wade and Jadeja, who was not the one to stay quiet and gave it back only to be calmed down by the umpires.
Last Test centurion Saha, who was dropped on 9 by Matt Renshaw at first slip off Cummins on Day 2, underlined his importance to the team and reached 1000 Test runs during his match-saving stand with Jadeja. The Aussies could do nothing except show their frustration and a couple of words came from Hazlewood in his follow through.
Jadeja was ably assisted by Saha as the duo added 96 precious runs for the seventh wicket - a stand that clearly frustrated the Aussies as Jadeja went on to score his seventh Test fifty, his second of the series. Cummins gave Jadeja a torrid time with his bouncers but after getting his eye in, the Indian left-hander smashed a four and a six off the short deliveries in one over after getting hit on the helmet.
Jadeja lost his wicket when he edged a Cummins delivery onto his stumps as the Aussie had to come round the wicket for the breakthrough and pulled off a bluff by bowling the wide length ball after bowling short for a long time. Jadeja, expecting a bouncer, went for it without moving his feet away from the body and got a thick inside edge back onto the stumps. Jadeja hit four sixes and four fours in his 63-run knock.
Saha batted with great application and determination to take India to safety before fending off a nasty bouncer from Cummins over second slip for Australian captain Steve Smith to take a brilliant diving catch. Saha scored 31 runs with the help of two boundaries.
Australia made a strong comeback in the last half hour of the session as Lyon registered his ninth five-wicket haul, but India took the lead, however slender it may be.
On day one, debutant Kuldeep Yadav took 4-68 after Steve Smith (111) scored his 20th test hundred to take Australia to 300 runs. He put on 134 runs for the second wicket with David Warner (56). Mathew Wade scored 57 runs. On day two, half-centuries from Rahul (60) and Cheteshwar Pujara (57) shaped the Indian reply even as Australian bowlers tied down the scoring rate. Nathan Lyon finished with 4-67.
Ravichandran Ashwin (3-29) and Ravindra Jadeja (3-24) shared six wickets as Australia collapsed on day three to be all out for 137 in their second innings. Umesh Yadav also took 3-29 after Jadeja had scored his seventh test half-century to help India finish their first innings on 332.
Brief scores: India 332 & 106/2 (Rahul 51*, Rahane 38*: Cummins 1/42) beat Australia (300 & 137) by 8 wickets to win series 2-1
