India sweep season with fourth series win
A sixth half-century in the series from KL Rahul and a touch of aggression from Ajinkya Rahane finally snuffed out the last of Australia's fight, sealing the series 2-1 for India
A sixth half-century in the series from KL Rahul and a touch of aggression from Ajinkya Rahane finally snuffed out the last of Australia's fight, sealing the series 2-1 for India
Scorer: Thilak Ram | Commentator: Sidharth Monga
11.40am Both Rahane and Kohli collect the Border-Gavaskar trophy from Gavaskar, and then the whole team comes together to pose with it. Kuldeep Yadav carries it to the spot where they pose with the trophy. We leave you with that picture. What a great series this has been. The best since Australia in South Africa in 2013-14. On behalf of everyone who has commentated and scored in the series, we say goodbye
11.15am Don't leave us before the official presentations. They should be on soon.
Can you sum up India's home season in a tweet? Use #SeasonInATweet.
"Unbelievable," says Virat Kohli. "This is our best series win so far. I thought England was intense, but the way Australia gave us a fight it was amazing on their part but our guys kept bouncing back. Shows the character and maturity. Ajinkya led the team really well. The changes we made in our fitness regime have paid off. Guys have been able to sustain the performance throughout the season. In the past we have had sessions where we have given away the game easily. Not this season. Been a team season. Not one or two individuals who have stood out. Unbelievable, the kind of fitness and desire the fast bowlers have shown, it has been game-changing. Still a few weeks to go till I can be 100% on the field. You have to take it in your stride and move forward."
"Really enjoyed it," says Ajinkya Rahane. "Credit to all the boys. Not only this series, but to whoever has played this season. Really happy as a captain. I thought our bowlers, batsmen and fielders, they all did well. We decided at lunch on day one that if we stop their runs and if we take one wicket, we could be back because only Smith and Warner were scoring runs. The way Kuldeep bowled in that session, hats off to him. We knew Kuldeep was bowling really well in the nets. He had an x-factor. We all had the confidence in him. Fantastic to see Umesh and Bhuvnesh and Ishant and Shami, the kind of performances they put in on Indian pitches. In low-scoring games, you just need 30-40 quick runs in the middle. I was thinking of the Galle defeat when we got into our shell. Credit to Australia, they played some good cricket and gave us a fight. This was the best wicket. Good bounc eand pace. The ball turned too. But it was good to bat too if you applied yourself."
"Very good to be the No. 1 Test bowler," says Ravindra Jadeja, the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series and the best bowler in the world right now. "And being part of this champion Test side. When I batted, I was thinking to take my time and then Matthew Wade chirped from behind. That motivated me. If I can respond to him with runs, it will be great. Coaches and captain have been telling me I have the skill to bat long. I developed as a player overall. Some time ago people didn't consider me a Test bowler. This season is a good response to them. Ashwin and I maintain pressure from both ends. The variation of offspinner and left-arm spinner also works well. Hopefully we can continue this outside India too. I will try to get to a hundred next time, and celebrate with two bats as swords."
"Magnificent series," says Steven Smith. "One of the best I have been a part of. Credit to India, they are a fantastic cricket side, particularly in their backyard. If you give them a sniff, they will take that. For Australia, this is the toughest conditions for us. To challenge them so much, I am proud. The middle session yesterday, when you lose five for 70, you put yourself behind. Credit to India. Umesh was fantastic. They have all been fantastic. A lot of people wrote us off. They said it was going to be a 4-0 whitewash. I am proud of the way we have competed. We have probably let a few moments slip. Against India you can't do that. What an amazing ground. The wicket was a good one. Pace and bounce, that's what we like. It suited spinners as well. If you are willing to bat time, you can get runs. I have been pretty intense throughout this series. I really wanted to do well for the team. At times I have been in my own bubble and have let my emptions slip. I apologise for that."
10.51am Rahane takes a stump out. He is calm here. Rahul has shown excitement, but he has deserved it. This series has been the making of Rahul the Test batsman. Rahane and Smith have a long chat. Friendly chat. Both have smiles on their faces. The Indian team walks on to the ground to shake the hands of the Australian players and the umpires. Exceptional series win after so much tension over the last 40 days or so. Captain Rahane is not letting that stump go. He has been astute with his tactics and field placements on the field. For the moment, hostilities have been forgotten. India now have won in all their last series against every Test team. Six months later, India have won 10 Tests, drawn two and lost one in this long home season. The only Test they lost came on a rank turner, which means India can feel really proud of this home season. Winning on good pitches, winning despite lost tosses, they have always had that one extra performer who is fit and strong and skilful enough to win them the big moment. Four choices for Man of the Series: Jadeja, Smith, Pujara, Rahul. Tough call there
"Fantastic series," says Cheteshwar Pujara. "Especially after the disappointment of the first Test. We probably wanted to win 3-1, but we are happy with 2-1. The way the fast bowlers bowled in the second innings was fabulous. We have been having good partnerships. I just told him we didn't want to to lose wickets in the first session on day two even if we didn't get runs. We knew if we didn't lose wickets, we could score big. The run rate was not that important. I would like to keep going if there were a few matches. I really enjoyed this home season, and hope to continue next season."
"After Pune, I knew I couldn't play my shots, it was a big restriction," says KL Rahul. "I love to play my shots, dominate the spinners, but I had to play a different game. Pretty disappointed I couldn't convert, but right now nothing else matters. Here I took a few knocks on the body. All I was telling myself, take a few hits for the team. I don't know what else was running in my mind. The way Jinks came out and started hitting Cummins for sixes... He just came out and said I am going to dominate."
"I just told myself this is the last Test of the season and I have to show what I have got," says Umesh Yadav. "Knowing this is the last game, I just gave it my all. Just trying hard to do something special for the team. Special for me too. This kind of spells come rarely. Thankful to Sanjay Bangar bhai. He keeps telling me these are my strong points, and asks me to keep bowling there."
"Yesterday was really special. The game in balance, and Umesh blasting them away," says R Ashwin. "I have been battling injuries this series, thanks to the physio and the support staff to get me up. Jaddu and I have been hand in glove all season. When we bowl in tandem, it has been great. Credit needs to be given to Jaddu, he gives me the cushion to try different things."
"Fantastic." says Anil Kumble. "We spoke about it that we will take one series at a time, one match at a time, one session at a time. To come back from 1-0 down, when you could see there were tired bodies around, it was brilliant. Rahane led the team brilliantly after losing the toss. The fast bowlers throughout the season have bowled brilliantly. The positives have been adapting to conditions. We have had almost 25 players starting from West Indies. All 25 have stood up in different conditions. Even the new home venues, we didn't know how those pitches would behave. Everybody put his hand up. The one area we need to improve is catching. Jaddu was brilliant through the season. He has always been in the shadows, but he has now come out of it. With this kind of line-up, with the lower-order contributions, I don't see any reason why we can't win abroad."
Only four required now. India one shot from a great series win. Field is up
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Steven Smith has pointed out that despite losing the series, he is impressed with how his side, particularly Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins, have fared in unfavourable conditions