Australia were denied a dramatic
victory and forced to
settle for a 2-0 series win
when India survived a nervous
final session to force a
draw in the fourth Test at
the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Steve Smith’s side were
aggressive to the very last
ball but unable to break the
eighth wicket pairing of
Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar
Kumar and grab
a third win to go with those
they achieved in Adelaide
and Brisbane.
The tourists, who were
handed a victory target of
349 when Australia declared
on their overnight score of
251-6, collapsed from 160-2
at tea to 217-7 but Virat
Kohli had promised his
team would never
throw in the towel and
they were true to his word.
They had reached 252-7
when Australia ran out of
overs in the early evening
gloom. “It would have been
nice to have got the win
today,” said Smith.
There was a period around
the tea break when Kohli
and opener Murali Vijay
flirted with going for the
victory, which would have
smashed the previous
record for a successful
fourth innings run chase in
a Test at the ground. Once
their third wicket partnership
was broken with the
departure of Vijay for 80,
however, it was damage limitation
all the way as Kohli
(46), the luckless Suresh
Raina (0), Wriddhiman Saha
(0) and Ravichandran Ashwin
(1) all quickly followed.
That the last three were all
out leg before wicket was an
indication that the pitch
was finally producing some
turn and movement after
being something of a batsman’s
paradise for much of
the match.
It was also fitting reward
for Australia’s bowlers, particularly
paceman Josh
Hazlewood and spinner
Nathan Lyon, who had
bowled with discipline and
accuracy in the first two sessions
without being able to
claim more than two wickets.
The field closed in
around Rahane (38 not out)
and Kumar (20 not out) with
often just one Australian
outside the cordon but the
Indian batsmen held firm to
secure a second successive
draw after the Boxing Day
Test in Melbourne.
Run-Smith
Given the lack of success for
both sides in each other’s
countries in recent years,
that could be considered
something of an achievement
for India. With 5,870
runs scored by both sides, it
featured more runs than
any other four-match Test
series with Smith (769) and
Kohli (682) leading the way
with four centuries apiece.
Both got their fourth in
Sydney, Smith’s 117 leading
his side to their imposing
first innings tally of 572-
7 declared and Kohli’s 147
the gel in India’s 475.
India learned yet again,
however, that you cannot
win Tests in Australia without
disciplined and accurate
pace bowling to take 20
wickets, however strong a
batting line-up you possess.
Smith has clearly marked
himself out as permanent
Test captain when Michael
Clarke’s back finally forces
him out of the game, even if
he will return to the ranks
for next month’s 50-over
World Cup
victory and forced to
settle for a 2-0 series win
when India survived a nervous
final session to force a
draw in the fourth Test at
the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Steve Smith’s side were
aggressive to the very last
ball but unable to break the
eighth wicket pairing of
Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar
Kumar and grab
a third win to go with those
they achieved in Adelaide
and Brisbane.
The tourists, who were
handed a victory target of
349 when Australia declared
on their overnight score of
251-6, collapsed from 160-2
at tea to 217-7 but Virat
Kohli had promised his
team would never
throw in the towel and
they were true to his word.
They had reached 252-7
when Australia ran out of
overs in the early evening
gloom. “It would have been
nice to have got the win
today,” said Smith.
There was a period around
the tea break when Kohli
and opener Murali Vijay
flirted with going for the
victory, which would have
smashed the previous
record for a successful
fourth innings run chase in
a Test at the ground. Once
their third wicket partnership
was broken with the
departure of Vijay for 80,
however, it was damage limitation
all the way as Kohli
(46), the luckless Suresh
Raina (0), Wriddhiman Saha
(0) and Ravichandran Ashwin
(1) all quickly followed.
That the last three were all
out leg before wicket was an
indication that the pitch
was finally producing some
turn and movement after
being something of a batsman’s
paradise for much of
the match.
It was also fitting reward
for Australia’s bowlers, particularly
paceman Josh
Hazlewood and spinner
Nathan Lyon, who had
bowled with discipline and
accuracy in the first two sessions
without being able to
claim more than two wickets.
The field closed in
around Rahane (38 not out)
and Kumar (20 not out) with
often just one Australian
outside the cordon but the
Indian batsmen held firm to
secure a second successive
draw after the Boxing Day
Test in Melbourne.
Run-Smith
Given the lack of success for
both sides in each other’s
countries in recent years,
that could be considered
something of an achievement
for India. With 5,870
runs scored by both sides, it
featured more runs than
any other four-match Test
series with Smith (769) and
Kohli (682) leading the way
with four centuries apiece.
Both got their fourth in
Sydney, Smith’s 117 leading
his side to their imposing
first innings tally of 572-
7 declared and Kohli’s 147
the gel in India’s 475.
India learned yet again,
however, that you cannot
win Tests in Australia without
disciplined and accurate
pace bowling to take 20
wickets, however strong a
batting line-up you possess.
Smith has clearly marked
himself out as permanent
Test captain when Michael
Clarke’s back finally forces
him out of the game, even if
he will return to the ranks
for next month’s 50-over
World Cup
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