The Australian cricketers went down to defeat in their Test series with India, with the final score being 2 – 1.
The Indians took possession of the Border – Gavaskar trophy that seemed to be well within the Aussies’ grasp in the early stages of the series.
There was some high quality cricket played, but the defining characteristic of the Test was the controversy that seemed to provide endless distractions.
Even though they lost, the Australians gained some momentum and confidence following summer that raised all manner of questions about the country’s commitment.
The bright side for the Aussies is that they were given no chance of being competitive and many tippers predicted a 4 – 0 whitewashing from India. It was, however, the ninth consecutive time they have failed in Asian Tests.
One bright spot was the spin bowlers, particularly Nathan Lyon, who salvaged the sides’ hopes at one juncture and finished this tour with 19 wickets at 25.26 and Steve O’Keefe gather 19 as well.
It would seem that it was the batting that failed the Australians, as only Steve Smith seemed to be able to score runs, winding up with 499 runs, agonizingly short of the nice round number of 500.
The rest of the batting order struggled no end, with four of the top six averaging below 30.
The conditions of the Indian pitches obviously played a role, but excuses do not suffice, as both sides played on the same oval.
