Australia were 175 for 2 in 78.1 overs in their second innings, with an 84-run lead, when the two teams agreed to a draw. In the last four series, India has defeated Australia by an identical 2-1 margin: in 2017 (home), 2018-19 (away), 2020-21 (away), and now 2023 at home.
It was a ‘Memorable Monday’ for India as a country in both the performing arts and sports, with ‘RRR’s song ‘Natu Natu’ winning the Oscar for best song and Elephant Whisperers winning the Oscar for best documentary. Cricket had been added to the list of global accomplishments by the afternoon, and now Rohit Sharma would like to break the decade-long ICC Trophy jinx.
With only two completed innings in four days and a featherbed of a track that former Australian opener Mark Waugh sarcastically said could host a 22-day Test match, an outcome favouring either side was almost impossible.
The Indian team may be pleased with back-to-back WTC final qualification, but head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Sharma will be well aware that Australia will be a different proposition in the final, where the track will almost certainly not help the Indian spinners as it did in the first three Tests at home.
In England, India will have to rely on a single spinner, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, if he is not injured. However, the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant will hurt them far more in England than it would have in India, where spinners did the majority of the work in favourable conditions.
Kona Bharat (101 runs in four Tests) isn’t cut out for elite cricket, and as a wicketkeeper he struggled against turning deliveries as well as wobbly seamers. He dropped three catches on the day, and having him as a keeper-batter in England is a risk that the Indian team’s management cannot afford.
KL Rahul’s form failed him miserably, but he made two significant gains that will boost the Indian team’s confidence. Nobody would have predicted that Axar Patel (264 runs) would end up as the team’s No. 2 run getter behind Virat Kohli (297 runs) with three half-centuries in four games at the start of the series.
His batting has greatly improved, but less than five wickets in a four-Test series where he was grossly under-bowled does not reflect his abilities. The Indian spin attack’s limitations against a batting belter were also exposed. Ashwin had a fantastic first innings, taking six wickets and finishing with the most wickets (25) in the series.
When the going got tough, Ashwin looked by far the best spinner, but the same couldn’t be said for Jadeja and Patel, who looked pedestrian and slightly out of sync the moment the surface had nothing to offer.
