India vs Australia: Ashwin, Pujara and other players that shone

Not always are they the most pleasent once but certainly there are some interesting nuggets.

While Starc, Hazlewood and Marsh actually bowled a line targeting the stumps more often (32.63%) than Ishant and Umesh did (25.00%), they also drifted down the leg side more frequently (12.91% compared to 7.57%). Naturally, Ashwin and the rest of the boys were ecstatic at the team’s phenomenal comeback in the series, and the off-spinner took to Twitter to share a candid moment he’d shared with pacer Ishant Sharma after the win.

Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane showed, even when Kohli doesn’t score too many runs, India can get the necessary score on the board. Starc, pumped up after the breakthrough, swung one in to disturb Nair’s furniture.

Pujara (92 off 221) and Wriddhiman Saha (20 no off 37) shifted gears and secured some bonus runs for India.

Despite suffering a huge batting collapse themselves in their second innings (274 all out), the hosts recovered after setting a tricky target of 188 to reduce Australia’s line-up to cinders thanks to a top-notch, all-round performance with the ball. Though he remains guilty of throwing away his wicket on both occasions, Rahul did enough to earn the Man of the Match award.

Umesh also dismissed Shaun Marsh leg before for nine, when he padded a delivery outside the off stump.

Pujara had some luck, with a chance going to ground right in front of a fielder early on day four and having an lbw decision overturned on review, but his 221-ball innings kept India in contention. The batsman would have been saved if he had reviewed the verdict with replays showing the ball was missing the wicket. Later Smith spoke about the confusion. “I have a lot of respect for Steven Smith, but that was very very surprising”. I am proud of the way the boys played it. It was that sort of match: wickets fell in quick succession and momentum was hard to stop.

The tourists were 48 clear when they resumed on 237-6 and started steadily, but Mitchell Starc, who successfully reviewed when given out caught behind, swept Ravichandran Ashwin (2-84) to Jadeja at deep midwicket for 26. The Australians were 101-6 by tea after a awful session, and Ashwin wrapped up the tail quickly in the evening session to complete a memorable victory.

The gangly off-spinner Ashwin is widely regarded as the finest bowler in the game today and proved the hype around him is justified with a stellar display that left the Australian batsmen twisting and turning but unable to defend his deliveries.