MOHALI: Australia has officially surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Then again, given the tourists’ plight in the third Test and this series, they may as well have knocked on the door of the Indian dressing room at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium and handed it over well before the final hour on Monday.
Even had Australia somehow conspired to miraculously save the match in a tense ending to the fifth day the silverware was already gone. As it turned out, India just snuck home anyway, winning by six wickets
as the reached the victory target of 133 with 15 balls to spare. But not before a limited-overs style finale that threatened to get nerve-wracking until MS Dhoni slugged Mitchell Starc for three boundaries in an over to seal it.
The defeat was nowhere near as severe as the innings thrashing in Hyderabad a fortnight ago but taking into account the wash-out on day one it was still effected inside four days.
An unassailable 3-0 series triumph secures India the trophy they so meekly gave up two summers ago in Australia, when they were themselves annihilated 4-0.
If the reverse occurs with another Indian win in the fourth Test in Delhi, starting on Friday, this will be the first Australian team to be whitewashed in a series of three or more Tests since Kim Hughes’ party was beaten 3-0 in Pakistan in 1982.
The task to avoid that ignominy will be even tougher if Clarke is unable to overcome the back injury that has troubled him again in Mohali and lead the team at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in the capital later this week.
He contributed 18 as Australia was bowled out for 223 in their second innings on Monday but the concern around him was not the score but how sore he clearly was.
The captain has for years suffered from disc problems in his lower back and now they have surfaced again – having hurt himself in the warm-up on Sunday – Australia may have to do without their leading
batsman and skipper in Delhi.
They will have vice-captain Shane Watson and fast bowler James Pattinson back in the picture after their suspensions in Mohali, along with Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja, for a breach of team discipline.
Watson’s return to the touring party was conveniently announced on Monday, the day after Clarke had incurred his injury. The vice-captain is light on captaincy experience for a start, but had he not flown back from Sydney, where his wife last week gave birth to their first child, it was anyone’s guess who would be the next in line as captain.
Brad Haddin stood in for Clarke while he was off the field for treatment in Mohali but he will be replaced by first-choice wicketkeeper Matthew Wade in Delhi. Beyond that there is an undeniable leadership vacuum. Ed Cowan, with only 16 Tests behind him, is the only one with substantial experience of calling the shots, and that was only on an Australia A tour of England last year.
There will have to be at least another change to accommodate the return of Watson.
Philip Hughes will hope he is not the casualty but he could have done without a dodgy umpiring decision on Monday. Two days ago Hughes was as good as history, as least on this tour, but a gutsy 69 breathed some life into a personal campaign that was on its death bed.
Hughes has largely been his own worst enemy against India but he could not be fingered for the manner of his exit on Monday. Instead, the man pointing his finger, umpire Aleem Dar, was to blame, as was a perpetual foe: the Indian board’s opposition to decision-review technology. The 24-year-old was given out leg-before to Ravi Ashwin but replays showed the ball pitched on middle and leg stump and, barring a scientific breakthrough, was missing leg clearly.
Starc finished as Australia’s highest run-scorer of the match, batting at No.9, after adding 35 to the 99 he made in the first innings.
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