For five days our cricketers defied the odds and the experts and outplayed India on their own versions of Test pitches.
Faith in miracles was restored to Australian cricket fans in even greater measure than Langer/Gilchrist versus Pakistan in 1999.
So much so, that with a first innings lead of over 80 in the second Test, talk started on a Test win and retaining the trophy.
However, a defiant partnership on day three from Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane left us with a difficult run chase on a crumbling day four pitch. Still we dreamed.
A promising start and even the loss of the young Matt ‘Rock’ Renshaw didn’t cause alarm. It was time for someone else to step up anyway. Dave Warner looked sharp and with Steve Smith’s presence at the crease, all was well.
The ball ripping, skipping, jumping and shooting made batting tricky but things looked bright.
A little luck going our way and we would get there. An impatient Warner sweep and an ugly ‘umpires call’ decision when the ball clearly appeared to impact the pad outside the line of off stump, then Shaun Marsh walked to the crease, a review lost.
A poor decision when Marsh offered no shot, and Smith’s unwillingness to risk our last review was a major blow, given that Shaun had look so composed in the first innings, making 66.
Still, Pete Handscomb has looked good this series every time he has walked to the crease, without making a big score.
Smith is plumb thanks to a Yadav grubber and our win looks a little shaky. I look at the Indian selectors strengthening their batting line-up with Nair, a Test triple centurion, brought in to bat at six. I look at Mitch Marsh walking out to bat at six and wonder and wonder ‘Oh my God, what have our selectors done?’
Another straight ball missed and Marsh is gone, despite starting confidently. Matt Wade falls quickly. Mitch Starc fails to repeat his Pune heroics, Handscomb’s considerable efforts are in vain and we collapse to fall 70 odd runs short.
Indians are rejoicing in what ended up being a comfortable victory and our players are left wondering how quickly things turned on their head. Such is Test cricket in India.
Dare we continue to hope and dream or do we need to accept that after a five-day glitch in the Indian cricket juggernaut, normal programming has been restored and we won’t again get so close in this series?
Scars are hard to forget for both players and fans alike. So many positives and yet many similarities with 2001. It will be an interesting break now until the third Test, with a huge focus on keeping the dream alive.
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