And so it comes down to the final Test match between India and Australia to decide who wins the series.
Given this Aussie side was given nary a chance, it’s quite the achievement for the Australian side.
There have been so many sub-plots in the series, you’d almost expect JR Ewing or the White Walkers to suddenly appear.
But is winning one game and drawing another enough? Are they happy to be the Lou Ferrigno of the cricket world, or would they rather be the Steven Bradbury?
Ahead of the last Test, here are the issues that are most worrying.
David Warner
With 131 runs for the series at 21.8 and a top score of 38, Warner has re-enforced his reputation as something of a John Farnham: dominates in Australia, unknown outside it.
Can ‘Whispering Dave’ find the pitch and understand it? Make some runs and make them clean?
Probably not.
It may be time to re-think Warner’s place as vice-captain of the side. There are clearly some youngsters available who are more likely to be captain, so could use the experience, and it may free him up to focus on his next hit(s).
Also, you don’t really need a vice-captain with Steve Smith as skipper. If the players follow his lead, there won’t be enough practice balls available on Earth for what comes next.
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Cordial
The Australian side was in the field for 210 overs at Ranchi, with Steve O’Keefe sending down 77 of them, Josh Hazlewood 44 and Pat Cummins (taking a break between injuries) 39.
Some of the batsmen didn’t have it so easy either. Smith faced 361 balls in the first innings and Glenn Maxwell 185. In the second innings, Peter Handscomb faced 200 balls and Shaun Marsh 197.
That’s a lot of time in the Indian sun doing sport.
Given the short turn-around between the third and fourth Tests, it’s unlikely that the Australian team will be 100 per cent fit for the game. Cummins is a particular injury concern, given he’s due after playing one Test and that he looked like the only one who could take a wicket for long parts of the Ranchi Test.
Mitch Johnson famously spoke of how much cordial he drank during a day to keep running in and bowling at top speed. Does the Australian team have access to sufficient levels of cordial, and what are the risks around Type B diabetes?
Philosophy
After the Ranchi Test, Smith was quoted as saying that “if there’s anything called momentum, it’s with us”. This is surprising and uncharacteristically existential coming from Smith.
Has the captain suddenly discovered philosophy while in India? Is he staying up at night reading about energy (chakras) and how it can be tapped into or aligned with a group of men drinking cordial?
Is Australia going to look to focus its chi to get through the last Test, or leave it for the universe to decide?
Make no mistake, this isn’t about mental disintegration, we are in new territory here.
Shaun Marsh
With his brother out, Shaun had taken the mantel of ‘least respected cricketer’ in the team, despite Matthew Wade being in it.
Shaun proved his abilities once again in his last innings, scoring 53 runs and soaking up 197 precious deliveries.
There has never been any doubt about his talent, but equally there has never been any doubt about his consistency.
Will Marsh fire again in the last Test to help Australia win? You wouldn’t put a bet on it. Will he stay in the Test team for the Ashes series? You’d probably put the house on it.
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