This was a day for purists to rejoice and fans around the world to revel in the knowledge that Test cricket remains capable of the most compelling drama in sport.
Unfortunately, all that was good about the longest format was confined to Christchurch and New Zealand’s epic final-ball win over Sri Lanka; the parallel match between India and Australia in Ahmedabad, meanwhile, provided a timely reminder that the greatest threat to Test cricket is itself.
When matches of such high-octane drama as the previous three Tests of this Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and such thrilling finishes as the two most recent matches in New Zealand, are held so fresh in the memory, the dire, lifeless nature of the series finale, and a fifth day as mind-numbingly dull as the four preceding it, seem even more egregious in comparison.
Yes, the pitches provided in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore were widely criticised for being overly bowler-friendly; but this was the first offering for the series that truly disgraced the sport and those who tune in to watch it.
The score was at 2/175 off 78 overs before Steve Smith and Rohit Sharma opted to call things off at the earliest possible point; blessed relief for players, umpires, fans and those watching from around the world.
India, as it happens, claim the series 2-1, while Australia can head home with plenty of positives after a tour on which they got better with every passing match; by the end, though, so mind-numbing was the action on offer that you could be forgiven for not seeing it through to the final ball.
While Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner were hustling through for the winning bye in the lengthening shadows on the South Island, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head were guiding Australia first to safety in the match, and then filling their boots with some of the easiest runs either of them will ever score at the highest level.
The first wicket, and one of only two for the day before Smith and Sharma put everyone out of their misery shortly after tea, to fall was that of nightwatchman Matt Kuhnemann. The fact he would have been reprieved had he and Head not been gun-shy about potentially wasting a challenge on a tailender tells you all you need to know about the risk posed to the batters at a time when conditions should be at their toughest.
Once more, it was all Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, two of the greatest spinners India have ever produced, could do to prevent the runs from flowing freely; Ashwin in particular will bowl many poorer spells for greater reward than the 20 overs that yielded 46 runs and the wicket of Kuhnemann in Australia’s second innings.
Steve Smith of Australia and Rohit Sharma of India shake hands to end the fourth Test. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
An injured Usman Khawaja, comfortably Australia’s premier batter this series, never even looked remotely like being required; the only close shout after Kuhnemann’s fall in the first session came when Head survived an LBW appeal off Ashwin thanks to an umpire’s call verdict on whether the ball would have hit the stumps.
Credit, however asterisked, must be given to the composure Head and Labuschagne showed at the crease throughout the day; with nothing to lose and everything to gain out of the day, a collapse reminiscent of England’s famous capitulation on an Adelaide Day 5 belter in the 2006/07 Ashes was simply never going to happen.
Head, for the most part, reigned in his usual attacking instincts to blunt the bowlers into submission; while more than half his runs were compiled in boundaries, they were drops in an ocean of patient defensive shots and leaves en route to a well-deserved maiden half-century in India.
It won’t be his last, though he will be furious to have fallen just ten runs short of a century, Axar Patel finding spin from somewhere to beat his attempted drive on the inside edge and splatter his stumps.
Labuschagne, too, seemed to have a point to prove after mustering just two on this abomination of a pitch in Australia’s first innings, gliding and punching his way to an effortless half-century, also his first of the series.
A thick Steve Smith edge eluded KS Bharat’s gloves to deny Patel a second wicket – and stop him doubling his series wicket tally within five minutes – but that would be the final moment of even remote interest for the match.
Labuschagne finished unbeaten on 63, Smith having eked his way to 10 from 59 balls. Neither innings served any purpose other than to mark slight increases on their impressive averages.
Here’s hoping the next Test between the two premier sides in the longest format, the World Test Championship final in June, will offer more interest. Then again, it could hardly get worse than the abomination in Ahmedabad.
Nobody likes a smarta*s
Roar Rookie
yawn
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Yes I wonder why we've heard these terms so often recently. If only we could pinpoint the cause
Clear as mud
Guest
thanks
Just call me Campo
Roar Rookie
still a rubbish pitch, though. Then the road in the last test to show the world how fair they are. No chance of a result- series win to the home team. Tests against India should be played in neutral countries. Does Sweden have cricket pitches?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
If in fact we wanted to win this series we needed to go in with an attacking mindset. Our leadership personnel was not what it should've been. In hindsight was not Cummins best left at home? My hindsight. But what about team management's hindsight? They surely must've known that Cummins had more important concerns with his family's difficulties? Our bowler management issues improved slightly as the tests preceded but overall was less than optimal. Injured players on tour to me is a sign that you have already given up. It says to the players selected ahead of the injured you are second best. Starc getting a gig was one such anaemic decision. If we'd put Morris in instead we would have had "Kid Eager" out there busting a nut to bag a few. Ofc there is the well-known Warner debacle. The flat-feet involved in who opened, who batted # 5 & 6, the question over bowling mix. I agree that 3 spinners was too many in this last test. Bolo, Morris, Lyon and Murphy were the go with "Kermit", "it ain'teasy being Green" holding the All-rounder position.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I was talking factually the results as they are. As for having a winning mindset we first need our selectors to put the most effective team on the park. Overseas wins are a manifestation of good team management in the first instance.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes it's India at home. But isn't that half the battle lost in the first place when the assumption is we can't match India at home?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
The Ahmedabad wicket wasn't the most helpful of pitches. It was a pitch that would require some work to prise out dismissals. But it was never a 3 spinner pitch. And it was always going to take some sweat from a pace attack to eek out the dismissals. But that's hard to do when your side is already on the back foot by not having a rotation of pace bowlers being available in the first instance to work as a pace attack and pressure the opposition batsmen. Australia goes into apoplexy when thinking about playing 2 specialist spinners on a turning wicket anywhere else. To select 3 specialist spinners on a pitch that was evidently going to be flat in the pre-coin toss assessment, was petty silly - at best. We messed things up in Delhi 2nd innings with our batting approach and we messed things up with our attack selection in Ahmedabad. Neither of those things should be considered as being acceptable from a team forensically-focused on winning in India, if in fact they were actually putting all their best feet forward re being forensically focused on approach/tactics/opposition assessment.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
What frustrates me Dave, is with just a bit more application in key areas/at key moments, I think we actually had this series won. But, we'll wait another 4 years and probably go through the same cycle of execution then subsequent explanation as to why we can't win in India. I just don't see winning in India as being as actually being beyond possibility. No where near it. We can do it and I'm frustrated that we could have (should have) done it this tour.
Brian
Guest
Vihari a usual go to for SENA conditions
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
They don’t even like us deciding to use a certain ground, or order of test locations without their ‘blessing’
VSSRAO
Roar Rookie
Were you there at the pitch dead of night?
VSSRAO
Roar Rookie
Remember! That rubbish pitch in the 3rd test has produced the result for Aus!
VSSRAO
Roar Rookie
Thank God! You are not accusing BCCI and not using the word " pitch doctoring". I felt bored of these comments!
Clear as mud
Guest
good analysis Elvis Costello knew that Indore fireworks can still burn your fingers
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Fair points Jeff, especially lack of preparation. But judging by performances over the last ten years, when India has won 36 and lost 3 matches at home, 2-1 would be about as good as could be expected, particularly for a team that could only draw the series with Sri Lanka last year. I guess it was the abject nature of the batting in a couple of innings that was most disappointing. But we were always behind the 8-ball in terms of having a was inferior bowling attack on Indian pitches, however encouraging Murphy’s efforts were.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Close, he was a Melb ruckman. I wonder if he jumped off the wrong foot? A great bloke by all accounts.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Better Australian teams than this have not been able to win in India. Its the greatest challenge . To win in India something special needs to be produced . Its not impossible of course because its been done before . But its hard . Thats what makes prevailing in the sub continent so satisfying . To achieve the extraordinary something special needs to be produced . Frankly the 2023 vintage was special only in patches , quite ordinary in others . Disappointingly ordinary . ...I've had this team earmarked as a great one for some time . Seemed to have all the bases covered ...But yes something is still missing . Could it be simply lack of preparation ? Is Cummins the right captain ? Has Warner overstayed his welcome ? Why werent the coaching staff and senior leadership stepping in , calling for cool heads when the batting approach of hitting the spinners out the park became infectious ? Was choosing rookie spinners in the harshest of all environments the right one ? Did the pacemen hit the right lengths for the conditions ? ...Blaming the pitch is off the mark . Both teams play on it ..... India have always produced hometown tracks and probably dont intend to stop now so where is the surprise ? The manufactured indignation of being hard done by is not only unhelpful , its poor form . Thankfully we are only hearing it from the fans and the press ..not the players . Cold light of day they know where they went wrong and what could have been done better .
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I know but he played Vic and a bit for the Saints too if l recall correctly. Tangles was such a fun guy ... not muschroom left for those types any more
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
And Tangles was a Tasmanian