A little before 12.10 pm on Monday afternoon, overcast and muggy, India’s cricketers made the 96-step walk down from their dressing room to the playing arena at the sprawling Narendra Modi stadium. As they huddled for a quick chat before the start of the second session of the final day, news filtered in from Christchurch that Kane Williamson had muscled New Zealand a thrilling last-ball victory over Sri Lanka.
WTC final berth
That result formalised India’s entry into the final of the World Test Championship, where they will take on Australia at The Oval in London from June 7. Virat Kohli celebrated the development by shaking the hand of each of his teammates and breaking into a little clap.
Whatever artificial interest remained in the last Test disappeared that instant. From then on, it was about going through the motions, waiting for the arrival of the last hour so that the teams could shake hands and walk away from a disappointingly dreary stalemate facilitated by a firm, hard surface that simply refused to crack one bit.
The dramatic shift in advantage from ball in the first three Tests to the bat in the last meant at no stage during the four-Test series was there an even contest between cherry and willow, something that needs to be addressed going forward.
Obvious outcome
A draw was the most obvious outcome when the last day’s play began with Australia on three without loss in their second essay, needing a further 88 to make India bat again. Only 19 wickets had fallen on the first two days across 352.1 overs, so to expect 10 to roll over in 90 was beyond optimistic.
India did make an early inroad when R Ashwin trapped nightwatchman opener Matt Kuhnemann leg before—fortuitously, it turned out, because had the left-hander reviewed the decision, it would have been upheld since the ball was missing leg—but there was no joy otherwise as Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne thwarted their every design with the sleeping beauty of a surface their staunch ally.
Occasionally, only very occasionally, the odd ball misbehaved; otherwise, the ease of batting appealed to Head, who launched a series of glorious strokes, looking particularly attractive when he skipped down the track and slammed the spinners into the sightscreen. He seemed destined for a sixth Test ton when, finally, Axar Patel the bowler found some joy. Getting the ball to pitch in the rough, the left-arm spinner extracted sharp turn that defeated Head’s expansive drive and hurried through the gate to peg off pole. It was only Axar’s third success of the series, but at long last took him to 50 Test scalps.
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Skipper Steve Smith completed the formalities alongside Labuschagne as Australia ended the torture at 175 for two by applying the declaration.
Brief scores
Australia 480 & 175-2 in 78.1 overs (T Head 90, M Labuschange 63 not out; R Ashwin 1-56, A Patel 1-36) India 571 all out. Match drawn
