Still recovering from one of the most absorbing test series played between the present day no 1 test side India & an Aussie side going through a transitional phase in international cricket. It is such a pity that amidst the IPL & the Champions League we have time for a short 2 test series between India and Australia. The first test at Mohali was one of the most thrilling test matches to be played on Indian soil with the momentum swinging almost every session for 5 days. It was test match cricket at its absolute best no wonder they say test cricket is the real cricket. The teams were evenly matched at the end of the first innings with both the teams scoring over 400 runs and the Aussies gaining a slender lead of 23 runs .
By the start of the Aussie second innings it once again proved the long theory that test matches in India progress very rapidly in the last 2 days with a wearing pitch the wickets were falling like nine pins and the test which looked like meandering towards a draw was brought to life once again as the Aussies were dismissed for a low total in the second innings and the result seemed to be a distinct possibility at the end of day 4 with India being set a target of 216 were at 55 for 4 with Sachin and the night watchman Zaheer khan at the crease on the last day .Sachin was dismissed for 38 and with India collapsing to 122/8 it seemed to be all over but V V S Laxman and Ishant Sharma strung up a heroic partnership of 80 runs for the 9th wicket and out of nowhere India pulled of its narrowest ever test victories winning by a solitary wicket .V V S once again being the reckor in chief against his favorite opponents scoring a quite astonishing 73 runs of a mere 79 deliveries.
The Aussie team was stung quite badly by the heartbreaking loss but vowed to bounce back at Bengalaru in the second test. Once again both the teams scored over 400 runs in the first innings this time India took a lead of 17 runs helped by Sachin (214) his sixth double ton in test matches and ably supported by Murali Vijay who scored his maiden test ton (139). The Aussies once again faltered in the second innings being shot out for 224 runs. The Indian chase was not a thrilling one this time with India cruising towards a victory target of 207 runs with 7 wickets in hand and it was befitting that the maestro scored the winning runs the second test will also be remembered for debutant Cheteshwar Pujara who coming at no 3 in the last innings smashed 72 runs .
It was just the perfect test series coming at a time when cricket is just about recovering from the infamous spot fixing scandal it has once again worked as a soothing effect of re establishing the lost faith of the viewers back in the sport. Indeed cricket was in need of such contests where the entire focus is on the field rather than on off the field activities .
