Australia’s early second-innings dismissal enabled India to secure an eight-wicket win at a leisurely trot as they took less than a session to achieve the 50-run target at the culmination of the Test in Chennai.
Although the hosts lost openers Murali Vijay (six) and Virender Sehwag (19) early on, Sachin Tendulkar (13) delighted the crowd as he hit two sixes off his first two balls.Earlier, Australia were only able to add nine runs to their overnight score after debutant Moises Henriques’ defiant knock of 81. Nathan Lyon’s dismissal ended Australia’s play at 241 with Ravichandran Ashwin picking up five wickets in the second-innings.Captain Michael Clarke paid tribute to his India counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his fiery double-ton that changed the course of the match.
“Full credit has to go to India,” said Clarke, according to ESPNcricinfo. “They played outstandingly, especially Dhoni. That innings and Ashwin’s bowling changed the game completely.”He admitted that his side was outwitted by a better one and that they need to turn the tables in the next Test.“The debut of Henriques is a positive, but we have got to turn things around. We have to be ready for the next Test. The pitch looked a lot worse than it played. But, there are no excuses, we got outplayed.”
Meanwhile, Dhoni was crowned man-of-the-match for his inspiring 224 knock in the first-innings.“It was important to play some shots,” said Dhoni. “If you have those extra catching fielders, you might make one mistake and end your innings. I had to play a few shots to try and spread the field. The first partnership was important. Tendulkar and Pujara batted for a period of time. Virat and Sachin was crucial. It tired the bowlers a bit.”
The captain could barely conceal his pride in Ashwin’s brilliant form throughout the Test.“Ashwin bowled brilliantly. In the second innings, he was well supported by Harbhajan (Singh). He stuck with his off-spinners, which was good. He was willing to bowl in one area, and that’s a big positive.“It’s important to be focused now, but at the same time the bowlers need to take some time off. Let’s just keep it simple.”