However, 16 wickets fell today, 15 of them to spinners. This would suggest the presence of extreme danger in the track. Yet, quite astonishingly, against expectations, India’s chase turned out to be nerveless, even simple. India needed 155 runs in the fourth innings to win the match — this could have proved to be tricky.

Cheteshwar Pujara, though, played one of the most assured innings in recent memory in a fourth-innings chase. He made an unbeaten 82, the highest score in the match, and only the fifth half-century in the game. Three of the five 50s of the match were made by Indians — and all three by the two Indian openers.

Australia opened their bowling with their two off-spinners, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell. They have indeed fallen on bad days if Maxwell, hardly Test class, is asked to open bowling.

Vijay had top-scored with 57 in the first innings; in the second, though, he attempted a reverse-sweep, a most obtuse stroke under the circumstances — on a turning track, in a tricky chase.

Vijay’s indiscretion made a mess of his own stumps, and quickened the Australian hopes of a victory — India were 19/1 in 3.3 overs, 13 wickets had fallen in the day by then, anything seemed possible. Pujara and Virat Kohli, though, bent circumstances to their will. They fashioned the chase with calmness, assurance and belligerence. The next 20.3 overs showcased India’s best young bats slipping into cruise control. They effortlessly negated Nathan Lyon, who had finished with seven wickets in the Indian first innings.

Australian captain Shane Watson got his spinners to bowl the first nine overs because the wicket was cracked and cracking, the ball jumping up and shooting low. Sound logic. Only in hindsight it might appear that the more advisable move would have been to get the quick and fiery James Pattinson bowling early from one end.

By the time pace was introduced, India had taken 51 runs from the nine overs bowled by the spinners. Mitchell Johnson didn’t make a difference, and in his second over was hit for three fours by Pujara. The first one was quite an amazing shot — Pujara simply bent back and placed a short ball over wicketkeeper. The other two fours were hit with more orthodox methods, to the point and cover boundaries.

Kohli was more relaxed and composed, scoring in a more peaceful manner, yet punishing the hit-me deliveries. He and Pujara added 104 in only 123 deliveries. Kohli played with maturity; he did only as much as he needed to, for Pujara was on fire at the other end. He didn’t wish to become a hero, he was content to watch Pujara’s strokes of brilliance.

Kohli fell with India just 32 short of victory, trapped LBW by Lyon for the second time in the match. He’s a Delhi boy, yet some spectators were calling out to him to get out — to get the No. 4 in to bat. No. 4 has probably played his last Test innings in India, and it ended in a whimper — Sachin Tendulkar was trapped LBW by Lyon for the second time in the match. If it’s a goodbye to international cricket in India, it was less than glorious. India lost three wickets for five runs in 17 balls. Did the possibility of a stunning turnaround, a stunning Australian victory, exist? If it existed, it was quashed firmly by MS Dhoni and Pujara. 

Ravindra Jadeja was the Man of the Match for his 43 runs and seven wickets in the match. He had wrecked the Australian second innings with five for 58. The Australians were aggressive in their search for runs; but they only managed to rush into the arms of calamity with shots that weren’t on. They were hacked down to 94/7 and 122/8 before Peter Siddle chipped in 50, to complete his second half century of the match. 

Australia 1st inngs: 262

India 1st inngs (Overnight 266/8 in 68.1 ovs)

Vijay c Wade b Siddle 57

Pujara b Lyon 52

Kohli lbw b Lyon 1

Tendulkar lbw b Lyon 32

Rahane c Smith b Lyon 7

Dhoni c Watson b Pattinson 24

Jadeja lbw b Maxwell 43

Ashwin lbw b Lyon 12

Kumar not out 14

Sharma b Lyon 0

Ojha lbw b Lyon 0

Extras: 30

Total: (all out in 70.2 ovs) 272

Fall of wickets: 1-108, 2-114, 3-148, 4-165, 5-180, 6-210, 7-254, 8-266, 9-272, 10-272

Bowling

Johnson 17-3-44-0

Pattinson 14-1-54-1

Siddle 12-3-38-1

Lyon 23.2-4-94-7

Maxwell 4-0-12-1

AUSTRALIA 2ND INNINGS

Warner lbw b Jadeja 8

Maxwell b Jadeja 8

Cowan lbw b Jadeja 24

Hughes lbw b Ashwin 6

Watson b Ojha 5

Smith b Jadeja 18

Wade c Dhoni b Ojha 19

Johnson b Jadeja 0

Siddle st Dhoni b Ashwin 50

Pattinson b Sharma 11

Lyon not out 5

Extras: 10

Total: (all out; 46.3 ov) 164

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-20, 3-41, 4-51, 5-53, 6-94, 7-94, 8-122, 9-157

Bowling

Bhuvneshwar 2-0-9-0

Ashwin 15.3-2-55-2

Jadeja 16-2-58-5

Ojha 11-2-19-2

Ishant 2-0-13-1

India 2nd innings

Vijay b Maxwell 11

Pujara not out 82

Kohli lbw b Lyon 41

Tendulkar lbw b Lyon 1

Rahane c Lyon b Maxwell 1

Dhoni not out 12

Extras: 10

Total: (4 wkts in 31.2 ovs) 158

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-123, 3-127, 4-128

Bowling

Lyon 15.2-0-71-2

Maxwell 11-0-54-2

Johnson 2-0-16-0

Pattinson 3-0-7-0