India's consolation win at Bombay, on the back of some superb spin bowling by Murali Kartik and Harbhajan Singh, means that Australia have won the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. On an engrossing third day at the Wankhede, effectively just the second day since there was hardly any play on day one, Australia dismissed India for 205, setting themselves a fairly measly target of 107 to win. Michael Clarke, who seems to be unable to do anything wrong this tour, took 6/9 in 6.2 overs, cleaning up the lower middle order and tail after Tendulkar and Laxman had forged a wonderful 91 run partnership.

Australia's chase got off to a bad start with Langer gone in the second ball of the innings. Wickets fell at regular intervals with Murali Kartik in particular bowling superbly. Australia were 58/7 with just the tail left. However Hauritz and Gillespie put on a 20 run stand and Gillespie, who has been a total pain in the butt this series with his batting, put on 15 runs with Kasprowicz edging Australia closer. Harbhajan cleaned up the last two wickets sealing the victory.

It certainly makes Indian cricket fans wonder about what might have been, had day five at Madras not been rained out. 2-2 anyone? 3-1 India? Perhaps ... perhaps not.

People have every right to crib about the nature of the wicket. But they werent complaining when Australia won at Bangalore on what was described by coach Buchanan as being terrible. Different rules when you lose, eh? I wonder who Peter Roebuck is talking about when he writes "It is a mistake, of course, to rattle on about pitches because it reveals a fragile state of mind" in the same piece where he blasts the Bombay wicket.

In fact if Ponting has a modicum of consistent thinking, he would not complain about the pitch, just as he didnt subscribe to others' views on the Darwin wicket four months ago.

So much so for the dead rubber syndrome, eh? Oh, and credits here for anyone who points out the last Aussie captain who lost a game inside three days.

Labels: aus v ind 2004, clarke, pitch