India have taken a 2-0 series lead against Australia and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While the victory in the first Test, in Nagpur, was done emphatically by an innings and 132 runs, Australia had their noses ahead in the second Test, in Delhi, taking a 1-run lead, but India fought back spectacularly to win the Delhi Test by 6 wickets.
Ravindra Jadeja bagged the Player of the Match awards in both the Tests, and is no course for a Player of the Series award should he continue on this course.
Almost all the Indian players have stepped up at some point in the two Tests, to either extend the domination, or bail the side out of trouble.
Here are the top 5 individual performances from Indian players in the series so far:
Ravindra Jadeja 7/42 in Delhi
In the Delhi Test, Australia were on top heading into Day 3 with a lead of 62 runs and 9 wickets in hand. However, right from the first over of Day 3, the Indian bowlers wrested the control back of the Test.
Ashwin took a couple of wickets, and then Jadeja got on a roll, finishing with 7 wickets in all, as India bowled Australia out for 113. Jadeja registered his career-best Test innings figures of 7/42.
Rohit Sharma- 120 in Nagpur
Rohit Sharma hit his first Test century against Australia, in the first Test, in his birth city of Nagpur. In reply to Australia’s 117, Rohit led almost a lone battle, scoring 120 runs from the 229 India managed until he got. Sharma cracked 14 fours and 2 sixes in his almost-six hour stay in the middle.
Ravindra Jadeja – 5/47 in Nagpur
Playing his first international gap after a gap of five months, Ravindra Jadeja showed no rustiness and went about his business as he usually does in home Tests. He ran through the Australia batting order, setting the tone for India’s domination on the first day of the series, taking a five-fer in Nagpur, as the visitors bundled out for 177. Jadeja’s wickets included both Labuschagne and Smith, both outfoxed by his subtle change of angles.
Axar Patel – 74 in Delhi
There were questions about Axar’s selection over Kuldeep Yadav. But Axar showed that in home conditions he’s a proper all-rounder who extended India’s batting depth to such levels that it’d scare any opposition travelling here.
And, in the Delhi Test, his 74 came under huge pressure as India stared down at a long way of coming back into the game after struggling at 139/7 in reply to Australia’s 263. The left-hander was involved in a crucial partnership of 114 (177) with R Ashwin as the pair helped India get close to Australia’s first innings total.
In the Nagpur Test as well, Axar showed his batting worth with an innings of 84 runs, extending India’s total to 400 and batting Australia out of the game.
R Ashwin – dismissing Smith and Labuschagne in a single over in Delhi
Yes, R Ashwin took a five-fer in the second innings in Nagpur, but this over in the first innings of the Delhi Test to two of Australia’s best batters, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, the number 1 and number 2 ranked ICC Test batters respectively, was simply magic.
And it turned the morning session that was seeming to have gone Australia’s way into India’s favor with the two big scalps.
From around the wicket angle, Ashwin beat Labuschagne’s inside edge, trapping him out lbw; then, from the same angle, pitching the ball at the same spot, Ashwin had Steve Smith, for a duck, outside edging to slip. MAGIC.
