Australia vs India 2018-19: 5 things we learnt from the Test series

For the first time in the history of Test cricket, India have won a Test series in Australia. Virat Kohli and his team created history as they beat the Tim Paine-led side 2-1 in the four-match series.

After winning the first Test in Adelaide, India lost the game in Perth as the Aussies bounced back well to register their first Test win after the ball-tampering scandal which broke out in late March 2018. However, India won the Boxing Day Test at the MCG to take an inaccessible 2-1 lead and also retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

With the New Year’s Test at the SCG, they had a chance to create history and become the first ever Asian side to win a Test series in Australia. They dominated the match but rain played spoilsport as the game ended in a draw. However, India still won the series 2-1 and created history in the process.

There were quite a few moments in the series which could’ve gone either way. There were a lot of factors which contributed to India’s win and Australia’s loss. Here’s a look at five things we learnt from the series.

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#5 Cheteshwar Pujara proves his worth

After a disappointing series here in 2014-15, Pujara has turned things around in style.

Before India landed in Australia for the Test series, the batsmen were under some pressure. They had failed in South Africa and England, and despite the good show of the bowlers, India couldn’t win more than one Test on each of the tours.

Virat Kohli was the lone batsman who showed character and shouldered the responsibility of the batting line-up as he finished as the highest run-getter in both series.

However, Cheteshwar Pujara stepped up in Australia and batted big. He amassed 521 runs at a stunning average of 74.43 and also struck three magnificent tons.

He kept batting and the Aussie bowlers simply couldn’t get past him. He stood there like a wall (or a rock) for India and he also faced a staggering 1258 deliveries in the series, which is the most by an Indian player in a Test series in Australia.

With all the limelight on Kohli ahead of the series, Pujara stole the show with his stupendous batting effort. He won the player of the series award as India completed a 2-1 series win.

#4 Australia’s batting woes

Aaron Finch was one of the major disappointments

In the four-match series, the Australian batsmen failed to score a hundred. There were eight fifties from the Australian side with Marcus Harris and Travis Head contributing two each. On the other hand, India had the same number of fifties but they had five hundreds, with Cheteshwar Pujara scoring three.

None of the Aussie batsmen average over 40. Marnus Labuschagne, who played just one innings, emerged with the highest average which is 38. India’s Mayank Agarwal, who played just three innings, had a better average than all the Australian batsmen.

It's easy to see that the batting was one of the prime reasons for Australia’s series loss. The batsmen kept getting starts but none of them could go on and get a big score in any of the games. 79 was the highest individual score by an Australian in this series, which highlights their batting fragility.

In the absence of the two big stalwarts, Steve Smith and David Warner, the batting has failed big time and it looks very vulnerable.

#3 Pat Cummins and Marcus Harris, the only positives for Australia

Pat Cummins was excellent with both bat and ball

Pat Cummins was by far Australia’s best player of the series. Every time Australia were in trouble, Cummins put his hand up and delivered, be it with the bat or ball.

With the ball, his figures and numbers might not suggest how well he’s bowled. He ran in all day and kept cranking it up. He troubled most of the Indian batsmen and looked quite lethal at times, but the wickets column doesn’t do justice to how well he’s bowled.

Even with the bat, he fought valiantly as he denied easy access to the lower-order. Batting at 8, Cummins faced 446 balls - which is more than what Shaun Marsh or Peter Handscomb faced. In fact, the 446 balls he faced is the fifth highest by an Australian in the series, just behind the 464 balls faced by Tim Paine.

Meanwhile, Marcus Harris seems to be the only positive for Australia with the bat. The 26-year-old opener proved that he belonged at the international level as he faced a quality Indian attack and emerged as the leading run-getter for his team.

Harris accumulated 258 runs at an average of 36.85, registering a steady start to his international career. In fact, he was never dismissed for a single-digit score throughout the series, and his lowest score was 13.

Nathan Lyon did well too but faded away as the series went along. However, despite not being at his best in the last couple of games, he finished as the joint leading wicket-taker in the series.

#2 Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant are here to stay

Mayank Agarwal

When Mayank Agarwal was omitted from the initial squad, there was a lot of disappointment in Indian cricket circles. Despite not getting a game in the earlier series, he was dropped from the side. But Prithvi Shaw’s injury opened the doors for him and he’s made the opportunity count.

Making his debut at the MCG on Boxing Day, Agarwal absorbed the pressure really well and struck a fine 76. In the second innings, when the top-order crumbled against Pat Cummins, he held fort and made a composed 42.

In the New Year’s Test, he once again gave India a good start as he scored a fluent 77 (missing out on a ton again). Moreover, he was excellent as a close-in fielder as he took a few smart and sharp catches. He seems to have settled the opening debate for a while now.

Rishabh Pant scored a fine hundred against England in the last Test and got a couple of 90s against the Windies. Consistency seemed to be an issue, but not anymore.

Batting at 7, Pant amassed 350 runs and emerged as the second highest run-getter of the series (he even beat Virat Kohli). He went past the 25-run mark in every innings as he had six scores between 25 and 39 in the first three Tests. But he struck a superb 159 in the last Test to cap off an excellent series.

Both Pant and Agarwal have shown they belong and are here to stay.

#1 The Indian pace attack is one of the best in the world

This Indian pace trio has been simply outstanding

There has been a big debate over the last few days and weeks. Is this Indian attack the best in the world? South Africa may consider themselves as the most lethal but India's attack is certainly one of the best (if not the best).

Ishant Sharma (11 wickets at 23.81), Mohammed Shami (16 wickets at 26.18) and Jasprit Bumrah (21 wickets at 17.00) were all terrific this series. They were extremely consistent and more importantly, relentless.

They went hard at the Australian batsmen and made life very difficult for them. Such was their relentlessness that Australia’s highest score in the series was 326, which came in Perth, and they touched the 300-run mark just twice including that 326.

The Indian fast bowlers showed that they can be effective even on unresponsive and flat tracks like the ones at MCG and SCG.

Bumrah has emerged as the leader of the pack and is certainly one of the most-improved bowlers in international cricket in the last year or so. He has adapted really well and has switched between formats brilliantly.

Ishant seems to have rediscovered himself and looked in excellent rhythm. Shami complemented the two perfectly; while he took time to settle in, once he found his groove, he was very good as well.

This certainly looks like a fast bowling unit to watch out for. With Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar waiting in the wings, Kohli has a potent attack for all situations.