The result of the Chennai Test not withstanding, India should be reasonably satisfied with their performance at the Chepauk stadium. Had rain not played spoilsport, the hosts had a decent chance of squaring the series. But then who can control the weather gods. In the end, both teams walked away a tad disappointed after four grueling days of Test cricket. It would certainly have been more frustrating for India as they were one down in the series. Also the pitch at Nagpur where the 3rd Test will be played is expected to be a featherbed for batsmen and even the Indian spinners might find it difficult to dislodge the Aussies while the Mumbai track is more likely to assist the Aussie seamers. Thus they have all the more reason to fell this was their best chance to level the series.

Credit, though, must go to the Australians who like a truly champion side fought valiantly when at one stage it seemed the match would be all over on the fourth day itself. The stubborn resistance put up by Martyn and Gillespie was mainly responsible for Australia taking the game into the fifth day that was eventually washed out by rain. The duo batted almost two whole sessions and denied Kumble and Harbhajan any wickets on a fourth day turning track. Martyn's ton under pressure can be rated amongst the best by an Australian on Indian soil. When Matyn and Gillespie were dismissed in quick succession, it seemed the spinners would run trough the lower order. But Clarke and the out of for Lehman strung together a vital half-century partnership. If play was possible on the final day, we would have been in for a riveting finish to the Test.

The whole Test was very much like a roller-coaster ride with both teams dominating at different stages. Australia began brilliantly with Hayden and Langer once aging putting on a century partnership. But once Harbhajan got rid of the dangerous openers Anil Kumble came into his own. The veteran of Indian cricket put up a great show on a wicket that offered excessive bounce and bite to him. Kumble, who has often been on the backburner ever since Harbhajan's '01 heroics, showed the cricket world he is not yet finished. Reaching 400 wickets at Bangalore was a great landmark, but he would be the first to admit that his effort at Chennai was notches ahead. Jumbo, as he is affectionately known to teammates, finished with seven scalps in the first innings as Australia were bowled out for a paltry total on the first day itself. Apart from Kumble, a few other heroes too emerged on he opening day when they walked without waiting for the umpires nod.

Even though, India had got rid of the Aussies cheaply, they knew their job was only half done as the batsmen had to capitalise on the good work. But they once again faltered. It was only Sehwag's brilliance that took India to a position of safety. The Indian opener under severe pressure for under performing rose to the occasion and notched up a belligerent century. His innings was well constructed, as the dashing opener was willing to spend some time at the crease during the initial phase. And his patience paid off as he cut loose once he crossed the 100 mark. The form of the other batsmen is still a big worry though. Yuvraj, Ganguly, Laxman and to some extent even Dravid haven't hit their peak form yet. Though Kaif and Patel batted well to rescue India, unless the top order scores runs, India won't win too many games.

For the Australians, Shane Warne was the hero as he once again nudged past Murali's world record and also captured his first five-wicket haul against India. While the Indian seamers struggled to pick up wickets on the docile Indian tracks, Gillespie McGrath and Kasporwicz have been much more successful just showing the difference in quality of seamers in the two sides. Irfan Pathan has been impressive and will only improve with time but his Test average as of now is nowhere near any of the Aussies. Zaheer Khan has only shown glimpses of his old form and even though India's main weapon at home is spin, it is important for the opening bowlers to provide the early breakthroughs, which they haven't been successful at doing yet.

On the whole, the Chennai Test saw both teams putting up a fighting effort. If they continue with the same intensity in Nagpur and Mumbai, we will be in for another 10 days of exciting and absorbing Test cricket.