The Australians for a moment appeared like schoolboys denied their sugar candy. Face it, boys! The Indians managed to hold their nerve. If Sachin Tendulkar and V.V.S. Laxman held strongly for a crucial tide, so could the portentous Australians! Their loss by a tight margin on a highly spin-friendly pitch in Mumbai soured the climate on their return home. The Australians were not only in a jubilant mood but also, in an obligatory mood! Now they want a biennial Test duel with the Indians akin to the Ashes!

Their 2-1 triumph over the India, branded as the 'final frontier' by Steve Waugh, must leave the former skipper with mixed emotions, having been unable to scale the summit himself. Their elation and celebration may have appeared a tad too much but exaggerated or not, the victory was richly deserved and one that took a long time coming. But that could perhaps be attributed to the no-show on the part of the Indian batsmen. The Australians have achieved the coveted crown over the Indian terrain after almost four decades and no taste can match that of this emphatic win. Shane Warne's delight was irrepressible and rightly so, since he has always stated that he would trade his record of most Test wickets for a win in India. He can have the cake and eat it too! Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, arguably two of the finest Australian gems with the red cherry in hand, have now been a part of the Australian victory over every Test playing nation, of course leaving aside Bangladesh.

 

The Australians are walking these days, not as a part of their exercise routine but as a part of fair play and sportsmanship. Michael Kasprowicz made David Shepherd look sheepish as the latter declared him not out only to watch flummoxed as the batsman walked back to the pavilion! If you thought Damien Martyn's sublime performances were Australia's best of the series, think again. Simon Katich hit back with a century. Michael Clarke's scintillating 150 on debut not only pulled Australia out of a perceptible precipitous position in the first Test in Bangalore. His innings not only endeared him and his family, watching from the stands, to all of India, but also turned the heat on on two of the most striving Australian batsmen in Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann. Damien Martyn found Jason Gillespie for company as he thwarted India from steamrolling the Australians in the second innings in Chennai with a subdued century. He was fluent and elegant in notching yet another fine century in the first innings of the Chennai Test and missing an encore by a mere three runs in the second innings, not to mention his valuable half century in Mumbai. After Clarke's feat extraordinaire, Darren Lehmann took the higher ground wishing to relinquish his position in favour of a younger player with a promisingly bright future in prospect.

Team unity was debated as the Australian players took separate breaks between the Chennai Test and the Test at Nagpur in diverse directions. While Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath set more Indian hearts afire In Mumbai, Matthew Hayden discovered the backwaters of Kerala and the cuisine therein. Some even chose to explore Singapore! Learning from past experiences, they deliberately concentrated less on endorsements. And it worked wonders. The Indians in the meanwhile brooded over their near attempt at victory spoilt by the cruel rain-gods and then, played right into Australian hands with too much deliberation over the Aussie-like pitch. The Australians came close to admitting that perhaps their overconfidence last time round resulted in India's miraculous fightback at Eden Gardens, which for the visitors was tough to digest after a sixteen unbeaten Test record. Adam Gilchrist's acknowledgement of Steve Waugh's contribution in reaching the summit of their career credits is evidence to the fact that the Australians went straight back to the drawing board. They sacrificed some of their snobbishness for some thought-provoking strategising. They traded Brett Lee's flamboyance for Michael Kasprowicz's experience to perfection. Lee was seen strumming his guitar to the sparkling eyes of his adoring female fans while inwardly disappointed.

damien martyn- the undisputed man of the series.

The height of the Australian superciliousness resulted in poppycock behaviour which sent shockwaves with a pitch invasion party after knocking the winds off the West Indies last year. The Wizards of Oz were brought down to earth as West Indies successfully chased a mammoth history making 418 for a win in the final Test in the Frank Worrell Trophy. An ugly verbal and finger wagging duel between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Glen McGrath nearly turned the pitch into a bull-ring. The general feeling was one of the gentlemen's game being tarnished by a brutish bunch of high achievers.

But in India, the Australians appeared a transformed outfit. They came across as courteous, more out of deference. Perhaps a more seething tussle from India would have stretched the limits of the team from Down Under. Ricky Ponting's shrewd, aggressive, and intimidating qualities prevail through his captaincy. Having been through a colourful past that he is not proud of, he is much more self-controlled. His absence may have toned down the aggressive streak. Then, there is Adam Gilchrist's positive and self-assertive attitude. This was essentially the hallmark of this team through the series. Perhaps the ageing factor has made the Australians more mellow. But this success has probably come as a result of them being more appreciative of the conditions, the culture and the people while retaining their core mission. While being world-beaters, the team may not boast of world class superstars like the '1948 Invincibles'. But they are very close.

Keith Miller would have been proud of this feat, though sadly he did not live to see the day. The Australians will leave the Indian shores nostalgic, not only because of their marvellous accomplishment but with a twinge of sadness as some of their more feted members will not be returning to this vibrant nation wearing their proud and traditional baggy green.