There was a team whose two key batters were not producing the runs that they were used to. They came under fire from the outside. They had a fast bowler go down with injury. They were the ones celebrating with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Sunday afternoon.
“Thought we had a bad week, but thought our game plans, methods, [and] selection, all that was pretty much where we wanted it to be,” he said. “But maybe our execution was a little bit off. I think you can very easily panic in those situations, [and] change a lot. I think it’s more important to realise we’re still number one in the world. We’re a very good team. Stay strong.”
India’s on-field performance deserves scrutiny, but they were dictated by the decisions they made off the field. They came to Australia with their souls wrenched out of place. Their first ever whitewash at home in a series of three or more Tests – against New Zealand – had raised doubts about their batters’ ability to cope with conditions where run-scoring is difficult.
“Not a lot of people are playing for the first time in Australia. There are quite a lot of others [who are]; probably two of them in the top eight,” he said after India’s loss in Sydney. “[Other than] Nitish and Yashasvi [Jaiswal], all the other guys have had the experience of Australia. So I’m not going to say that it is only because some of the young guys [that we lost], but I think there are a lot of experienced players as well.”
It may also be useful to remember that four of the five Tests were played in conditions that Smith said required luck, and that it is a win as a top-order player if you can face 50 balls. He doesn’t have the 10,000th run yet, but he’s a decent enough authority to speak about these things.
“A bit [of the batters’ struggle] could be because of the wickets,” Gambhir admitted. “Then, again, it’s not only the case in Australia. We’ve had the same issues at home as well. So I think everything boils down to the temperament. Everything boils down to how much you want to sometimes play those tough moments.
“How much you want to grind in Test cricket. Because Test cricket is all about playing the session. Sometimes see off the spell as well. And that is why it’s the beauty of sport. So I feel that that is one issue where we need to probably look after. That how can we convert those 20s, 30s or 40s into big 100s. Not only 100s, but big 100s, and set the game up for our bowlers. Because your bowling department will always be under pressure if you can’t put those first-innings runs on the board.”
There is one other bit that no losing team will ever admit. The opposition was better equipped. Boland’s success is testament to what happens when specialists are trusted to do their jobs; how it has a knock-on effect. Australia didn’t need a lot of runs from their out-of-form batters because their in-form bowlers were knocking India out over and over again.
“Yeah, it’s been tough,” Gambhir said reflecting on his time as coach, a time which includes six losses in ten Tests. “Absolutely, no doubt about it. It’s been really tough. And obviously, these weren’t the results what we were expecting in the last eight test matches.
“But that is what sport is all about. All I can expect from that dressing room is to keep fighting. And all we all can do – not only as players, but as a support staff – [is] to be honest, and keep fighting and keep doing the right things what is good for Indian cricket. As simple as it can get. But more importantly, it’s a result-orientated sport. And we all play for results. And it hasn’t gone our way. As simple as it can be.”
Reddy scored one of the most memorable MCG hundreds. That was good. He bowled only 44 of India’s 620.2 overs in the series. That was less good. Kohli spent hours and hours in the nets trying to work out a viable way of dealing with balls outside the off stump. That was good. All eight of his dismissals were to balls outside the off stump. That was less good.
India could have seized this series on a riveting fourth day in Melbourne when they had Australia at 91 for 6. That was good. They let them off the hook, allowing two 50-run partnerships for the last four wickets. That was less good.
Everything good they did kept being overshadowed by something less good. So in the end, it is almost tempting to wonder: did the team that played the best cricket win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, or did the one that made the most mistakes lose?
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo