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India v Australia: Hosts complete series whitewash in Delhi

Last updated on .From the section Cricketcomments107

Cheteshwar Pujara
Fourth Test, Delhi (day three)
India 272 and 158-4 beat Australia 262 and 164 by six wickets
Match scorecard

India completed a 4-0 series whitewash over Australia after winning the fourth Test in Delhi by six wickets.

The hosts bowled Australia out for 164 as Ravindra Jadeja took five wickets, allowing Cheteshwar Pujara to help seal the win with an unbeaten 82.

Spinner Nathan Lyon continued Australia's fightback, limiting India to 272 with a career-best 7-94.

Only Peter Siddle's 50 offered further resistance as India reached the 155-run target with the loss of four wickets.

Lyon picked up where he left off on day two with the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in India's second innings to take his total to nine for the Test.

But the defeat ended a miserable series for the tourists, who for the third Test, including vice-captain Shane Watson for a breach of team discipline.

It is also the first time that Australia have lost a series 4-0 since a defeat by South Africa in 1970.

Following a back injury to captain Michael Clarke, Watson was back in the Test team to skipper his country for the first time but the team selection fiasco and the series result adds a double layer of intrigue before Australia travel to England for the Ashes series in July.

Resuming on 266 for eight - having bowled out the tourists for 262 - the Indian tail had hardly settled before Lyon snared the final two wickets of Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha with the first two balls of his first full over.

The renewed hope that Australia may have gained from a 10-run deficit swiftly diminished, though.

Glenn Maxwell opened the batting in place of Ed Cowan, but perished in the fifth over for eight as Jadeja claimed his first wicket on an action-packed day.

David Warner and Phil Hughes soon followed before Watson was dismissed by Pragyan Ojha for five and Australian crumbled to 94-7, with tail-end pace bowler Siddle proving the sternest test.

His 45-ball 50 then came to a close when he was stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Ashwin.

Lyon trapped Tendulkar for one as Australia tried to make the result more respectable, but Pujara continued to add quick runs at the other end as he guided his side home alongside Dhoni, who hit the winning runs and later received the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from both Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border.

Match scorecard

We are using archive pictures for this series because several photo agencies, including Getty Images, have been barred from the ground following a dispute with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while other agencies have withdrawn their photographers in protest.

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107 comments

  • Comment posted by User0084006167, at 11:20 24 Mar 2013

    This Australian side, by the intensity and nature of sledging it resorted to, has seriously damaged Australia's image.
    Sportsmanlike and gentlemanly conduct, even in defeat, would have won them credit and even respect.
    Now in addition to their substandard cricket, this bunch of losers will be remembered for unbecoming conduct displayed on the cricket field.
    Not the way to go, Australia..

  • Comment posted by User0380951416, at 11:15 24 Mar 2013

    To the ones who are cribbing abt pitches, when did pacy, bouncy tracks became a 'proper' pitch. Aus needs to learn to play in all pitches, which they fail to do. India can't play there, they can't play here, its all equal. Cricket will be boring if all were seamer friendly pitches and the art of spin bowling will die. Spin tracks and dust bowls are as important as Green tops. Get over it, west

  • Comment posted by User0311270012, at 10:56 24 Mar 2013

    "proper" fast, bouncy 5 day wickets? I could understand complaints about flat tracks and inevitable draws but the matches all ended in results. Same pitch for each team. Grapes so sour I wonder if it's a joke?

  • Comment posted by User0496464062, at 11:01 24 Mar 2013

    2. Perhaps indian supporters should also be banned unnecessary home advantage? The beauty of test cricket is playing in all conditions and adversity and still competing. The Ponting and Waugh teams never complained. As for playing surfaces, which groundsman doesn't bat for the home team?

  • Comment posted by fallenstar, at 12:55 24 Mar 2013

    Well played India..they finally dropped their ageing stars ad looked like a completely different outfit..had they done this earlier..they probably would have performed better against Australia away and not lost the series against England...with so many talented youngsters..could be back challenging for top spot..have to say..its the poorest Aussie side I've ever seen!

  • Comment posted by Ben T, at 11:12 24 Mar 2013

    And I though it was us pomms that whinged. It has been a joy to see the Aussies being completely thrashed. I loved their attempt to try and make up for it all by aggro and failed sledging etc - for example Patinsons hilarious lbw appeal and subsequent muttering to one that was missing leg by 2 foot. Perhaps if the likes of proffessor Watson had done his homework things might have improved.

  • Comment posted by User0183720768, at 11:44 24 Mar 2013

    Presentation time, Mr. Clarke...

  • Comment posted by whatyousay, at 16:23 24 Mar 2013

    India may have turned a corner here, with the likes of Jadeja, Vijay, Dhawan, they are looking to build a strong battling line up they once had in 2008-2010. dropping Ghambir and Sehwag took a lot of guts and paid off, however despite Indian bowlers bowling well in the series, they still lack that killer instinct of mopping up the tail. India still quite far bit behind SA and Eng in Test format.

  • Comment posted by Rob, at 12:44 24 Mar 2013

    38. India beat Aus in Aus..twice infact. Mid 2000's. Picking off balls off the floor and claiming catches ( Ricky Pointing ) and no LBW's from Bucknor kind off spoilt the records.
    ps. are you a 40% tax payer like me? Doubt it. I retired at 35..earn £100k plus on property and watch nearly every ball. Haha.

  • Comment posted by Mangesh, at 12:54 24 Mar 2013

    @38: Your username/title 'I love England' confirms the level of knowledge you possess. India recently triumphed in Badminton, wrestling, shooting etc. which you OBVIOUSLY won't know (Won't blame you).. Indians were denied of series win in Aus in mid 2000s by some poor decisions too (and also beat ENGLAND in ENGLAND).

    38: Why dont you worry about your own team which is being hammered in NZ rt now

  • Comment posted by User0149641657, at 14:36 24 Mar 2013

    Pete...India lost the series against England because our top order batsman were poor, not because of a few bad decisions......as for DRS, we Indian fans are also bemused by this!!.....

  • Comment posted by User0684193394, at 11:04 24 Mar 2013

    Ian, if you want India banned then just write to the ICC, I am sure England and Australia would support that move. They would lose so much money that are generated by India tours. Also India are the BIG BOYS of international cricket, and are looking at their interests. I don't recall Eng or AUS looking after the world sport over their interests when they were in power..... Please correct me????

  • Comment posted by Baldeep, at 12:55 24 Mar 2013

    Great result for India. It's easy for the backlash from others even when a team wins. There is no need for it.

    Bring on the next series.

  • Comment posted by User0821734899, at 17:49 24 Mar 2013

    Australia are still a young side, and have a crop of young bowlers, Pattinson foremost, who have proved that they can cause trouble to anyone at test level when fit (and sooner or later they are going to shake off their injury problems). Lyon also looks to be developing nicely. They shouldn't be too downhearted.

  • Comment posted by User0156854391, at 14:32 24 Mar 2013

    Why is everyone slating England??? Ermmmm...... has no-one noticed the pitches in NZ have less action than a nunn?! Completely been made for a drawn series- more frustration from Englands part I would have though- we still haven't lost yet. Ridiculous incoherent comments sometimes in here.

  • Comment posted by User0380951416, at 11:27 24 Mar 2013

    Eng played a different Ind team to what Aus had played. Eng would have faced much more challenge by this Indian team. VJ, Dhawan, Rahane, Jadeja (for the first 3), Bhuvi were all absent against Eng. Dhoni and Kohli found form only at the 4th test vs Eng. Ashwin completely changed his length. Full credit to Eng for winning then, not cribbing abt that, but surely this new Ind is a grt-er threat

  • Comment posted by Howie3, at 12:35 24 Mar 2013

    One issue for Cricket Australia is continuity of selection, something which was traditionally their strength. Australia used sixteen players in this series, and only Cowan, Warner, Hughes and Siddle played in all four Tests.

    Player ratings: Hughes, Watson, Wade, Johnson 5; Warner, Henriques, Starc, Doherty, Haddin 6; Cowan, Siddle, Pattinson, Lyon, Maxwell, Smith 7; Clarke 8...

  • Comment posted by SportsFan, at 13:07 24 Mar 2013

    Great performance by India over the test series. They have shown their next generation of players are as great as their previous generation which had the likes of Dravid, VVS and Tendulkar. All home sides makes pitches for their advantage so no surprise what India did.

  • Comment posted by Spaced Invader, at 12:18 24 Mar 2013

    matthueycamo - you must be mad to consider 'replacing' Root! He's shown more than enough to be given a decent run in the team. And why is scoring quickly a particular asset in Test cricket anyway? As long as other players (KP, Prior) can score fast, a few anchors like Trott & Root are ideal.

    Agree with you about Bairstow though! Nowhere near the technically adept enough for Test cricket.

  • Comment posted by User0163643967, at 08:34 25 Mar 2013

    I tipped a white wash and unfortunately was right. Never easy to beat the Indians on their backyard, but this Aussie team never stood a chance with all the problems behind the scenes, and poor team selection.
    The only solace I get out of it all with the Ashes coming up is that the Kiwis are giving the English a tough time which I did not see coming.
    Aussies need to sort out the top order.

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