6 most memorable incidents of the Australia-India series

And so it ends. After 4 brutal Tests, Australia wins the Border-Gavaskar trophy quite comfortably – 2-0. India’s bowling woes were exposed yet again, while the batsman gave us much hope. The sledging continued on and off the field, and all in all, it was one of the most interesting Test series India has played in a while.So, let’s take a look at the top 6 incidents of the series that fans will remember for a long time to come:

#1 Michael Clarke\'s champion century (First Test, 1st innings)

Just before the series was about to begin, the cricketing world lost one of its most promising players, Phil Hughes, to a tragic, freak injury. The cricketing world was devastated, none more so than Hughes’s mentor and dear friend – Australian Test captain Michael Clarke.

Clarke looked visibly shattered whenever he gave press conferences and made any public appearances. Despite suffering from an ever-lingering injury, he decided the best way to honour his ‘little mate’ was to go out there and give it everything he had. And he did.

In the first innings of the first Test, Clarke, under great emotional and physical duress, played one of the gutsiest knocks of his life as he almost literally hobbled along to what will go down as a truly special innings.

Clarke had to retire from the series after the first Test, and there are reports suggesting that he may never fully recover. But Clarke himself stated, no matter what happens, he will never regret having gone out there. If ever there is a contest for the perfect tribute, Clarke’s century would undoubtedly be somewhere at the top of the list.

#2 Rohit Sharma sledging Mitchell Johnson (Second Test, 2nd innings

Mitchell Johnson of Australia celebrates taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma of India during day four of the 2nd Test match between Australia and India at The Gabba on December 20, 2014 in Brisbane, Australia

Why, Rohit, why? People simply could not understand why Rohit Sharma would do such a stupid thing. Sharma, after his epic 264* against Sri Lanka, was not able to replicate his form in the Test series and was struggling to deal with the Australian bowlers, looking uncomfortable from the second he stepped onto the field.

Mitchell Johnson, up to this point, had not been performing too well with either the bat or the ball, having gone wicketless in the first innings. Rohit, for some strange reason, decided to taunt Johnson when the Australian came out to bat. This plan backfired miserably as a pumped up Johnson scored 88 in 93 balls, ensuring that Australia reached a commanding score of 505 from 247-6 in reply to India’s 408.

The Indian batting suffered a major collapse in their 2nd innings, making only 224. Johnson picked up four wickets including Rohit, who made a magnificent 0, thus proving that you need to back talent with action on the field. Australia managed to win the game by 4 wickets, thus shifting the momentum in their favour, as they went up 2-0 in the series.

If Rohit doesn’t get selected for an overseas Test series again, this incident will, no doubt, have had some impact on that decision.

#3 Virat Kohli\'s 141 and post-match interview (First Test, 4th innings)

Virat Kohli entered the Test series after a horrendous run of bad form in England, where his weakness outside off-stump were exploited over and over again. To add more pressure to this situation, MS Dhoni was ruled out of the first Test, thus handing Kohli his Test captaincy debut. So, what does a 26-year-old do at the point? If your guess was ‘score two centuries and almost help his team reach an improbable victory’, congratulations! You’ve been following the series.

After scoring a nervy, but determined, 115 in the first innings, Kohli came out to bat early on the final day, chasing a near-impossible target of 363. In what will, no doubt, be considered one of the greatest centuries ever scored, Kohli scored 141 off 175 balls, lording over the Australian bowling in their own backyard.

Kohli had decided to go for the win, and along with Murali Vijay, looked more than capable of getting India to one of their most famous Test victories. However, Vijay departed on 99, which led to a characteristic Indian collapse as none of the batsmen were able to play Nathan Lyon. Pressured by the mounting run rate, Kohli decided to go for it himself and was out on 141 as he tried to lift Lyon out of the ground only to find Mitchell Marsh on the boundary.

India fell short by 48 runs, but an upbeat Kohli stated in the post-match presentation that he did not regret his decision and had backed himself for the win, like he did every match after that. Kohli’s attitude won him a lot of praises from fans and pundits alike, and, as of now, the Indian Test captaincy seems to be in capable hands.

#4 Steven Smith breaks the Don\'s record (Fourth Test, 3rd innings)

Steven Smith of Australia celebrates after scoring a century during day two of the Fourth Test match between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 7, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.

How often do you hear that? How often do the great Don Bradman’s records get broken? The answer is usually never.

Steven Smith, however, had other plans. Starting off the series with a majestic 162*, Smith just kept getting stronger and better with each passing Test. He ended up scoring 4 huge centuries with an average of 128.16, amassing a total of 769 runs. The record he ended up breaking was the highest number of runs by an Australian in a series against India – 715 by the legendary Don.

Now, holding the responsibility of captaincy and the mantle of one of the best batsmen in the world, it looks Smith is well on his way to greatness.

Years later, we’ll remember this series as the one that started the Kohli-Smith era in world cricket.

#5 Kohli-Johnson: The bouncer that started it all (First Test, 2nd innings)

Australian players gather around India's batsman Virat Kohli (C) after he was struck by a bouncer bowled by Australia's Mitchell Johnson (L) on the third day of the first Test cricket match between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on December 11, 2014.

Lack of respect, liberal use of the f-word, and a ton of pent up frustration were on display as the banter between Virat Kohli and Mitchell Johnson seemed like a never-ending drama right till the end of the series. While Australia continued to be the better team, it was clear that Kohli was the winner in the battle against Johnson. Treating him like a military medium-pacer, Kohli carted the left-armer to all parts of the ground and went on relentlessly. But the first meeting between the two this series got off to a completely different start.

Kohli had just stepped out after the dismissal of Murali Vijay and was facing Johnson for the first time in the series. Johnson paced in, bowled a short ball that Kohli wasn’t able to avoid, and the ball thudded against his helmet. The Hughes incident had occurred just a week prior to this, and the entire Australian team, including Johnson, came rushing to check if Kohli was okay. For a few seconds, there was a pin-drop silence. Kohli acknowledged he was alright and the game went on. For a moment, it felt like the game had changed, had become softer and back to being the ‘Gentleman’s’ game.

But the rest of the series was played in a completely different vein as both Kohli and Johnson kept the verbal volleys going right till the end. But it is that one incident that people will remember, the incident that showed a completely different side of cricket. One can only hope we don’t forget.

#6 Dhoni retires from Test cricket (After the third Test)

Just like every decision he made in his career, Dhoni retired when everyone least expected it. After being put under pressure for not being able to perform either as a batsman or a captain, it seemed only a matter of time before Dhoni would either step down or be sacked.

But Dhoni, being Dhoni, decided to retire midway through the series, maybe just to troll the world. The retirement came at the most unexpected time, and fans and players were both taken aback. In his typical emotionless style, Dhoni released a statement saying he wanted to focus on LOI cricket and was handing the mantle to Virat Kohli.

While there are many conspiracy theories about the timing of the retirement, one thing that cannot be disputed is Dhoni’s legacy and impact on young Indians. And while most legendary players have struggled to retire at the right time, Dhoni retired on his own terms – just like everything else he did in life. He will always be remembered as the long-haired boy from Ranchi who came and ruled the world of cricket.

MS Dhoni, despite your defensive methods, unusual tactics and mixed track record, Test cricket will be poorer without you.