Sachin takes a spectacular catch of Katich

It is all over at Mohali. Indians have defeated the Aussies by 320 runs, by far the team’s biggest win in Test cricket (leaving aside innings victories). The celebrations started on the fourth day of the second test with India poised to register a comprehensive win—Aussies were five down and the target was looming large. This morning, Zaheer scalped three quick wickets before Amit Mishra, the debutant leg-spinner, picked up the last two wickets to finish off the formalities. It was indeed spectacular to watch the hosts showing continued aggression throughout the test barring a couple of sessions. Dhoni has been outstanding as a captain and so was his batting in both the innings.

Team India gets a lot of positives from this Test. While the Big three—Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly—coming to form is something to cheer about, the best thing for India in this series comes from the bowling department. It was Amit Mishra who ripped off the Aussie batting line-up with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, and a collective effort from the Indian pace and spin duo finished off the second innings. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma have complemented each other with their performances—while the former continues his run-up as the lead bowler, Ishant is shaping well as a reliable pace bowler. In a short span, Ishant has become a difficult bowler to face. Ishant is perfect with his pace and line thus not allowing the batsmen to settle down. Even Ricky Ponting finds it difficult to bat against this young speedster. Overall, Indians have come up with an emphatic win to lead the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-0. This win should boost the hosts’ strength and confidence to sweep the series in a superb fashion. Congratulations Team India.