Hosts win by 298 runs to clinch Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Adelaide: India’s under-fire cricketers succumbed to their second successive Test whitewash overseas after Australia humiliated them by 298 runs in the fourth and final Test to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in one of the most lopsided series in recent memory here today.

Chasing a mammoth 500 for a win, India’s tailend resistance did not last long before the listless visitors were bundled out for 201 runs in 69.4 overs in their second innings to give the resurgent Australians an emphatic 4-0 series triumph.

The fifth and final day of the only Test that went the whole hog in the entire series started with Australia needing just four wickets to wrap it up in style and the home side took just 59 minutes to complete the formalities.

India, thus, suffered their eighth straight overseas defeat after having been whitewashed 0-4 in England last year.

Resuming at 166 for six, the Indians lasted 13-odd overs during which they added 35 runs before being bowled out for 201.

The famed but miserably out of form top order had failed the team yesterday itself and not much was expected of the tail that rarely wags.

It went perfectly to the script for the Australians, who were considered too inexperienced to handle the sheer weight of runs that the Indian batsmen brought with them at the start of the series.

But the sprightly home unit, under an in-form and shrewd Michael Clarke, turned the tables magnificently.

In fact, the result has left the much-vaunted batting trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman battling to save their career after failing to score a single hundred against an inexperienced but disciplined and spirited bowling attack.

Earlier today, the sight of Indian tailenders prompted Clarke to start the proceedings with his faster bowlers and they responded to his skipper’s call by removing the two overnight batsmen Ishant Sharma (2) and Wriddhiman Saha (3) in the first three overs of the day.

Ishant was the first to depart, poking at a Ryan Harris delivery which wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had no problem in pouching.

Next over, Saha followed suit in identical fashion, caught by Haddin off Peter Siddle.

Zaheer, unlike his previous innings in the series, seemed determined to spend time at the crease rather than flashing at every delivery.

He batted for 18 balls from which he scored 15 runs with the help of four boundaries before Ben Hilfenhaus sent him packing. Zaheer lobbed a simple catch to David Warner in the covers while trying to pull a short delivery off Hilfenhaus.

Umesh Yadav was the last wicket to fall, handing Haddin his third catch of the morning off Nathan Lyon’s bowling. (PTI)

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st Innings: 604 for 7 decl & 167 for 5 decl

India 1st Innings: 272

India 2nd Innings: (Overnight 166 for six)

Gambhir c Haddin b Harris 3

Sehwag c Ponting b Lyon 62

Dravid c Hussey b Harris 25

Tendulkar c Cowan b Lyon 13

Laxman c Marsh b Lyon 35

Kohli run out 22

Ishant c Haddin b Harris 2

Saha c Haddin b Siddle 3

Ashwin not out 15

Zaheer c Warner b Hilfenhaus 15

Yadav c Haddin b Lyon 1

Total: (all out in 69.4 overs) 201

Fall of wicket: 1-14, 2-80, 3-100, 4-110, 5-162, 6-166, 7-166, 8-170, 9-193, 10-201

Bowling: Harris 19-5-41-3, Hilfenhaus 11-2-35-1, Siddle 14-5-47-1, Lyon 21.4-4-63-4, Hussey 2-0-3-0, Clarke 2-0-9-0. PTI