Australia's Quicks Crush India

Australia won their first Test against India for four years when they won by 121 in the first Test at the MCG.

Resuming this morning eight down, the Australian tail added 74 runs for the last two wickets, a significant contribution considering the size of the victory. James Pattinson again batted well, being not out for a second time in the match and recorded the highest score in his fledgling career. Zaheer Khan finished with four wickets, including the prizes of Ricky Ponting yesterday and Michael Hussey this morning.

292 was always going to be too steep a mountain for India to climb but romantics might have entertained the thought of it, given the presence of Dravid and Tendulkar. The departure of Sehwag, cutting loosely to Hussey in the gully from Hilfenhaus was exactly the start Australia wanted. It wasn't a great ball and it was a worse shot but such is the quandary of having Sehwag at the top of the order. Siddle came on at first change and had Gambhir in his second over, playing away from his body with feet stuck on the crease and edging at head Height to Ponting's safe hands.

Dravid bowled by Pattinson

The big partnership that was needed from the game's greatest run scorers never came as Pattinson went right through Dravid's defence, mainly thanks to the huge hole he left between bat and pad. There was no stride forward, no wall, just a broken, scattered castle. Pattinson keep VVS Laxman quiet with fast, full deliveries outside his off stump until feeding his favourite shot, flicked forward of square off a ball angling into leg stump. Ed Cowan, positioned perfectly, held the catch by the umpire. Kohli was lbw to Hilfenhaus in the next over and India were surviving on a last chance at the hands of Tendulkar and Dhoni.

Tendulkar played delightfully again and was untroubled by the Australians ... right up until Peter Siddle returned for his third spell and with a warm up ball which had just the right line but 10kms less speed, he claimed Tendulkar for a second time in the match as he appeared to play slightly too early and was caught in the gully by the resurgent Hussey. India 6-81 and the game was over.

Peter Siddle was the leader
of the pace pack in Melbourne

The tail doubled the score through some sensible hitting from Ravi Ashwin, Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav and the Australia faster men, Pattinson in particular, didn't like it. There were some unnecessary scenes of Pattinson pulling faces at the batsmen, having too much to say and over doing wicket celebrations - especially when he had Zaheer with a ball that followed him to leg and took the inside edge before flying to Cowan at short leg. The lad appears to be developing some wrong attitudinal elements but lets leave Michael Clarke to sort that out. He has so far. The last thing we need in Sydney is a repeat of four years ago when the Australians turned on the ugliest sporting performance seen on Australian soil in living memory.

This was a startling win by Australia, with Nathan Lyon taking the last wicket to fall - an outstanding running catch at deep long on by David Warner - and the fast bowlers the rest, shared as evenly as could be imagined. Apart from the attack of dropsy with Sehwag in the first innings, the Australians caught and fielded up to the mythical standards expected of cricketers in this country. The batting was again brittle but Cowan, Warner, Clarke and Hussey all made contributions at some stage but in a low scoring match, in a match where batsmen found it hard to go beyond thirty, Ponting's pair of 60's were a mark of class which equalled Tendulkar.

Ponting scored 62 & 60 -
21% of Australia's runs

In consideration of the best of the match, Tendulkar's batting was silken and promises something special for Sydney. In both Indian innings, Tendulkar was superb and his team mates exceedingly ordinary. The three Australian quicks were superb ... Pattinson with bat and ball, Hilfenhaus rediscovering swing and seam at pace and Peter Siddle was always the "go to" man with the ball, removing Tendulkar twice and taking the key wickets. Hussey underwent a soul revival which India will regret in the remaining Tests. For mine, with runs in both innings at times when the side and indeed himself was under the most pressure, my man of the match is Ricky Ponting. He's never been my favourite person - so much so, that I refuse to take the number 14 when allocated it in waiting for meals - and this column has called on him to quit for some time but watching a great champion perform under pressure and against bad habits born of age and weariness, was a warmness which flooded over me in the Test. In the end, the difference between the sides was 122 ... exactly Ponting's contribution.

India have a lot to do in little time. Gambhir looks unlikely on bouncy wickets but pared down touring sides don't often have good option when an opener falls out with his job. Virat Kohli is a wonderful fieldsman but Rohit Sharma by far the better man to be occupying No 6. The bowling was good and needs no tinkering. Yadav was particularly impressive and whilst Zaheer has lost much of his zip, his craft is untarnished and his offerings in Melbourne are only samplers of what is to come. The problem might be Ishant Sharma. He bowled without luck but his ankle can collapse at any time. Ashwin has as ugly an action that any member of the off spin fraternity has ever had but he can bowl. Perhaps he needs to try a little less variation as often and be patient.

This was an excellent win and regardless of what you think of the ICC ratings system, series wins by Australia and South Africa will drop India down to third and within striking distance by Australia. Australia has finished the calendar year with four wins, three losses (including the 5th Test loss against England in Sydney) and two draws. That not bad for a side that is rebuilding its playing staff, its support staff, its administration and rediscovering its supporter base. Changing one thing would have been difficult enough but Australia has changed everything, so those results are encouraging.

Put a tick in Michael Clarke's column now ... go on, he's earned it.