It has been a long wait for Douglas Bollinger. The left-arm pacer, who has led the injury-hit Australian bowling since he got into the playing XI in Delhi, has been impressive through the series despite having played only one Test so far — against South Africa earlier this year.

And, if it wasn’t for Brett Lee’s injury, the wait would have been even longer for the 28-year-old from New South Wales. At Delhi, he bowled a tidy spell of 26 runs in 10 overs. At Mohali, he grabbed 3 for 38, helping his team level the series. On Sunday, after a fiver at the Nehru Stadium here, he took his series tally to nine and his second Man of the Match award .

“This series has been a great learning experience for me. Having played on different pitches so far, I feel I have just started to get better. Conditions are not easy for fast bowling in India but it helps a bowler mature. The Champions League has helped,” Bollinger said. He has had another five-wicket haul, in Abu Dhabi, but placed Sunday’s performance much higher. “It’s a special performance, more so because I got Sachin Tendulkar,” he said.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting was all praise for the youngster. “He has made use of every opportunity. Right from his first outing in Delhi, he has stepped up whenever we required someone to fill the void. To get five wickets on a pitch that didn’t offer much to fast bowlers is a terrific reward,” Ponting said.