Once the dust settles over this seven-match one-day series, only one question is likely to remain: How did the Australians pull this off? The visitors had lost four of their first XI even before the team travelled to India. Over the first four matches, they lost another four to various injuries.

They did win the first one-dayer by a close margin, but once India had steamrolled them in the next two, the battle between Dhoni’s men in home conditions and Ponting’s boys in disarray seemed extremely unequal.

And yet, at the end of the sixth one-dayer in Guwahati, they had taken a 4-2 series victory, after yet another commanding bowling performance and some composed batting in a tricky chase. Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger ran through the Indian top-order, who recovered from 27 for five to post 170.

Shane Watson then ensured there were to be no slip-ups with a composed 49 that set up the chase nicely. At one point, they were reduced to 90 for three with captain Ricky Ponting back in the hut, but Michael Hussey and Cameron White ensured the series was sealed with 8.3 overs, and a game, to spare.

Australia won the match by six wickets, and the final match, to be played in Mumbai on Wednesday, has now become inconsequential.

Early swing

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won his second toss of the series, but very soon he would have wished he hadn’t. Batting first, he admitted, was a risk as the ball was likely to do a bit early in the morning, adding that it was important to see off the first hour.

... contd.