By Gaurang - 6 Jan 2003
January 7 2004

If the final India-Australia Test in Sydney was a boxing match, the judges would have awarded it to India on points no questions asked. India scored more runs while losing just a little more than half the number of wickets as the opposition. 900 odd runs for 9 wickets to about 800 odd for 16 wickets. In addition, the Indians declared twice in the match, giving Steve Waugh an opportunity to save face and grasp a fig leaf to hide his utter vulnerability.

Without McGrath and Warne, Waugh looked destitute of a plan, and any real fight in the decider: his final bow in Test cricket. He has looked clueless for most of the summer at Adelaide and Brisbane, and even Melbourne on Boxing Day until the Indians self destructed.

Throughout the series, it was evident that Sourav Ganguly, who had lost Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh -- equal if not more important weapons for their team than the aging McGrath and ineffective Warne to Waugh -- was calling the shots and dictating terms.

That Ganguly didn’t totally rain on Waugh’s parade by batting on till the middle of the fifth day indicated not only a man aiming for the immortality of a first series win over Australia in Australia, but also a man who wasn’t interested in kicking a man when he was down. This was quite unlike the in-your-face aggressive behavior, mental disintegration and sledging, practiced by Waugh, his team, the Australian fans and media (all with several notable exceptions, of course), the home cricket administration, umpires and match referees.

Ganguly and Indian cricket have no time for the moral victories that are so beloved by the English team and media, but India well and truly has out-punched Australia who were down for the count before being saved by the bell.