Indeed a very commendable win by an Australian side that could easily have given up the ghost after that shambles of a second innings last match - and the loss of their skipper among a number of other selection ups and downs. Their whole approach on this tour seemed muddled before : but they switched on this week and completely outplayed their - possibly overconfident ? - opponents. Top marks for resilience
As for India : obviously they remain a strong team , especially at home. But they were in trouble in the previous match and arguably triumphed as much from Australia's ineptitude as their own skills : so when you now look at what happened in this game it is reasonable to suggest that they may no longer be quite the powerhouse we have seen over the last few years.
The bowling is very good , of course. Lots of good spin options , and even without Bumrah , a nice collection of seamers. But the batting ? The absence of Pant and the continued decline of Kohli has revealed a lot more vulnerability than we had come to expect. Rahane is gone and Pujara may be nearing his finish despite his brave efforts yesterday : whether the young guns with good white ball records can replace them we will no doubt discover in time. Indian selectors might have their thinking caps on tonight.
Not saying they are suddenly rubbish , by the way ! But perhaps this might have Australia - and other teams - a bit less ready to concede in advance when they are greeted by a tricky pitch ...