India let momentum slip

What promised to be the most gripping day's the Melbourne Test led to an anti-climax with Australia crushing India by 122 runs.

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Australia had their backs towards the wall at the beginning of Day 4, however their positive intent and perfect execution of bowling plans laid low their opponents. India were bizarrely defensive using the ball and showed no stomach for a fight with the bat chasing a stiff 292.

Among Australia’s finds of year, James Pattinson, and Peter Siddle made the most of India’s trigger-happiness using the bat. They bowled within the right areas - Pattinson’s high pace particularly troubled every batsman - and India obliged all of them with outside edges.

It was the sort of wicket were the home team also built the same mistakes using the bat. The answer to winning farmville was building partnerships. Australia had several; India, none.

India let momentum slip

Each morning session, Mike Hussey, Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus thrived with MS Dhoni’s conservative field settings that allowed them to pick easy singles and score the sporadic boundary.

India, 230 runs behind at the start of your day, allow the momentum drift. No team has chased more than 250 in the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1961.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir fell cheaply. The competition practically ended when Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli fell within a few overs of one another in the noon session. What came to hurt India bad was their conservative tactics against the Australia lower order.

Their last four wickets added 119 runs in the first innings and 92 in the second. Inside a low-scoring game such as this, 211 runs were a lot to give away towards the tail-end. To Australia’s credit, they fought tooth and nail and also the 60 runs they added today caused a seismic momentum shift.

Pattinson took seven wickets in the game, and batting at No. 10, was unbeaten in both innings in making 18 and 37. But this wouldn’t happen to be possible had Dhoni applied greater pressure on him his partners.

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Former Australia captain and commentator Ian Chappell particularly was critical of Dhoni’s methods. Today, he described them as “... ridiculous... a complete blue print regarding how to lose an evaluation match.” India proved him right.