Any India vs. Australia cricket game is guaranteed to be a closely contested affair. However, this rivalry seems to escalate to even greater heights when played at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. Over the years, the stadium has witnessed many memorable moments between the two teams. From Sachin Tendulkar’s masterful 214 in 2010 to Michael Clarke’s 151 on debut in 2004, and Michael Kasprowicz skittling out half the Indian side, way back in 1998, this stadium has seen it all.

Over the past decade or so, home teams dominating the visitors has become the norm in Test cricket; and although this is a commendable feat on part of the home team, it has led to some one-sided contests in the past.

Moreover, Australia’s performance against India in Bangalore comes on the back of their loss to South Africa at home. While the Proteas did remarkably well to take down the Aussies in their own backyard, the Aussies themselves did extremely well to dominate India for the most part of the Bangalore Test, until their hard work was undone in the last one and a half days.   

A great leveler:-

However, the way the second Test played out, the reputations of both the teams are on the line in the remainder of the series.

In a way, the pitch for the second Test has set the stage for the see-saw, yet balanced contest that was on display. Unlike some of its predecessors, the pitch in Bangalore assisted spinners, fast bowlers, and batsmen in turns, across sessions. Not only did this add to the fairness of the contest, it also made for an enjoyable watch, from a spectators’ point of view.  

The bigger picture:-

This time around, Australian skipper Steve Smith has landed in the eye of a storm following his decision to seek advice from his dressing room regarding a DRS review. Smith’s actions were brought to the notice of the umpires by his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli, and Smith has labeled his own actions as a moment of ‘brain fade’.

Further, although there is no denying that Smith’s actions were against the spirit of the game, more importantly, this incident is at the risk of eclipsing an epic contest, between the two.

While day one of the second Test belonged to Nathan Lyon, as he bamboozled the Indian batsmen with his off-spin, the second day belonged to the Australian batsmen, who dominated the Indian bowling. Josh Hazlewood continued Australia’s dominance in the game, with a fiery spell with the ball, on the third day, before Cheteshwar Pujara set the tone for India’s comeback into the match.

Finally, just as Australia looked set to take an unassailable 2-0 lead on, Ravichandran Ashwin had other ideas as he picked up 6 wickets on day four, leading the way for India to complete a win that will live in the memory.

Apart from the DRS controversy, this match still remains a perfect advertisement for test cricket.

Now, the onus is on us and the way in which we choose to remember the Bangalore test. We can either choose to remember the enthralling contest that ensued between India and Australia, which was certainly in keeping with the spirit of the game, or we can choose to remember the one moment which was against the spirit of the game.