Winners and Losers ft. Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane

Ravichandran Ashwin

In Southampton, Moeen Ali scathed through the Indian batting line-up just by using the rough that had been created on the surface, but Ravichandran Ashwin missed the mark completely and ended up taking only one wicket. While the injury to his hip was a reason to play for his performance in that match, he buried that demon in Adelaide. Australia, a country where he has a nightmarish record in Test cricket, saw a different Ashwin turning up for the occasion as he was able to grip the Kookaburra more than it usually does on these hard surfaces. He didn't let his line or length alter too much rather ensured that the stodginess of the surface was exploited. Not only he deployed a consistent approach, he was also successful in giving the ball revs in the air, which put the Aussies in a position of danger. Ravindra Jadeja definitely won a lot of confidence from the team management after taking seven wickets at The Oval, but Ashwin, at Adelaide, proved that why he is still the first choice spinner in the team.

The last two years of Ajinkya Rahane is nothing but a sheer disappointment. Sure he had a 48 on a tough Johannesburg Test, a gritty 81 at Nottingham, and a 51 in Southampton, but that was all he could do this year. A player of brilliant technique and high temperament, Rahane was perfectly suited for the SENA countries, but things didn’t go as planned. The Australia series was going to be a make-or-break situation for him and he did reply to his critics wonderfully. After a careless dismissal in the first innings, Rahane produced a veritable gem on the fourth morning. With Lyon firing on all cylinders, Rahane mixed caution with aggression, putting the bad balls away and equally scoring runs comfortably. He made excellent use of the feet to get to the pitch and went back on the feet when the bowler bowled short balls. It was an innings of intent, and more that would give him some confidence as the series progresses further.

Losers

Rohit Sharma

Ahead of the series, eyes were on the return of Mitchell Starc and how he was going to restrict India in the Test series. He is certainly capable of that and being the fastest bowler in the world - according to Cricviz - he was expected to lead the Aussie attack. However, apart from the first few overs on the first day, Starc never really turned up for the occasion, staying largely silent due to his wayward length and line. Indians were happy to fend him off and even used the pace to get some scores on the board. On the other hand, his pace colleague Josh Hazlewood was accurate and made Indians suffer to no end. In the second innings as well, Starc failed to make any sort of impact, and his run-up suggested that he was carrying a niggle. Although Nathan Lyon dismissed that in the press conference, Australia need him to be fully fit for the Perth Test, where his importance will be magnified.