With Dharamsala Test win, Team India proves it's not just about Virat Kohli

Beating the Aussies is never the same as taking on any other opposition in the world. It's a triumph savoured a little longer, sweeter as it is given the highly competitive, hard cricket they play.

Even a second-string Australian team or a relatively less-experienced group of eleven compared to the one that last played can't be taken for granted and measures up to deliver top-notch performances.

After India's unbeaten run in this home season against New Zealand, England and Bangladesh, the Aussies, for all the lofty standards that they are known to set, didn't perhaps seem a major threat for the hosts.

But call it the complacency curse or a result of most Indian batsmen capitulating without putting up any resistance, the Pune Test was over in three days.

And the margin of defeat — a massive 333 runs — may have got even those incorrigibly optimistic about India's chances of clinching the series to at least speak more guardedly about the eventual outcome, if not predict an absolute drubbing for Kohli and company.

But what a come-from-behind series win this turned out to be.

Showing to the mighty Kangaroos that we had it in us to bounce back with a greater, steelier resolve and shake off a one-match forgettable show was evident in the way we equalised in Bengaluru, dominated in Ranchi and sealed the series in Dharamsala.

While Captain Smith was lucky with the coin three times out of 4, the visitors were outshone by the hosts post Pune in almost all departments.

Series won despite Kohli's failures

Overdependence on one player makes it that much easier for teams to formulate a strategy to run through rival sides.

They know they have identified the guy they need to find a chink in the armour of the opponent, and are confident that other batsmen in the opposition ranks won't be difficult to dislodge.

Kohli has been India's most prolific run-getter across all formats. But the fact that he didn't have a series he'd want to remember for long brought out record contributions from Pujara and KL Rahul, crucial knocks from Jadeja and Saha and handy scores from Rahane and Ashwin.

Umesh Yadav spearheaded India's pace attack and picked up crucial wickets. While Ashwin and Jadeja's wicket-taking prowess is unquestionable, there was a spin surprise element too.

The other Yadav, Kuldeep, too left a lasting impact in his debut Test at Dharamsala, dismissing players of the league of Warner, Maxwell and Handscomb.

All-rounders in Jadeja, Ashwin?

For long, India has been looking for all-rounders who can put their hand up at a time of crisis and bail the team out. And Jadeja and Ashwin have proved that they are there to fill in those shoes.

Ashwin's ability to chip in with useful 30s and 40s at least, sometimes even bigger scores, apart from being a top-class bowler makes him that much more invaluable to the side. Jadeja, being a terrific fielder, becomes all the more so.

Not only has the lad from Gujarat taken some pressure of picking wickets off Ashwin, Jadeja has in most cases even become India's go-to man.

And his ability to hit fearlessly was never more evident than in the way he attacked in his 63-run knock in the last Test.

Seamers' scalps matching spinners' success?

This series wasn't just a "turning wicket" success story, as is commonly seen on subcontinent tracks with spinners easily accounting for more than half the side and with a run-out or two, the pacers having very little to show for their effort.

Umesh Yadav turned that around. He has taken his bowling a couple of notches higher.

We always knew him to be fast and occasionally bang on, but he would leak too many runs for barely a wicket to show against his name to have the opposition under pressure.

In this series, he came across as a bowler with greater intent. He didn't have any fifers, but the regularity with which he got wickets in every innings and the unplayable pace and accuracy with which he came steaming in, to the openers or to the middle order, in the morning session or towards the fag end of the day, was commendable.

He truly was the spearhead of India's pace attack, ably supported by Ishant Sharma in the first three games and by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in Dharamsala.

No demons in the pitch, victory well-deserved

The Pune wicket was rated poor by the ICC, while the Bengaluru track, where India won, termed "below average".

In all fairness, one will agree that neither of the pitches at Ranchi and Dharamsala misbehaved till the very end. Australia were on the backfoot even in the Ranchi Test where India posted 600 in response to the visitors' first-innings score of 450.

But a more determined effort to bat out time in their second essay saw them manage a draw. Dharamsala was different.

After managing only 300 in their first innings on Day 1, Smith and his boys were always going to be under pressure if India went past that figure.

And the hosts did exactly that — secured a crucial 32-run lead and bundled out the visitors for 137 to ensure that the 106-run target was too small to intimidate them.

Sorry Steven Smith, but even the colder climate in Dharamsala (Aussies couldn't have asked for more favourable conditions) wasn't conducive for an Aussie win, so he can't complain about the weather.

Or the umpiring, which was mostly spot on, or the pitches which played out evenly for both teams.

Or the DRS, which may have been an occasional "error-in-judgement" call.

Let's hope the next time Smith rubs noses with the Dalai Lama, the latter whispers into his ears the mantra to succeed against India, wherever the two teams battle it out.

Also read: How Rahane’s silence shut the Aussies up