Australia v India, 2014-15

At Brisbane, December 17-20, 2014. Australia won by four wickets. Toss: India. Test debut: J. R. Hazlewood.
After an inconspicuous start to the series, Johnson intervened twice to devastating effect at the venue of his Test comeback a year earlier. Australia were drifting at 247 for six on the third morning, responding to India's 408, when he surged to 88 from 93 balls, leading a rally that yielded a 97-run lead. Next morning he splintered India's middle order like matchwood with three for ten in 11 balls; Johnson was then at the crease when the winning runs were scored late on the fourth afternoon, extending Australia's undefeated streak at the Gabba to 26 Tests, only seven of them drawn. It was

India's sixth consecutive Test defeat in Australia. Man of the Match, nonetheless, was Smith, who in his first Test as captain lost the toss on a day of enervating heat, and watched India pile up 311 for four by stumps; Vijay compiled a polished 144, adding 124 for the fourth wicket with Rahane. Australia sagged, and Mitchell Marsh tweaked a hamstring that kept him from bowling for a month; catches went down, with Shaun Marsh (the replacement batsman for Michael Clarke, and now playing in a Test with his brother for the first time) spilling Vijay at gully on 36, and at short cover on 102. Officials and medical staff had to maintain a constant cycle of instant treatments and substitute fieldsmen; over-rates slumped. It was a harsh initiation in the office Smith had temporarily inherited from Clarke, ahead of vice-captain Haddin.

Yet Smith's composure never left him, and nor did his form. Josh Hazlewood, making his Test debut, forced his way through India's line-up on the second morning, and Haddin finished with six catches. Smith then took breezy command, scoring the first hundred by a new Australian captain since Graham Yallop here in 1978-79 against England, and his sixth in 13 matches since his maiden century in August 2013. Dhoni, who resumed India's captaincy after recovering from a long-term hand injury, seemed to have no plan: it was almost as if India had budgeted for a hundred, and were intent merely on keeping him quiet, which they signally failed to do.

Smith wanted only for support, which Johnson finally provided. Their riotous partnership of 148 in 26 overs fed off some feckless short-pitched bowling and some reckless on-field banter: when Johnson came in, Rohit Sharma had apparently reminded him of his previously indifferent bowling. Far from taking umbrage, Johnson played like a man unburdened, while for a period Smith was very nearly forgotten. Australia's last four wickets eventually added 258 in just 48.3 overs.

With India 71 for one coming into the fourth morning, and still in touching distance, there was confused and confusing advice from their dressing-room. In warming up, Dhawan had been struck on the wrist, and decided he could not resume; instead, Kohli walked out with Pujara, and was shortly walking back, having dragged Johnson on. Rahane was bounced out, Sharma nicked off and, when Dhoni lurched forward to Hazlewood and was hit lethally on the pads, India had lost four for 11. Dhawan at last recommenced, wrist in bandage, at the fall of Ashwin. Mysteriously he showed no ill effects.

Indeed, after Pujara fell to an unplayable lifter from Hazlewood, Dhawan batted chirpily, putting on 60 with Yadav. It was a curious interlude, and a muted one: the Indian camp made a complaint about the quality of the practice pitches, but only an "unofficial" one; they denied rumours of a dressing-room contretemps between Dhawan and Kohli; they left Dhoni to summarise the unrest in inimitable fashion. "Not like a typhoon-coming sort of unrest, but the calmness of the dressing-room goes for a toss."

Australia were left to chase 128, and were grateful to Rogers, who batted with unaccustomed fluency to reach a second 55 in the match, in 57 deliveries, with ten fours. The satisfaction of seeing Australia to victory eluded Smith only when he had to detour round bowler Aaron while returning for a second, and was found short of his ground by Yadav's pinpoint throw. Yadav immediately bounced out Haddin, without a fifty in seven Tests. India's accuracy and purpose were too late. The overall run-rate of 4.12 was the highest in Australian Test history. The over-rate, unfortunately, was consistently poor, the number of visits by groups of supernumeraries bearing gloves, drinks and even bananas increasingly exasperating: Smith was fined 60% of his match fee, his team-mates 30% of theirs. Ishant Sharma, meanwhile, dropped 15% of his into the ICC swearbox for a send-off to Smith.
Man of the Match: S. P. D. Smith.