2003/04 3rd Test | Australia 🇦🇺 vs India 🇮🇳 @Melbourne | Border Gavaskar Trophy.

2003/04 3rd Test | Australia 🇦🇺 vs India 🇮🇳 @Melbourne | Border Gavaskar Trophy.

At Melbourne, December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2003. Australia won by nine wickets. Toss: India.

Elite Indian batsmen have often been noted for their quiet demeanour and inscrutability, but Sehwag is representative of a new breed who boast a self-assuredness, even cockiness. A daring opener, he has a simple philosophy and an uncomplicated style, playing by instinct and not by the book.

For five hours and 12 minutes he enthralled a first-day crowd of 62,613 - a record for India in Australia - his bold strokeplay bringing 25 fours and five sixes. He was as devastating on the drive and through the covers as he was through mid-wicket and the gully. Sehwag just missed a maiden Test double-hundred but his score of 195 was the highest by an Indian at the MCG, which was celebrating its 150th birthday with a spectacular $A430m makeover in advance of the Commonwealth Games in 2006.

While he could have been run out on five and should have been caught by Katich at 66, this was an innings of both brilliance and raw courage. Twice, Sehwag was hit on the helmet by Lee; each time, he barely flinched. In summers past, Indian openers would have wilted against such an attack on the body.

India collapsed next morning, however, and Ponting, riding high after his glorious 242 in Adelaide, and Hayden moved swiftly to avert embarrassment. They pooled their formidable resources and added 234 for the second wicket before Hayden was lbw to the indefatigable Kumble for 136. Ponting completed his 20th Test century two overs later and, although he elicited only modest support from that point, he was in such sublime form that he reached 257, his third double. Before Adelaide, he had made 206 at Port-of-Spain in April; Don Bradman, in England in 1930, is the only other batsman to have scored three Test double-hundreds in a calendar year. With an unforgettable array of cuts, drives and thrilling trademark pulls and clips ahead of square, Ponting struck 25 fours (plus one all-run) in 458 balls, and batted for ten minutes shy of ten hours. He took the match away from India, much as Dravid and Laxman stole the Second Test from Australia.

Ponting rarely lapsed in concentration, even when the excitement surrounding Waugh's farewell reached fever pitch. On the third morning, the nation that halts for a horse race was stopped in its tracks when Waugh was struck above the left elbow by a short delivery from the enigmatic Agarkar. For one unsettling moment, as Waugh admitted later, he feared his distinguished career was to end in Melbourne and not his beloved Sydney the following week. He left the ground for treatment but, hard as nails, returned after lunch to assist Ponting in advancing the total beyond 500. Characteristically, he made light of the pain and received three standing ovations from a crowd of 33,256 - many there expressly to pay him tribute.

While the batsmen won the rave reviews, Kumble and MacGill, leg-spinners of vastly different styles, enjoyed a good deal of success. Though the Indians regretted risking their injured premier pace bowler Zaheer Khan, the Australians had reason to be pleased with the spirited showing of left-armer Bracken and the tearaway Williams. But Ponting had the last word; when he swept the winning four to fine leg, he had 1,503 Test runs for the calendar year, a total exceeded only by Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar.

Man of the Match: R. T. Ponting. Attendance: 179,662.

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