Skippers Steve Smith and Virat Kohli add spark as Australia win series
India's test tour will be remembered more for the talent of young debutant captains that may mark start of new rivalry
India may have hung on to claim a draw against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday, limiting the series loss to 2-0, but the four-test series will be remembered more for the performances of opposing young captains Virat Kohli, of India, and Australia's Steve Smith.
Kohli scored four tons in the series, an effort matched by Smith, the heir apparent to the injured Michael Clarke.
Smith was named man of the series after an aggregate of 769 runs, which surpassed Don Bradman's record of 715 runs in five tests in 1947-48 as the most runs in an Australia-India series.
It's been a pretty special summer for me personally, with some of the results that I've got
The 25-year-old's 117 in the fourth test also matched the feats of Bradman and South Africa great Jacques Kallis in scoring four hundreds in four consecutive tests of a series.
"It's been a pretty special summer for me personally, with some of the results that I've got," Smith said. "I've felt good throughout the whole series. I'm really happy with where my form is at and my approach to batting."
The 26-year-old Kohli marked his elevation to India's captaincy by smashing his fourth century of the series in Sydney. Kohli, appointed captain when MS Dhoni retired after the third test, produced an unbeaten 140 at the SCG to go with his twin tons at Adelaide and his highest score of 169 in Melbourne.