Australia captain Pat Cummins said Australia's series against India lived up to high expectations, after his side registered a 3-1 win to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Cummins led Australia to A six-wicket victory On the third day of the fifth Test in Sydney, with the home team coming back from a 295-run defeat in the series opener in Perth.
They responded with a 10-wicket win in Adelaide, and after the third Test in Brisbane ended in a rain-affected draw, a dramatic win on day five of the fourth Test in Melbourne put Australia 2-1 ahead.
“It's been a fantastic series,” said Cummins, 31. “It's been on the calendar for a while and it's one of those series you've been watching for a year or two. It has lived up to all the hype.” “
The win in Sydney, aided by fast bowler Scott Boland's 10-wicket haul, also ensured Australia would contest the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's in June.
“The extra layer now secures a place in the World Test Championship final, which was always a big goal for us at this tournament and we've achieved that. So we're really satisfied.”
Australia started the series with Nathan McSweeney opening the batsman, but he was replaced by 19-year-old Sam Konstas for the final two Tests.
Konstas caught the eye with a quick innings of 60 on his first day in international cricket, while all-rounder Beau Webster not out of 57 and 39 on his Test debut in Sydney.
Boland took 21 wickets in just three matches in the series, while the experience of Travis Head and Steve Smith, with 448 and 314 runs in the series respectively, also proved vital.
“We talked about the need for a team that, especially in this five-game series, you rarely play with the same formation,” Cummins explained.
“Three players have come in for the first time and contributed at different times – it feels like we are building something nice,” the Australia captain added, saying he is likely to miss the upcoming series in Sri Lanka as his wife is due to give birth next year. A few weeks.
“There were some big moments from some of our key players who really stood up. You need that to beat a team like India and in those crucial moments those guys got their hands up.”