Rohit and Kohli's form doesn't matter; all Australians care about is the Test series win over India

Australia are a fiercely proud and passionate cricketing outfit, and that pride and passion extends to their millions of supporters as well. The fans are indulgent and forgiving and fiercely protective of their heroes, and quick to gather forces and turn on a member of the opposition if they believe he has slighted one of their own.

Mohammed Siraj was at the receiving end of their fury from the time he gave a volatile sendoff to Travis Head , the South Australian superstar, in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, though by the time he came to Sydney, the boos and jeers had receded somewhat once the spectators realised that there was no malice to him, that he was just a lion-hearted competitor giving it his all on the cricket field. From the MCG onwards, they turned instead on Virat Kohli, the most Australian of all non-Australians, perhaps with justification after his shoulder-butt of debutant Sam Konstas .

But even in their eyes, Jasprit Bumrah can do no wrong. There were groans of disappointment when India’s captain for the last Test left the SCG on the second afternoon and visuals of him boarding an SUV to be taken to a hospital for scans on his back were flashed on the big screen. Huge cheers accompanied him to the batting crease on Sunday morning, a move which gave the impression that he would be fit to bowl during Australia’s run-chase. Expectancy and anticipation gave way to a sense of letdown when India took the field during the fourth innings without the pace sensation. They wanted their team to win, all right, but they wanted a contest. They wanted to see Bumrah in action one last time this series, they believed the trade-off even if he sent Australia packing was well worth it.

Australians craved for Test series victory over India

The series score line, 3-1 , might indicate a lop-sided no-contest, but despite their pronounced batting frailties, India scrapped hard and that appealed to the Aussies. It left them convinced that the Border-Gavaskar Trophy had been won, not handed to them on a platter. Australia had craved possession of that trophy since 2017, when India snatched it back at home after a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Three subsequent series, two of them in Australia, resulted in victories by the same margin for India, which increased the Aussies’ yearning for the coveted piece of silverware which stands as the symbol of supremacy in Australia-India Test cricket.

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The Aussies recognised that of all the teams in the world, India were the ones most equipped to stretch them, which in turn translated to the massive crowds that packed all five venues during this tour.

Five-Test series can become a drag if it is one-way traffic. That was the case during India’s last such experience Down Under, in 1991-92 under Mohammad Azharuddin. True, there was the genius-in-the-making teenager that attracted crowds by their thousands and Sachin Tendulkar didn’t disappoint, with a big hundred in Sydney and an even more special century on a spicy WACA deck in Perth. But as a team, India were underwhelming. They were well beaten in four of the five games, and even though they did have their moments at the SCG on the back of a terrific all-round display by double-centurion Ravi Shastri, the finish line proved a little too far.

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Since then, India have been part of three- and four-match showdowns here, not always competitively, but their last two triumphs in Australia have lifted them in the eyes of the lay fan here. Some quarters dismissed the 2018-19 victory as having been achieved against a home team without the crack suspended batting duo of David Warner and Steve Smith. But the manner in which India regrouped two years later earned the respect and the admiration of the generally fair Australian fandom.

From 36 all out and the loss for the rest of the series of their captain, Kohli, on paternity leave to conjure a series victory with a bunch of greenhorns was Shastri’s finest hour as coach, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s greatest accomplishment in India colours. That series has forever changed the way the Aussies perceive India as a cricket force, and the record crowds during this series stand testimony to the kind of interest India have sparked in these shores.

Here are some remarkable numbers. After India’s victory in Perth, 50,186 and 51,642 fans respectively turned up for the first and second days of the next Test in Adelaide, the fourth- and third-highest attendance at all Tests at the Adelaide Oval. In Brisbane, which was severely hit by the weather, the total attendance was 91,195, the largest for a non-Ashes Test. In Melbourne, the first day saw 87,242 fans cram the hallowed MCG, day two attracted 85,147 and the day-three number of 83,073 was the largest ever for a third day’s play in a Boxing Day Test. The total attendance for that game was 299,329, comfortably shading the previous record of 271,855 against England in 2013. In Sydney, a collective 141,518 watched Australia’s six-wicket series-clinching victory, which meant that in all, 837,879 people turned up at the five grounds to partake of the entertainment. On an average, that’s 167,576 spectators per Test. Ashes? Now, what’s that?

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The Indians have been huge hits here in Australia, flooded by numerous requests for selfies and autographs and, in some bizarre instances, match passes. By and large, they have been very accommodating and friendly, wowing the fans with their humility and grounded nature. Historically, they have been very popular travellers to this part of the world, and their rediscovered competitiveness after a few series of being wiped out has added to the aura around the side. There is a massive Indian diaspora here, which has obviously contributed to the growing numbers at the grounds, but more than anything else, it is the brand of cricket they have portrayed that has elevated the standing of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Winning vs India not less than clinching Ashes

For the Australian team, this piece of silverware means as much as the tiny urn that the holder of the Ashes receives. In India, they recognise a worthy opponent whom they have finally conquered for the first time in a decade. India weren’t at their best, perhaps they weren’t allowed to be so by a fabulous pace attack operating in familiar conditions, but they still fought tooth and nail, and as a nation, the Aussies love nothing more than a good-natured, no-holds-barred scrap.

Many home fans one interacted with were convinced on Sunday afternoon, after debutant Beau Webster smacked the winning four, that had Bumrah bowled, there would have been a different tale to tell. That conviction was tinged with assertion, but also relief and some delight. In India, there will be disappointment at a third defeat in four Tests but here in Australia, the perception is different. Not for the first time, the batting let India down in Sydney – usually, scores of 185 and 157 don’t translate to Test wins – and given that six of the top eight have played Test cricket in Australia previously, that will be the focus of much attention, angst and potentially ire over the next few weeks. But out here in Australia, they are just thrilled that the trophy is back in their possession. At least until the next skirmish.