India vs Australia 2017: Five talking points from the fourth Test at Dharamsala

The hard work of six months and thirteen Test matches culminated with a convincing series win for Team India at Dharamsala, their ninth consecutive series win in all formats. Under interim captain Ajinkya Rahane, the Indian team stuck together for an all-round performance to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

 

While there was a lot to talk about from the final Test, here are five major highlights from the final Test at Dharamsala:

#5  KL Rahul’s consistency

His temperament was under question, he was fairly inconsistent and he needed to step up his game and be counted. It started off with his 199 at Chennai, and has continued in the Australia series, fetching him 393 runs from four matches.

His sixth fifty of the series is the most by any Indian against Australia in the Test series, and goes to show how crucial he has been for Team India’s plans at the top of the order, providing strong starts to release the pressure on the middle order. At Dharamsala, it was imperative for Rahul to spend time in the middle, considering Virat Kohli wasn’t part of the playing XI.

He scored a fifty in the first innings to lay the groundwork, and battled a tricky passage of play on the third day’s evening to make sure India doesn’t lose a wicket. He then guided India through the small chase, remaining unbeaten, and making sure India doesn’t falter.