The Indian cricket team toured Australia from 15 December 2011 to 28 February 2012.Indian cricket team in Australia 2011–12Cricinfo Retrieved 4 August 2011. The tour included four Tests to contest the Border–Gavaskar Trophy (which was held by India at the start of the tour),Border–Gavaskar Trophy 2010/11 two Twenty20s (T20Is),Indian cricket team in Australia 2011/12 Retrieved 4 August 2011. and eight ODIs as part of the Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series which also involved Sri Lanka.Tri-series returns to Australia Retrieved 17 December 2011
Australian won the four Test series in a 4–0 whitewash to regain the Border–Gavaskar Trophy. Australian captain Michael Clarke was named the player of the series, having scored 626 runs at an average of 125.20. In the second Test match, Clarke, with 329 not out, scored the 25th triple century in Test match cricket. The third Test match saw David Warner bring up a century in just 69 deliveries, setting a new record for the fastest Test century by an opening batsman. In the fourth Test, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke compiled a fourth wicket partnership of 386 runs, the highest partnership in Tests between Australia and India, or in Tests at the Adelaide Oval. Following the Test series, The T20I series was held which was drawn 1–1. The tour concluded with the ODI tri-series with India finishing last in the ODI tri-series, with three wins, one tie and four losses from its eight ODIs and did not make it to the best of three finals.
Background By mid-2011, the Indian cricket team was enjoying unprecedented success, winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup held at home, while also being the No. 1 Test team, which they had achieved in 2009.imesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournament/sri-lanka-in-india-2009/top-stories/Finally-Team-India-is-No-1-in-Test-cricket/articleshow/5308844.cms They proved to be unbeatable in favourable home conditions, but also enjoyed unusual success away, especially beyond the subcontinent such as in South Africa in late 2010, where for the first time ever, the Indian cricket team did not lose a Test series, drawing 1-1. The team, led by wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was widely praised by media and former cricketers, and Dhoni's captaincy was also considered by some experts to be one of the reasons for India's success alongside their record breaking ageing batsmen. However, this success was reversed in their tour to England in 2011. It was widely expected by Indians that India would win the Test and ODI series there. However, their weaknesses in their ageing bowling and batting were completely exposed by the Englishmen and they lost all the 4 Tests, losing their No. 1 Test status to England. Despite the debacle in England, it was widely expected by Indians that India would retain the Border–Gavaskar Trophy after the series in Australia. Though the team's previous two tours Down Under were middling, achieving only one Test victory in each, the Australian cricket team was notably weaker than in the 2000s. The nucleus of the Indian side selected for the tour had a number of experienced players who had a good record in Australia. India had most recently won a five-match ODI home series against England 5–0 in October and a three-Test home series against the very weak West Indies 2–0 in November, improving expectations.
The Australian team was undergoing a period of transition, with many of their successful players like Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath having retired after the 2006/7 Ashes and former captain and ageing batting mainstay Ricky Ponting woefully out-of-form. The team was now captained by Michael Clarke and had many inexperienced players. Australia's recent record was not inspiring, meekly losing the home 2010/11 Ashes series, failing to reach the semifinals of the Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1992, and drawing two recent Test series in South Africa away and home against New Zealand at home. Their coach Tim Nielsen had been sacked and replaced with former South African coach Mickey Arthur. Not many cricket experts and media, even in Australia, were expecting an Australian resurgence against a very formidable India.
This was ageing batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's fifth series in Australia, having been a member of the Indian side in its previous tours Down Under in 1991, 1999, 2003 and 2007. At the beginning of the tour, Tendulkar had scored 99 centuries in international cricket; the tour gave him the long overdue and agonisingly absent opportunity to become the first player in the history of the sport to reach score his hundredth international century, if across two widely differing formats.
India made two changes to its bowling attack from the third Test of the West Indies series, with pacemen Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav replacing paceman Varun Aaron and spinner Pragyan Ojha, and fielding an unchanged batting lineup. Harbhajan Singh, who had previously taken the wicket of Ponting ten times in his career, was not selected.
In the Limited Overs squad, Praveen Kumar returned to the squad after recovering from a fractured rib. Sachin Tendulkar was also in the squad, although he had not played an ODI since the final of the World Cup in April 2011.
Australian T20I captain Cameron White was dropped from the T20I team due to poor form at domestic level; he was replaced in the team, and replaced as captain, by George Bailey, who made his international debut. Australian spinner Brad Hogg came out of retirement at the age of 41 to play the T20Is.
TestsODIsT20Is Michael Clarke (c) Brad Haddin (vc) & (wk) Dan Christian Ed Cowan Ben Hilfenhaus Michael Hussey Nathan Lyon Shaun Marsh James Pattinson* Ricky Ponting Peter Siddle Mitchell Starc David Warner Ryan Harris Mitchell Starc* Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c) & (wk) Virender Sehwag (vc) Ravichandran Ashwin Rahul Dravid Gautam Gambhir Zaheer Khan Virat Kohli Vinay Kumar*** VVS Laxman Abhimanyu Mithun** Pragyan Ojha Ajinkya Rahane Wriddhiman Saha (wk) Ishant Sharma Rohit Sharma Sachin Tendulkar Umesh Yadav Michael Clarke (c) Shane Watson (vc) David Warner (vc) (First 5 ODI's) Dan Christian David Hussey Michael Hussey Matthew Wade (wk) Ben Hilfenhaus**** Ryan Harris Mitchell Starc Xavier Doherty Clint McKay Mitchell Marsh Peter Forrest Brett Lee James Pattinson Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c) & (wk) Virender Sehwag (vc) Gautam Gambhir Zaheer Khan Praveen Kumar Irfan Pathan Rohit Sharma Manoj Tiwary Umesh Yadav Ravichandran Ashwin Ravindra Jadeja Virat Kohli Parthiv Patel (wk) Suresh Raina Rahul Sharma Sachin Tendulkar Vinay Kumar George Bailey (c) David Warner (vc) Travis Birt Daniel Christian Xavier Doherty James Faulkner Aaron Finch Brad Hogg David Hussey Brett Lee Clint McKay Mitchell Marsh Shaun Marsh Matthew Wade (wk) Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c) & (wk) Virender Sehwag (vc) Ravichandran Ashwin Gautam Gambhir Ravindra Jadeja Zaheer Khan Virat Kohli Praveen Kumar Parthiv Patel (wk) Irfan Pathan Suresh Raina Rahul Sharma Rohit Sharma Sachin Tendulkar Manoj Tiwary Vinay Kumar Umesh Yadav
* James Pattinson missed the last two tests and was replaced by fellow quick Mitchell Starc ahead of the third test in Perth.Injured Pattinson out of series ** Replaced Varun Aaron who was picked for the tour.Vinay replaces injured Aaron for Australia Tests *** Replaced Praveen Kumar who was picked for the tour.Mithun replaces Praveen for Australia tour **** Replaced Brett Lee who was picked for the tour.Lee out of tri-series with broken foot
Tour matches
Chairman's XI vs Indians
Chairman's XI vs Indians
Test series (Border–Gavaskar Trophy)
Trophy background Entering the series, India held the Border–Gavaskar Trophy after winning the previous two Test series between the countries, both of which were held in India: 2–0 from four Tests in 2008–09, and 2–0 from two Tests in 2010–11.
Decision Review System (DRS) The series was played without the players having access to the decision review system (DRS). At the time, the DRS could be used in any Test series at the agreement of both participating cricket boards, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India opposed its use in this series. Umpires could still initiate reviews to the third umpire for run out, stumping and no ball decisions.
1st Test
Match Report: Day 1 Australia won the toss and batted first. Play was interrupted for around forty minutes after the lunch break, but only one over was lost after the day's play was extended. Ed Cowan scored 68 runs on debut; Ricky Ponting scored 62. Australia suffered a middle order collapse, falling at one stage from 3/205 to 6/214, but Australia steadied to reach 6/277 at the end of Day 1. Television replays and technology cast doubt on the umpires' decisions to dismiss Cowan and Michael Hussey caught behind on the first day. A total of over 70,000 people attended the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first day of the Boxing Day Test.
Day 2 Australia reached 333 before being bowled out before lunch. India started well in its first innings, with three of its senior batsmen — Virender Sehwag (67), Rahul Dravid (68) and Sachin Tendulkar (73) — making half-centuries before Peter Siddle claimed Tendulkar's wicket in the last over of the day's play, with India 214/3 at stumps.
Day 3 India then suffered a batting collapse on the third morning, losing 7/68 in the morning session to be bowled out for 282. Ben Hilfenhaus collected the first five-wicket haul of his Test career (5/75). Australia took a 51-run lead into the second innings, but suffered a top order collapse, falling to 4/27. Umesh Yadav took three of the early wickets, finishing the match with seven. Ricky Ponting (60) and Michael Hussey (89), both under pressure to maintain their positions in the team, salvaged the innings after the collapse, combining for a partnership of 115, but three more quick wickets in the afternoon saw Australia 8/179 at stumps. A strong contribution from the tail, most notably James Pattinson (37 not out).
Day 4 Australia added a further 61 runs, to be dismissed for 240, a lead of 291 runs. India fell 123 runs short of the target, dismissed inside fifty overs on the fourth day for 169. Tendulkar was the top scorer with 32, and India was unable to compile any significant partnerships. All of the Australian fast bowlers took wickets, with four to Pattinson, three to Peter Siddle and two to Hilfenhaus.
James Pattinson was named player of the match, with bowling figures of 2/55 and 4/53, and useful batting contributions of 18* and 37*. It was Pattinson's second player of the match award in only the third Test match of his career.
2nd Test
Match Report: Day 1 Both teams were unchanged. India won the toss and chose to bat. The Australian bowlers dominated the Indian batsman, who lost wickets regularly through the day. The half-century partnership between Ravichandran Ashwin (20) and top-scorer MS Dhoni (57*) for the seventh wicket provided the only resistance, and India was dismissed for 191 after tea. James Pattinson (4/43) was the top bowler for Australia, taking the wickets of four of India's top five batsmen.
In reply, the Australian top order collapsed to 3/37, with Zaheer Khan taking all three wickets and at one point on a hat-trick. Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting then steadied the Australian innings, adding 79 runs without loss to take Australia to 3/116 at stumps.
Day 2