What the Aussie press said at Adelaide on Day 4

India won an hour, but Australia won another day. Increasingly, that is how it has been in this unexpectedly one-sided series. Today, only a washout can save India from its second whitewash in less than six months. Throughout, the team has given the impression of scarcely caring. It is probably a defensive mechanism, but it stands against them. Sometimes, the Australians look to care too much, when bad-mouthing a faltering opponent, for instance. It stands against them. The moral victory should be enough.

Even India's winning hour was pyrrhic. Virender Sehwag began as if he meant to make the 500 needed for victory by himself, and before dusk. No one makes runs with more economy of bodily movement. To play his shots, he does not move his feet at all. Mostly, he does not have to run for them once played, and nor does any fieldsman. Prevailed upon, he will amble a single. Between balls, and overs, he leans on his bat with legs crossed, a picture of insouciance. Not even the Climate Institute knows more than him about conserving energy.

The parts of his innings were captivating, but the sum was reckless. India's mission was to survive five sessions. Sehwag's approach would have been justified only if he could sustain it, an improbable idea. He knew this; as he trudged slowly from the ground, his bat trailed behind him, like a leash without a dog. He was the captain, after all.

Greg Baum, Sydney Morning Herald

Image: India's Virender Sehwag bats against Australia during their cricket test match in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012.

Images: AP