The end was swift, brutally so. For all their preparations against the turning ball at their training camp in Bangalore, Australia’s batsmen came horribly unstuck at the crunch, embarrassing a rich legacy with one of their most timid performances at the VCA Stadium on an action-packed Saturday.

Abject surrender by visitors

Abject surrender is the phrase that comes most readily to mind in the aftermath of a spectacular implosion that handed India a comprehensive innings and 132 runs victory on the third day of the first Test. Having seen India’s tail wag furiously in the morning to translate an overnight advantage of 144 to an unmanageable 223, Australia froze like rabbits in the headlights against the classy off-spin of R Ashwin.