Australia v India 2014: Nathan Lyon cements spot in side with match-winning effort, writes Ian Chappell

WITH memories of Faf Du Plessis’ resistance flashing before his eyes, Nathan Lyon overcame two big obstacles to bowl Australia to victory.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 13: Nathan Lyon of Australia celebrates after taking the last wicket to win the match day five of the First Test match between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on December 13, 2014 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

WITH memories of Faf Du Plessis’ remarkable resistance flashing before his eyes, Nathan Lyon battled the Indian batsmen and a good pitch to bowl Australia to victory.

The breakthrough took a long time, but he finished with seven wickets as Australia won by 48 runs.

On this occasion there were extenuating circumstances for Lyon’s early struggles. Firstly, he could feel aggrieved that he didn’t get an early LBW decision when Murali Vijay had a brain fade and padded up to a ball that would have hit the stumps.

REPORT: LYON STEERS AUSSIES TO DRAMATIC WIN

SPECIAL: LYON’S SPELL THE BEST SINCE WARNIE

REPLAY: HOW DID AUSTRALIA WIN THAT?

In a game where LBW decisions were scarce, this delivery should have broken the duck.

Lyon had shown considerable spin-bowling capabilities with a five-wicket haul in the first innings. He spun the ball sharply and made the ball bounce, as he often does, but it was the occasional drift he produced which accounted for Rohit Sharma and elevated his achievement to a higher plane.

Australia’s Nathan Lyon took 12 wickets for the Test.

Too often he has bowled a lot of good deliveries and regularly troubled the batsmen but his final figures haven’t reflected those efforts. If he can consistently add drift to those other attributes, he will become a much more demanding opponent.

His efforts on the final day, with the Australian pace men failing to provide much assistance, should have put to rest any conjecture about his place in the Test side.

In the case of a sole spinner, even a Shane Warne needs help. So often he had Glenn McGrath to take a wicket and keep the spirits uplifted.

The final factor counting against Lyon was the drop-in pitch. While the footmarks provided excessive spin and the occasional steep bounce, there was very little in the way of deliveries shooting low.

Nathan Lyon is mobbed by his teammates after bowling Australia to victory over India.

On the final day, the drama was restricted to the result rather than any histrionics from the players.

Earlier in the match, the generally peaceful surroundings of the beautiful Adelaide Oval were disturbed when a war of words erupted. This outburst may have spoken volumes about the leadership struggle that may emerge shortly in the Australian team.

Both Steve Smith and David Warner further underlined their ample playing qualifications in producing emotional tributes to their fallen comrade Phillip Hughes, as well as pushing Australia’s claims for supremacy.

However, Warner’s taunting of Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron may have been one outburst too many for his leadership aspirations.

With Michael Clarke now likely to be unavailable for any further duty during the series, if the selectors decide to unveil their future captaincy plans, then Smith has moved to the head of the queue.

In one of the two verbal altercations that took place in Adelaide, Smith remained unperturbed as the animated debate raged around him. Smith’s calmness, as much as his cricket ability and knowledge, create a good impression for future leadership duties. This calmness is part of the reason why he’s such a respected teammate, a quality important in a leader.

The paceman who disappointed most was Peter Siddle. He’s been down on pace and zip in recent times and this was once again apparent in Adelaide.

Peter Siddle is under pressure to retain his spot in Australia’s Test side.

Needing to produce an inspired performance in the second innings to keep the lively aspirant Josh Hazlewood at bay, he once again lacked the necessary zip to produce a breakthrough.

With the Australian pace attack failing to produce the required penetration in the second innings it would seem to be the right time to introduce the lively Hazlewood. His ability to extract bounce from the pitch should also be helped by the Gabba strip and he could pose some problems for the Indian batsmen.

The Indian batsman who impressed most was Virat Kohli who replicated the feat of Greg Chappell in scoring a century in each innings on debut as captain.

Under his leadership, they have shown they won’t be the pushover they were the last time they visited Australia. However, life won’t be so easy at the Gabba with a more lively pitch and an Australian attack that will be better for the run in Adelaide.

Originally published as Australia v India 2014: Nathan Lyon cements spot in side with match-winning effort, writes Ian Chappell