Nathan Lyon was rightly named the player of the match in the Second Test victory for his unlikely wicket taking – not unlikely in the sense that he wasn’t bowling well, unlikely in as much as the Perth Stadium surface (the new pitch played as much like the WACA as the actual WACA) doesn’t offer much in the realm of spin, a characteristic by which spinners generally define their jobs.

Lyon’s battle with Virat Kohli was every bit as compelling as Abdul Qadir versus Kim Hughes, Shane Warne versus Hansie Cronje or Darren Lehmann and Damien Martyn versus Muttiah Muralitharan at Galle. Nathan’s gutsy batting and unrelenting, wholehearted fielding effort set an example for teammates and aspirants alike. He was the outstanding man of the 22, but individuals alone do not win team games, and Test cricket is said to be "saved by batsmen and won by bowlers".

Without taking 20 wickets the series could not be levelled. Australia needed its four-man attack to collectively do their jobs and it needed the fieldsman to take their catches. The win was difficult, gritty and gutsy, lacking in superstars and reeking of "team" – well done them, one and all. India’s principle weakness may be that they are relying on too few of their XI. The Australians lifted after Adelaide, the off-spinner maintained his own world’s best standards but the tall, left-handed strike bowler lead the rise.

Mitchell Starc plied his fire with craft and skill, without undue fuss or excess vocabulary at 145km/h. At times he touched 150km/h especially when he went around the wicket and the body coiled a few degrees more and rotated with just a hint more explosion. He exuded intense purpose, and Test cricket requires intensity, as it requires physical and mental resilience. Something his critics should know.