India, chasing a historically challenging 292 runs for victory, were never in the hunt after they crashed to 81 for six with the crucial loss of Sachin Tendulkar's wicket late in the middle session.
The tourists, who have yet to win a series in Australia in 64 years, were routed for 169 off 47.5 overs after Australia squeezed another 61 runs from their remaining two wickets earlier in the day.
James Pattinson led the way with four for 53 while Peter Siddle claimed the prized scalp of Tendulkar for 32 to again keep the Indian star's 100th international century on hold.
"It's fantastic to get a win against India, who we love beating, and put the disappointment of the New Zealand loss in Hobart behind us," said Pattinson, who won his second man-of-the-match award in his three Tests.
"We were in a bit of trouble last night but credit to Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey to get us out of trouble.
"We've just got this never-say-die attitude sort of feeling in the camp at the moment and it's a great feeling."
India were always up against it as they faced up to the highest fourth-innings run chase in almost 60 years at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
South Africa were the last team to achieve a higher fourth-innings target of 297 for four in beating Australia at the MCG in 1953.
"We should have been able to chase 300 with the kind of batting we've got, so another bad start to a Test series," said captain MS Dhoni after India's fifth consecutive loss in an away Test.
"I think all the bowlers did a very good job and got us back into the game, but I just think the batting needs to click a bit more."
It was a bowlers' Test match with no batsman scoring a century. Australian Hussey came the closest with 89 in the second innings.
Australia's pace trio Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Siddle maintained a full line and length and never let up on the Indian batsmen.
India, 24 for one at lunch after losing Virender Sehwag for seven, unravelled in the middle session with five wickets tumbling for 93 runs.
Gautam Gambhir fell to a fired-up Siddle, edging to the safe hands of Ponting at second slip for 13.
Rahul Dravid was bowled for the second time in the match with a pearler from Pattinson that crashed into his middle-stump for 10.
VVS Laxman was out cheaply again flicking Pattinson to Ed Cowan at square leg for just one after scoring two in the first innings.
Virat Kohli was out first ball, leg before wicket to Hilfenhaus with Tendulkar fast running out of batting partners.
But Tendulkar was next to go, slicing Siddle to Hussey in the gully for 32. With his departure India's chances dipped considerably, silencing the "Swarmy Army" India supporters and prompting many to leave the ground.
Tendulkar now takes his quest for his 100th Test and one-day century to next week's second Test in Sydney.
Ravi Ashwin went shortly after tea to a rearing Siddle delivery which he lobbed to Cowan for 30.
Zaheer Khan blasted a six off Pattinson but when he shaped to do the same on the next ball, he popped a gentle catch to Cowan close-in for 13.
Pattinson bowled Dhoni for 23 and Umesh Yadav was the last wicket to fall, caught athletically on the boundary by David Warner off spinner Nathan Lyon for 21, with Ishant Sharma six not out.
India began the day poorly when Australia added 61 runs for their last two wickets off 16.3 overs to exasperate the tourists' bowlers.
Hussey had a charmed life before he went 11 short of a century, and Pattinson remained unbeaten on 37 not out as he put on 43 runs for the last wicket before Hilfenhaus was the last man out for 14.
COMMENTS (26)
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@Engr Aleem:
Dr/Engr Aleem- you missed the point.
Well India has always been in trouble abroad... statistical proof from Cricinfo is as below: India has won only 37 tests abroad and 75 tests at home, they won their first abroad test 38 years after getting test status and by the time they were 70 years into test status they had only won 13 away tests (by 2000) .of course India has been a bit better in last decade but that is largely due to deterioration in standards of bigwigs like Aus,Pak, WI and SA...only Eng has improved recently and look what they did to India away from India.... in comparison Pakistan has won 56 tests at home and exactly 56 tests away...they won first away test in very first series of their history in 1952.... I leave the decision to readers.... secondly @shaq: India does not take any action against betting mafia of Mumbai.....that is why India is now the hub of all fixing activities.......rather recently it was proposed that betting be legalized in India....!!! so how can you say that "not india’s fault."....!!!its like someone has rash all over body but says its not my fault as it is growing itself. I hope my comment is not deleted by Tribune as there is nothing obnoxious...everything written here is based on facts as opposed to many Indian posters....and this comment is here to discuss the everlasting debate.."is India only good at home tests" and it is result of the first test defeat as well as 4-0 drubbing of Ind in eng last year as well as other commentators above.......so its no trolling either....!!!!!
@Imran Mohammad:
Home ground, home crowd champion… India.
at least there is a home ground! now i am gloating
@Dr. Aleem:
our cricketers are locked up due to conspiracy started at Mumbai’s underworld and betting mafia….Indian fixeer was behind the no balls.
Indian fixer was a " NON STATE ACTOR" ( remember????), so not india's fault.
@ Kamal While there would be the Tendulkar bashers and critics who say that India lose a match whenever Sachin scores a century, the statistics prove otherwise. Of the 48 ODI centuries that Tendulkar has scored so far, only 13 such three-figure scores have ended up in a losing cause for India, while in 33 matches, where the batting maestro has gone past 100, India have emerged victors. One match against England in July 2002 saw a Sachin ton yield no result while the last world cup match against the same side resulted in a tied game.
I wrote in my previous comment: "One can put similar stats for other Indian greats like Dravid(who scored 3 centuries in four tests this year alone in England), Gavaskar, Laxman etc"
But you conveniently missed that & wrote - "Was only Sachin playing in all those matches ? Its a collective effort all the time ......... "
@Saim Baig INDIA’S OVERSEAS VICTORIES IN TESTS
Margin Opp Venue Season Captain5 wickets NZ Dunedin 1967-68 Mansoor Ali Khan 8 wickets NZ Wellington 1967-68 Mansoor Ali Khan 272 runs NZ Auckland 1967-68 Mansoor Ali Khan 7 wickets WI Port of Spain 1970-71 Ajit Wadekar 4 wickets Eng The Oval 1971 Ajit Wadekar 8 wickets NZ Auckland 1975-76 Sunil Gavaskar 6 wickets WI Port of Spain 1975-76 Bishan Sing Bedi 222 runs Aus Melbourne 1977-78 Bishan Sing Bedi Inngs & 2 runs runs Sydney 1977-78 Bishan Sing Bedi 59 runs Aus Melbourne 1980-81 Sunil Gavaskar 5 wickets Eng Leeds 1986 Kapil Dev 279 runs Eng Birmingham 1986 Kapil Dev 235 runs SL Colombo 1993-93 Mohammad Azharuddin 9 wickets Ban Dhaka 2000-01 Sourav Ganguly 8 wickets Aus Bulawayo 2001-02 Sourav Ganguly 7 wickets SL Kandy 2001-01 Sourav Ganguly 37 runs WI Port of Spain 2001-02 Sourav Ganguly Inngs & 46 runs Leeds 2002 Sourav Ganguly 4 wickets Aus Adelaide 2003-04 Sourav Ganguly Inngs & 52 runs Pak Multan 2003-04 Rahul Dravid Inngs & 131 runs Pak Rawalpindi 2003-04 Sourav Ganguly Inngs & 140 runs Bang Dhaka 2004-05 Sourav Ganguly Inngs & 83 runs Bang Chittagong 2004-05 Sourav Ganguly Inngs & 90 runs Zim Bulawayo 2005-06 Sourav Ganguly 10 wickets Zim Harare 2005-06 Sourav Ganguly 49 runs WI Kingston 2005-06 Rahul Dravid 123 runs SA Johannesburg 2006-07 Rahul Dravid Inngs & 239 runs Bang Dhaka 2007 Rahul Dravid 7 wickets Eng Nottingham 2007 Rahul Dravid 72 runs Aus Perth 2007-08 Anil Kumble 170 runs SL Galle 2008-09 Anil Kumble 10 wickets NZ Hamilton 2008-09 M S Dhoni 113 runs Bang Chittagong 2009-10 Virendar Sehwag 10 wickets Bang Dhaka 2009-10 M S Dhoni 5 wickets SL Colombo 2010 M S Dhoni
I would only urge you guys to speak with stats.
@Akhilesh: brother just give me details of any one inning that Sachin made India win the match. Being a cricket lover I like many of Indian players like Dhoni, Sachin, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Zaheer, Anil Kumble and few others. No doubt sachin has scored a lot but he has never been a match winner player like most of Pakistani players. Secondly! regarding Pakistani players issues, every one knows who did conspiracy and are involved. what about Raina and his connections and who stopped Pakistani players playing in IPL? who is coaching your fast bowlers? being good neighbors we should respect each other otherwise if something went wrong with us you would also be suffered sooner or later.
@Akhilesh
Correct youself my friend. Was only Sachin playing in all those matches. Its a collective effort all the time. What you need to understand is we do respect people like Sachin Tendulkar, but what can we say when India thrashes its oppponents at home & gets thrashed in away series. We say (Ghar k Sher)
@Azhar Muneeb How about New Zealand, Zimbabwe? He forgot to mention that which I was highlighting. May be you should reply after reading post.
@Verse: our cricketers are locked up due to conspiracy started at Mumbai's underworld and betting mafia....Indian fixeer was behind the no balls....if your memory is not bad enough to recall.... secondly ...can you claim that India can remain unbeaten throughout a year in ODI,and TEST series by only playing abroad.....No India can never do that...just look at Pakistan in 2011....we are unbeaten in test, odi series all played abroad.....even after your betting mafia efforts...!!! ha ha ha...talent never loses....it oozes...........!!!!!
It pains to see when people start calling Indian team 'Ghar ke sher" without checking facts. Some facts on Indian player's performance overseas:
Sachin scored 153 against Australia at Adelaide in 2007/08 Sachin scored 241 against Australia at Sydney ground in 2003-04 Sachin scored 116 against Australia at Melborne in 1999-2000 Sachin scored 148* against Australia at Sydney ground in 1992 Sachin scored 154* against Australia at Sydney ground in 2008 Sachin scored 114 against Australia, Perth, 1991-92 Sachin scored 169 v South Africa, Cape Town, 1996-97 Sachin scored 111 v South Africa Johannesburg 26 Nov 1992 Sachin scored 155 v South Africa Bloemfontein 3 Nov 2001 *Sachin scored 111 v South Africa Centurian 2010 Sachin scored 111 v South Africa capetown 2011These are some of his innings of test matches only ( ODI not included and only Australian/SAfrican grounds included) *
One can put similar stats for other Indian greats like Dravid(who scored 3 centuries in four tests this year alone in England), Gavaskar, Laxman etc
Last time India was the first team in many years in Australia to draw a test series agaist Australia. India won the ODI series there.
So guys enjoy commenting but with facts please.
@Imran Mohammad: Hey man dont get frustrated. He said correctly that we did'nt win the test series. Why are you bringing all other things here. reply after reading the post
@Malik: India only performs well inside India. Plus in Indian media.
@Cool Dude: Stop pretending you false Indian.:)
@Imran Mohammad: Yes Pakistan's abroad success means winning at Sharjah & Bangladesh. hahahahahha. You couldnt even win the test series in West Indies..
@Adil: Come out of Pakistanphobia. or apney ghar ka ullo seedha kren :)
@Verse whatever you say, Pakistan is the most successful team of 2011. That proves the fact that Pakistan can win overseas which is some feat Indians rarely achieve...
LOL back to you...
http://www.wellpitched.com/
With regard to GHAR KAY SHER, may I ask when did a international team last tour your country ?? seem to recall attempted murder of lankans.....or is this now forgotten.
Now to answer the question of gloating......did you gloat whilst we were the number 1 test team for almost 2 years? no, how narrow minded....
Finally, before Pakistani's attempt to cast any opinions on India, please remember your poor cricketers locked up at her majesty's pleasure for the next few years. No doubt you have a lot to gloat over..........LOL.
most of the comments are in bad taste. agreed....india has a poor records overseas but it should not be ridiculed like this.hopefully india will regroup and come back strongly in the next test...
India will always be GHAR KAY SHER.
I have a dream that one day we are able to win a test on Aussie Soil. Been more 17 years since Pakistan last won there. Atleast India has still drawn a series there
So, India is crushed? Let me gloat over it while I can!!
Congratulation Indians !! India is a back in FULL form... win in India and loose outside..LOL. Home ground, home crowd champion... India.
Hey Indies, What happened to Veeru?
India only performs well inside india.
Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!
We are, simply the best!!