Follow UsScott Boland had a more than decent outing in what was his first away assignment. His ability to seam the ball and hit the same lengths regularly meant that Australia did not feel Hazelwood's absence. In fact, some were even quick to call him an upgrade.
While his numbers might not paint a complete picture, his testing spells to each of India's top-6 batters kept them on their toes. In fact, four of his five wickets in the WTC final were of a top-6 batter, highlighting his usefulness in these conditions.
He also mentioned that their catching complimented their bowling. If it was Ajinkya Rahane in the first innings, it was Virat Kohli's turn in the second. Converting such half chances ensured Australia maintained pressure over the Indians constantly.
"It was good fun. Nice to come over here for our bowling group and take 20 wickets. Probably just hit similar areas all the time. There was some bounce outside the off stump, tried to exploit that. Felt good to get Kohli out."
"Smudge took another amazing catch today and Green took some blinders throughout the game as well. Nice to have the confidence that if you're going to find the nicks, they're going to get taken. Been playing state cricket for Victoria for 12 years. Nice to play international cricket and get some wickets."
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc might not have had the best of games himself, he wasn't complaining. Even he echoed Boland's thoughts on catching and how important a role it played in helping them get those crucial breakthroughs.
He went on to talk about the familiarity that exists in both sides thanks to the IPL. Also, having played the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India just a couple of months, he felt that his boys got a closer look at the opposition.
"We were patient enough against a quality line-up, and managed to get the breakthroughs needed. Rub of the green went our way, a smart catch from Smith and to get Kohli early on was a big boost. Rahane played well in the first innings. It was a nice partnership as well, we knew that if we stick to our task we will get chances and they did come.
"This group has played for a long time, some new guys have come in. the last series against India didn't go our way, but we have played together as a group and have stuck together. Both sides were familiar to each other having played a Test series recently."
"A lot of the guys have played with each other in the IPL, so we know a lot about watching others games, Lyon did a good job as well and we enjoyed ourselves."