Mark Waugh: Australia played as well as India on the tour

India bounced back well to win the Tests at Bengaluru and then at Dharamsala to ensure that they regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning the series 2-1.

Former Australia batsman and current selector Mark Waugh believes that Steven Smith’s men can hold their head high after a magnificent performance against India in their own backyard. Australia took a 1-0 lead after an emphatic 333-run win in the first Test at Pune. But India bounced back well to win the Tests at Bengaluru and then at Dharamsala to ensure that they regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning the series 2-1. As a result of this win, India retain their No. 1 position in Tests and Virat Kohli was handed the mace at the end of the fourth Test. Waugh is of the belief that that the Australians played as well as the Indians and there was nothing between the two sides. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia 2016-17, 4th Test at Dharamsala

“There’s been nothing between the two teams,” Waugh said on the Big Sports Breakfast. “I believe we’ve played equally as well as the Indians on the tour. Obviously in this Test match we haven’t played quite as well, but there’s been a lot of positive signs from the Australian camp. Individuals have done well so we can take a lot of confidence from playing well in conditions where we don’t normally do well. To be one-all going into this [fourth] Test match, if you said that before the start of the series you would have been pretty happy,” Waugh said.

“We like to win, of course. But the positives are it’s been great viewing and Test match cricket has probably been put back on the map a bit,” he added. READ: Lehmann all praise for Smith following hard-fought Test series vs India

Other than skipper Smith, who scored 499 runs in the series, Waugh believes that he was not the only contributor for Australia in the series.

“[Cummins] got three wickets in India’s first innings but I’ve seen guys bowl worse and get seven wickets,” Waugh said. “He bowled superbly … he was unlucky. So it’s great signs for Pat and he’s done a great job.

“Josh Hazlewood has been enormous again and I think all our bowlers have bowled really well. Nathan Lyon and O’Keefe have carried a huge workload and done well. Matt Renshaw, this Test match he was disappointing but overall I think you’ve got to give him a tick for his series. Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb have been inconsistent, but they saved the match in the third Test.” READ: Virat Kohli clears air on ‘friendship’ comment over Australians

“Glenn Maxwell made a hundred, I think Matthew Wade has kept really well in tough conditions and shown good signs with the bat. It’s probably really only David Warner who’s left a lot of runs in the bank. He’s been the one player that’s struggled and he’s one of our bigger players. So there’s no doubt his form has probably hurt the result in the series. But I think every other player could almost say they’ve done well and at times have really shone. So overall, pretty good,” said the former opener.