By Scott Heinrich

35 years of hurt are over as Australia celebrate victory in India

Day four of the third Test in Nagpur may have been Matthew Hayden's 33rd birthday, but for the rest of Australia it was Christmas.

When Shane Warne removed Zaheer Khan to win the match and secure a series win over India, the final piece of the puzzle nestled snugly in place.

This was the moment Australia had waited 35 long years for, the one conspicuous omission from an otherwise bulging CV they have put together during their glory years.

Since 1969, when Bill Lawry's Australia defeated India 3-1, four squads had ventured to that part of the world and returned home empty-handed.

For Steve Waugh, the challenge had become like a war. Why else would the former captain refer to victory in India as Australia's final frontier?

Though many faces are still the same and Waugh's influence is still there, Australia's performance in India this time around was notable for his absence.

Under Waugh Australia were a buccaneering, heavy-handed lot. It worked most of the time, but in India in 2001 the approach dramatically conspired against them.

But for three hours we have dominated this series and that goes down to preparation and hard work behind the scenes Ricky Ponting

Then, Australia went for the jugular and India wriggled out of a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 after following on in the second Test.

In 2004, under Adam Gilchrist, they sneaked up insidiously with a pillow and suffocated the life out of their hosts.

Gone were the overtly attacking fields, the frantic run-rates, the cheap runs, the follow-ons. As for team selection, Brett Lee, the bowler with the best strike rate, was overlooked for the workhorse Michael Kasprowicz.

"We've taken less risks and have been prepared to take longer for our runs," said Ricky Ponting, Australia's injured skipper.

"We've been guilty of over-attacking a bit in the past, and in Australia recently we probably played into their hands with the fields we set.

"But we wanted to make it harder for them to score this time. They like to hit boundaries and we've tried hard to dry them up. We put more pressure on them.

"We have thought a lot about our plans. But for three hours we have dominated this series and that goes down to preparation and hard work behind the scenes."

In the end, it was a tame capitulation from India, whose home record against Australia they had guarded with voracious pride.

Clarke's reputation preceded him, but he has lived up to it

India may have had an injury or two but there was nothing deceptive about the scoreline in Nagpur, and their response to this demoralising defeat will be worth watching.

They could point to a grassy, un-Indian pitch suiting Australia's pacemen more, but the visitors showed that it contained runs and wickets - and India failed to gather much of either.

Leading the way for Australia, as he has done for most of the series, was middle-order batsman Damien Martyn.

The Western Australian, exiled from the national team early in his career for apparently being soft, displayed reserves of character some people at home doubted he possessed.

His century in the rain-hit drawn second Test probably denied India a four-day victory, and as such changed the shape of the series. It was his finest hour in the baggy green and he showed it was no fluke with two more golden innings in Nagpur.

Michael Clarke, in his debut series, displayed the might and maturity of a batsman 10 years his senior, promising great things for the future.

For Glenn McGrath, there could be no better way to celebrate his 100th Test appearance, and he and his apparently ageing colleagues showed there was life in the old dog yet.

Warne bowled better than ever before in India, while Jason Gillespie returned to his best to annex personal best match figures of 9-80.

There was not a passenger in sight, but again this was a victory for perfect planning rather than individual excellence.

Now that the final frontier has been conquered, what next for Australia?