On a day when Roger Federer narrowly avoided being knocked off his perch, Australia’s cricketers, who have also dominated their sport, took a big tumble. Again, a winning streak snapped at 16; again, it was India who did the honours. Anil Kumble’s side, defeated in Melbourne and Sydney and given next to no chance in Perth, triumphed by 72 runs with more than a day to spare, inflicting a first home defeat on Australia in more than four years. Their conquerors then in Adelaide? India.

The pivotal moment yesterday came half an hour before lunch. Ishant Sharma, the 6ft 5in beanpole from Delhi, had tormented Ricky Ponting all morning with deliveries that darted back and bounced steeply. He’d had more than one good leg-before shout turned down and had rapped Australia’s captain on his knuckles. But after a spell of seven overs, Kumble was ready to take him off. As Ponting said later: “RP Singh had already taken his cap and jumper off when the young lad [Ishant] grabbed the ball off him.”

It wasn’t quite that simple. Kumble’s mind was made up by Virender Sehwag, Ishant’s Delhi teammate, who went up to the captain and mentioned that the young man was used to bowling long spells in the heat. Convinced, Kumble threw the ball to the 19-year-old, who looks and bowls rather like the young Jason Gillespie. The first ball was pitched on off stump and held its line. Hesitant most of the morning, Ponting sparred at it and got an edge that Rahul Dravid clung on to at first slip. Ishant’s final figures of one for 63 don’t reveal how well he bowled in the morning, but if he can stay fit and bulk up a bit, India are on to something special.

Even after they had slumped to 253 for eight, 160 short of the target, Australia refused to go quietly. Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark regaled a crowd of more than 16,000 with a 73-run ninth-wicket partnership that encompassed a wicket off a no-ball, a dropped catch, meaty sixes, streaky fours and more smears than a pathology lab.

With the target whittled down to double digits, India were a little rattled. Kumble took the new ball, and Irfan Pathan and Singh duly delivered. Clark edged Pathan to the keeper, before Shaun Tait’s splayed stumps three overs later became the signal for celebration.

On the final day in Sydney, it had been India on the wrong end of two poor umpiring decisions. Here, the @ rub of the green deserted Australia. Asad Rauf gave Michael Hussey out leg-before when he was struck on the knee roll. Hussey had ground out 46 from 113 balls with all the cussedness once associated with Allan Border, and his exit soon after lunch gave India the initiative.

Having been let off several times in Sydney, Andrew Symonds was sent packing for 12 when Billy Bowden failed to spot an inside edge as he played back to a quicker one from Kumble. That left Michael Clarke to carry the burden of expectation, and he seemed to revel in the role.

Chastised for his role in the events at Sydney, Clarke was back doing what he does best, driving dreamily through the covers and straight down the ground. A rapid 50-run sixth-wicket partnership with Adam Gilchrist gave India cause for alarm, but the pressure eased suddenly, courtesy of an inspired bowling change. Sehwag had contributed 29 and 43 with the bat, but his off-spin had fetched only 14 wickets in 52 previous Tests. His third ball, full and flighted, tempted Gilchrist into a sweep, only to bowl him around his legs.

After that, even Clarke was tilting at windmills, and when his excellent 81 was ended by a smart stumping off Kumble, the quest for a record victory No 17 was all but over. An Indian team that was ready to go home soon after Sydney had regrouped to defeat Australia at a venue where they had not lost since 1997.

The bowlers were a revelation. Pathan, Singh and Ishant came into this match with 38 caps between them, 25 fewer than Brett Lee. The 23-year-old Pathan was the veteran, having made his debut in the drawn series here four years ago. After Dravid and Tendulkar had spearheaded a push to 330 in the first innings, they were outstanding with the ball, new and old, swinging Australia out for 212. Pathan and Singh troubled the left-handers with shape away, and Ishant was a handful with his height.

In 2005 the English quartet of Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff used swing, conventional and reverse, to win an Ashes series. India showed at Perth that controlled swing is still the best way to expose the cracks in Australia’s batting.

It helped, too, that the biggest brick, Matthew Hayden, was absent. Opening without Hayden or Justin Langer for the first time in more than seven years, Australia never got the early impetus. Chris Rogers managed 19 on his debut, and Phil Jaques was exposed after a free-stroking series against the Sri Lankans. Ponting and Gilchrist average less than 23 for this series, and Hayden’s absence was felt all the more keenly as a result.

“It’s right at the top,” said Kumble, when asked to rate this alongside other Indian overseas victories. “It’s not just overseas, but when I look back at wherever I was involved, both home and away, it’s right up there.” He has played 124 Tests and been part of memorable victories at Headingley, Adelaide, Multan, Trent Bridge and Sabina Park, but you sense that Perth 2008 will always have pride of place. Rather like beating Federer at Wimbledon.