Before the match at Centurion, Ponting had named de Silva as the best batsman amongst the opposition.
The setback now means Australia must attempt to square the series without their figurehead and best batsman of the last decade.
And the disdain with which he treated leg-spinner Anil Kumble evoked those heady days when he was ranked the best batsman in the world.
Starting the match ranked the best batsman in Test cricket, the veteran left-hander lasted a total of six balls across both his innings - here squeezing a catch off bat and pad to silly point.
Dravid also became the first non-Australian to perform the prestigious Bradman Oration on the state of the game in December 2011 -- named after the late Don Bradman, widely regarded as the best batsman of all time.
He has been an ever present in the side since Kenya were granted one-day international status in 1996 and some say he is the best current batsman never to have played Test cricket.
The facts do not lie: Kirsten is the best South African batsman of all time - at least in terms of the number of Test hundreds and total runs scored.
The 33-year-old underlined why many think of him to be the best one-day batsman in the world, mesmerising everybody with his innings that included eight fours and four sixes.
He was not only the best Test opener, but also the batsman of the World Cup in 2007.
Vaughan will take a short break from the game before returning to play for Yorkshire and he hopes to resume his England career as a batsman if he regains his best form.
The Guyanese is unimpressed by the suggestion he was too aggressive as a batsman, arguing instead that his best years came while West Indies were still strong.
Sri Lankan batsman Hashan Tillekeratne is enjoying the best form of his career after fighting his way back into the team after two years out of favour with the selectors.
"I think that over to Collingwood was the best working-over of a world-class batsman I've seen for a long time, " said Lancashire captain Stuart Law.
The BBC's Prachi Pinglay in Mumbai says the fact there were no bids for Pakistani players in the IPL was a major surprise, especially because Pakistani batsman Shahid Afridi is currently one of the best T20 players in the world.
The Punjab batsman has opened in one-day matches for India before, indeed his best effort 159 not out against Zimbabwe, came in that slot.
I'm just thinking about being the best player I can be and having a significant impact on the Ashes series as a batsman and as a leader.
It was the England batsman's third half-century in T20 internationals, not far short of his best score at this level of 79 against Zimbabwe in 2007.
The left-handed batsman, who also had a distinguished spell in English cricket with Nottinghamshire, was widely regarded as the best captain in world cricket throughout his 10-year spell in charge.
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