Rahane stares the Aussies down, plays a captain’s knock to level series 1–1 and take India to a 8 wicket win
Grit and character aplenty as India crushes Australia
Not many would have hedged their bets on India making a comeback in the test series. Some big names in Cricket like Michael Vaughan had predicted a whitewash
But India gave them a firm reply and bit of a rebuke by pulling off what is indeed one of their finest days in their test cricket history.
Not to forget this victory comes in the absence of two of their finest players, Kohli and Shami. Some die hard Indian fans would remind you that other key players like Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar otherwise regular in the squad, are missing too. Which makes this victory even more remarkable. Cricket is a team game and the Indian team played like a proper team in this match.
Let’s take a closer look at the batting and bowling heroes for India in this match.
The batting heroes
Shubman Gill: Shubman Gill is a superstar in the making. With a balance that would put a gymnast to shame and a timing better than Jim Carrey’s comic timing, this kid is one for the future.
On a serious note, Gill has a first class average of close to 70 and an IPL contract to go with it. Shows how versatile he is. In this test match he scored 45 and 35*, give him more chances and he will give you more back. Watch this space
Ajinkya Rahane: Rahane had not been in the best of forms for quite a while now. In fact in the last away series in South Africa he was even dropped from the team despite being the vice captain of the team. It’s not that he hasn’t scored any runs at all but has missed out on big match winning scores. But all that changed in this test match. A masterful century which put balm on the aching hearts of the Indian fans, who had witnessed the 36 run debacle last week, and put a smile back on their lips. The quality of the innings in terms of shot selection, shot execution was near perfection, and to do it away from home against Australia makes this innings of 112 one of the best innings played by an Indian captain overseas.
Ravindra Jadeja: The Rajput from Saurashtra bats at number five back home in first class cricket and has three triple centuries under his belt. In this match he was played as a batsman at no 7 who can also bowl, and he didn’t disappoint. A chance less knock of 57 runs where he put on a 120 run stand with Rahane. Add to that 3 wickets in the match and it’s fair to say that apart from Sanjay Manjrekar, every other cricket lover in India and beyond only has love and admiration for Ravi Jadeja.
The bowling heroes
Jasprit Bumrah is the leader of this Indian bowling lineup. This Gujarati speaking Sardarji is a fiery cricketer and doesn’t like losing. He is soft spoken and believes actions speak louder than words. In this test match he had his full range of skills on display. The in cutter, the outswinger, the bouncer, the Yorker he bowled it all. A revelation in white ball cricket he is slowly becoming a great red ball bowler too. His 6 wickets in the match played a big part in the Indian win.
Md. Siraj, made part of the team due to Shami’s injury, this lad from Hyderabad is a testament to the fact that if you have a dream and you work hard towards it, eventually everything falls into place. Siraj bowled immaculate lengths and lines with just enough swing. His fitness showed in the long spells that he bowled. Siraj ended up with 5 wickets and a lot of praise for his efforts in this one.
Ravi Ashwin has always had one criticism come his way. That he doesn’t pick up enough test wickets in SENA countries. But in this test series he has answered his critics and how. After impressing in the first test, he has continued his good form and picked up 4 wickets in this match.
Apart from these there were decent contributions from Vihari, Pant etc. It’s more than likely that Mayank will be replaced by Rohit for the next match at SCG, and Saini might play for the injured Umesh Yadav.
The Indian team played out of their skin to ensure this win, and it’s something that they must savour and enjoy. But come tomorrow they will know that there’s a war out there that’s still left to be fought. And if they don’t win the series, no one will remember this battle either.
