India scripted history as they beat Australia 2-1 in the series down under to become the first Asian side to achieve this feat. This win will undoubtedly go down as the finest hour of Indian Cricket. Led thoroughly by a very animated Virat Kohli, gone are the days when Indian Teams used to be sitting ducks for the opposition in foreign conditions. Boasting of perhaps the most lethal fast bowling attack, bolstered by a good backup fielding unit and a resilient middle order and a rookie in Mayank Aggarwal, the Indian Team has come of age this series. Often criticized for their selection policies, head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Kohli both made bold changes after the failure in Perth. And how the team reaped the rewards is for everyone to see. The roping in of an inexperienced but hugely talented Mayank Aggarwal and the introduction of Ravindra Jadeja were moves that paid dividends and invigorated a struggling top and lower middle order.
As we celebrate this monumental win on Australian soil for the first time, let's look at a few highlights of the tour and moments that sealed the series for India.
1. Resilient Pujara
For Indian fans who have for long wondered if we were ever going to find someone as dependable at the number 3 spot as Rahul Dravid, this series was a real treat. Cheteshwar Pujara has always had the virtues of a proper Test Batsman. His technique, patience, and the ability to grind the opposition down with tireless hours of batting has never been in question but he had failed to perform big outside the subcontinent till now. Since that first test in England this year when he was dropped, citing bad form and low confidence, he has faced more balls in Test Cricket than any other player in that time. He has also scored more hundreds than anyone else and has been a vital cog in the wheel for Team India. In the era of flamboyance and batting innovations of the T20, Pujara thrives in the classical old form of cricket. He only plays the red ball cricket and plays county cricket during the IPL. He was the defining factor for a fragile top order and had more than 500 runs at an average of above 70 combined with 3 big hundreds. In Adelaide, it was deja vu for the Indian fans once again when they woke up to see India reeling at 41-4 in the series opener. Pujara helped us get through and reach a respectable total. The win in Adelaide set the tone and Pujara, the Test Batsman rose a notch higher. The message has been sent. Never Drop Pujara.
2. Attacking Fast Bowling
While the Batting has always been India's forte, India's Bowling has generally struggled in overseas conditions. This year though, every time they came out, they bowled with a lot of intent and purpose. As a result, the opposition batters were always under the hammer. Be it South Africa, England or Australia the fast bowlers for India performed at an unprecedented level. The consistency of Ishant Sharma, the reverse swing of Mohammed Shami and the pace and variations of Jasprit Bumrah stood out. The trio was so good that they picked up a scarcely believable 130+ wickets, thus outperforming the great trio of Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall. The stat itself is a testimony to the brilliance of this triplet. For an Indian Cricket fan, it was a sight to behold. Indian bowlers bouncing out the opposition in alien conditions was a thing we could not have imagined a few years back. This has also served as a warning to every other team in the world that they could not get away with preparing green bouncy tracks anymore.
3. Daring Captain
While Kohli the batsman has been the best batsman bar none in the away tours this season, his captaincy has copped a fair bit of criticism for being too defensive or the perceived selection errors. He indeed, has faltered a bit but one has to remember this is a very young team which heavily depends on his brilliance and looks upto him for inspiration. In the process, he has become the only Asian captain ever to win a test in South Africa, England and Australia in a single year. His field placings and bowling changes in both Melbourne and Sydney were spot on. His decision to not enforce the follow on in Melbourne gave his bowlers the extra rest they needed to bowl out the opposition twice. As a viewer, things only look bright when he does all this backing it up with his flamboyance with the Bat. It's time to applaud the team efforts and the captain for his bold and fearless leadership. He has instilled an obsession in this team to win overseas and it's only fitting that he became the first Asian captain to win the series Down Under.
As we celebrate this monumental win on Australian soil for the first time, let's look at a few highlights of the tour and moments that sealed the series for India.
1. Resilient Pujara
For Indian fans who have for long wondered if we were ever going to find someone as dependable at the number 3 spot as Rahul Dravid, this series was a real treat. Cheteshwar Pujara has always had the virtues of a proper Test Batsman. His technique, patience, and the ability to grind the opposition down with tireless hours of batting has never been in question but he had failed to perform big outside the subcontinent till now. Since that first test in England this year when he was dropped, citing bad form and low confidence, he has faced more balls in Test Cricket than any other player in that time. He has also scored more hundreds than anyone else and has been a vital cog in the wheel for Team India. In the era of flamboyance and batting innovations of the T20, Pujara thrives in the classical old form of cricket. He only plays the red ball cricket and plays county cricket during the IPL. He was the defining factor for a fragile top order and had more than 500 runs at an average of above 70 combined with 3 big hundreds. In Adelaide, it was deja vu for the Indian fans once again when they woke up to see India reeling at 41-4 in the series opener. Pujara helped us get through and reach a respectable total. The win in Adelaide set the tone and Pujara, the Test Batsman rose a notch higher. The message has been sent. Never Drop Pujara.
While the Batting has always been India's forte, India's Bowling has generally struggled in overseas conditions. This year though, every time they came out, they bowled with a lot of intent and purpose. As a result, the opposition batters were always under the hammer. Be it South Africa, England or Australia the fast bowlers for India performed at an unprecedented level. The consistency of Ishant Sharma, the reverse swing of Mohammed Shami and the pace and variations of Jasprit Bumrah stood out. The trio was so good that they picked up a scarcely believable 130+ wickets, thus outperforming the great trio of Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall. The stat itself is a testimony to the brilliance of this triplet. For an Indian Cricket fan, it was a sight to behold. Indian bowlers bouncing out the opposition in alien conditions was a thing we could not have imagined a few years back. This has also served as a warning to every other team in the world that they could not get away with preparing green bouncy tracks anymore.
3. Daring Captain
While Kohli the batsman has been the best batsman bar none in the away tours this season, his captaincy has copped a fair bit of criticism for being too defensive or the perceived selection errors. He indeed, has faltered a bit but one has to remember this is a very young team which heavily depends on his brilliance and looks upto him for inspiration. In the process, he has become the only Asian captain ever to win a test in South Africa, England and Australia in a single year. His field placings and bowling changes in both Melbourne and Sydney were spot on. His decision to not enforce the follow on in Melbourne gave his bowlers the extra rest they needed to bowl out the opposition twice. As a viewer, things only look bright when he does all this backing it up with his flamboyance with the Bat. It's time to applaud the team efforts and the captain for his bold and fearless leadership. He has instilled an obsession in this team to win overseas and it's only fitting that he became the first Asian captain to win the series Down Under.
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