Team India clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1 after beating Australia at the Gabba.
The visitors had faced a lot of flak when they got bowled out for 36 during their 8-wicket loss in the opening Test at Adelaide. Furthermore, regular skipper Virat Kohli left the Australian shores to attend the birth of his first child while a number of key players sustained injuries through the course of the series.
Despite the setbacks, the touring team under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy bounced back emphatically to register a series-levelling victory at the MCG while they pulled off a famous draw in the third Test at SCG by batting out 131 overs.
In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour reflected on the historic triumph and said: “We were well aware after the first Test match that he (Kohli) would not be available. So, mentally we were ready for that. Missing somebody like Virat, he is the best batsman and he is also the captain of the team, we knew it was a big job...you can’t really replace somebody like Virat anyways. We had the belief that we have enough bench strength. Somebody like Shubman Gill...a lot of us, for the past year and half, have been watching him in the nets and (saw him) getting runs in India A games. All of us had the belief that he is going to be a special talent. We thought maybe this is the time to play him and we will get to know how good he is.”
WATCH – Promoting Rishabh Pant to No.5 was Virat Kohli's idea, reveals Vikram Rathour
Commenting on the Adelaide debacle, Rathour said: "When Adelaide happened we were all stunned. Looking at it later, I personally did not find any fault. Nobody played a bad shot. We believed it’s a one-off thing. That was the message given to all the players as well, that we need to believe in our method and not let doubts creep in at this stage.”
With Kohli heading back to India following the Adelaide horror, there was a new purpose to the team.
“It was for the whole batting unit. They understood that they are going to miss the best batsman in the team, who has done well for us for many years now. Everybody had to take up the responsibility to fill his gap,” Rathour stated. “In Melbourne, it was a good toss to lose. We bowled really well. Then somebody needed to step up as a batsman. Ajinkya did that job brilliantly with a special knock (112 in the first innings), one of his better ones I would say. He showed lot of character and discipline. He had some important partnerships on the way. With Pant he had a good partnership, he had a brilliant one with Jadeja as well. That was the turning point.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant proved his mettle during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 259 runs at an impressive average of 51.80, including two half-centuries.
His 97 in the third Test in Sydney nearly helped India win the match before it ended as a draw while the southpaw smashed 89 not out to take the visitors over the line in the final Test at the Gabba.
“His role will be extremely important going ahead. We have always believed that he is one of the exceptional players," Rathour said. "He had a tough time last year or so. But he has been working hard, training hard. We all believed (that) on his day, he is a match-winner. In the last two games he proved that. Being a left-hander is definitely an advantage (for the team).
“As far as his entering the XI (purely) as a batsman, the decision will be taken on that particular day when the question arises."
If Pant was all about flair, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin showed immense grit and determination to deny Australia a likely victory in Sydney. The pair was battling injuries but still lasted 258 balls before both sides decided to shake hands.
“Outstanding! Even on the last day in Sydney, the thinking was that we would keep playing normal cricket. We thought if we can keep the wickets intact, we might pull this game off," Rathour said. "We started well. Rishabh played an outstanding innings there. There was a good partnership with Pujara there. I thought the game was on when Rishabh was batting. Unfortunately, Vihari pulled his hamstring and Ashwin had a stiff back. Jadeja, we all knew, was ready (to bat) with a broken thumb. So, once Pujara got out we decided that the game cannot be won from here because there were'nt enough fit players to challenge the Australian total. That was the time we decided that we would try and bat this game out.
"Vihari and Ashwin showed tremendous character to bat out those 42 overs with a torn hamstring and a back strain. Vihari has been batting well throughout the season. Unfortunately, he was not able to convert those starts. To show that character when you are inujred, it was as good as winning."