India head coach Ravi Shastri was over the moon as his troops created history on Tuesday (January 19) by winning yet another Test series on Australian soil.
The visitors defeated Australia by 3 wickets in the fourth Test at the Gabba to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1.
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Team India had coped a lot of criticism 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 players sustained injuries.
Despite the setbacks, the visiting team under 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.
"It is the toughest tour ever. Nothing surpasses this. After 36 all out, this is unreal," Shastri said at the press conference, as quoted by PTI.
"Feeling defeated is one thing but giving up is not in our vocabulary," he added.
India were chasing 328 in the fourth innings at the Gabba. It took the tourists Shubman Gill's 91-run knock, followed by Cheteshwar Pujara's 211-ball 56 and Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 89 runs to get over the line.
Shastri showered rich praise on Pant, who has been criticized for erratic performances begin the stumps in this series.
"In his mind Pant was always chasing. You could see he was looking at the scoreboard," Shastri said.
"He is a good listener. As a coach, you don't want to change anyone's natural ability but you need to strike the right balance between caution and aggression. You can't be reckless. Rishabh has learnt that," he further remarked.
According to Shastri, Pant, who scored 97 in the fourth Test innings at SCG, could have won that match for India had he stayed.
"He could have finished the game in Sydney had he been there for some more time. This time he made sure he was there till the end," the coach said.
"When he doesn't keep well, people criticise him But he can help you win matches like these."
(With PTI inputs)
