India’s stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane and head coach Ravi Shastri got emotional after an injury-ravaged young Indian team fought back and beat Australia 2-1 in the four-Test series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Tuesday (January 19) in Brisbane.
On Tuesday, Australia's fortress – The Gabba – was finally breached by none other than a spirited Indian cricket team after 32 years as the tourists thrashed the Tim Paine-led Australian cricket team by three wickets in the fourth and final Test to take the Border-Gavaskar Trophy home.
Playing amid the COVID-19 situation and strict rules in Australia, Team India has faced many problems, especially injuries to almost all the first-choice players, forcing the tourists to manage things with the resources available at that time.
However, despite this, the India team pulled off an inspiring and one of the historic Test series wins with their great courage, relentless fighting spirit, grit, passion, and determination while constantly battling injuries on the Australia tour and Shastri has described it as the “toughest tour ever.”
Shastri said: “I'm not someone who gets emotional but even I had real tears in my eyes today because this is unreal. What these guys have pulled off will go down in history as one of the greatest series ever played.
When you look at the COVID situation and the spate of injuries, all those things when you take it into account then to show the stomach for a fight after being bowled out for 36 is unimaginable.”
The coach further added after the Test series win, “This is the toughest tour ever. We are playing in COVID times, there are injuries, so nothing comes closer to this. We were left with no choices, we had to do with the guys who were available... Feeling defeated is one thing but giving up is not in our vocabulary. It's the self-belief that this team has. It does not come overnight.”
Meanwhile, Rahane also got emotional after captaining India to a memorable and inspiring Test series win in Australia but fell short of words while describing his team’s remarkable series win as he credited each and every member of the team for the historic triumph.
Rahane said: “Yeah I got emotional too. I still don't know what happened and I still don't know how to describe this series victory. But credit to each and every individual, especially after the Adelaide Test everyone contributed. Even the guys who came into the team, they all contributed.”
He signed off by saying, “Credit to all the newcomers who chipped in. Rishabh Pant, Nattu (T Natarajan), Shardul Thakur, and Washington Sundar contributed with bat and ball.
Cheteshwar Pujara got the runs, R Ashwin bowled well throughout the series, got injured unfortunately after the third Test. But yeah I was really emotional too.”
(With India Today Inputs)
