Brisbane : As Rishabh Pant dug in a yorker from Josh Hazlewood to the boundary region, a sigh of relief and an outburst of raw emotion was seen on every Indian player outside the fence after the three wicket victory. The young guns Siraj, Shardul and Tyagi rushing in to congratulate their teammates, captain Rahane trying to hide his emotions behind his calm exterior while recieving a flurry of pats on the backfrom the support staff. Rishabh Pant thumping and kissing the Indian logo on his chest, Jasprit Bumrah greeting Siraj with a warm hug after Siraj walks off the team witha fifer and the players taking a victory lap to thank the crowd for their support in these unprecedented times while holding the Indian flag high. These are visuals that would be etched in the photo memory of every Indian cricket fan.

Image courtesy : ABC Sport / Twitter

As a fan of Indian cricket, there are these handful of moments from the rich history of the game that are absolutely unparalleled to any other success. 83 world cup, 2007 T20 world cup, 2011 cricket world cup and now the tour of Australia 2020/21. Yes, this victory ranks to be right up there among these huge feats.

One characteristic that stands out about this team management is that, they back most of their players to the T. Hence,their all or nothing attitude to only go for victories while chasing targets on the final day of a test match is no suprise. One of the coaches had told siraj, ” tere pita ka dua tumhare sath hai, ab tum match khelke paach wicket lega” which translates to ” You late father has given you the blessings from above, to pick five wickets in a test match as and when you play one.” There he was on day 4 of the final test match actually picking up five. The rock of the line-up, Cheteshwar Pujara who recieved backlash for his slow strike-rate has won you the series with the same method of batsmanship that is to play as many balls one can to tire out the opposition. In both test matches, at Sydney and Brisbane he has been your fulcrum of the batting order on day 5 pitches. Vihari, a player who is not celebrated as much in my opinion, batting for 5 hours on one hamstring, Shardul who waited two and a half years after a forgetful debut where he injured himself after bowling just ten deliveries picking up seven wickets. How many times would he have thought that his career was done with? Natarajan,who initially played tennis ball cricket and only held a season ball at the age of 20 hails from a small town called Salem in Tamil Nadu.

These players have seen adverse circumstances in their life and that quality of being tough and letting the opposition know that we’re there to give a stiff fight has benefited them to the extent of being an integral part of a winning dressing room at the end of four test matches. Each one of the players is hence a story on their own, their own struggles and sacrifices.

Shubman Gill, the under-19 world cup winning member a few years ago and now dominating australian bowlers in their own backyard like he is an experienced opener with 50 test matches already. His innings of 91 set the tone ahead for an unbelievable run chase. Even after the wicket of Pujara, needing 100 with five wickets in hand this team never played for the draw. Each and every player showcased their intent to go for the kill. When Sundar came in with 50-odd runs to go,being a debutant he was unfazed by the stature of the bowlers coming at him. The hook shot that he played against the number one bowler Pat Cummins for a six was an epitome of the new bunch of fearless cricketers that India is producing one after the other. A huge amount of credit for that goes to Rahul Dravid who has committed himself to the ‘A’ team and the under-19 team where he has groomed young players to the path of international cricket for a while now.

The cricket that has been on display since the Adelaide debacle has been a dream run. Teams do not casually chase down 328 on a final day’s wicket against the best bowling line-up at a venue that is called a fortress for the home team. This chase was the highest successful chase ever at the Gabba by nearly a hundred runs to the second best. For the first time, since 1988 Australia lost a test at Brisbane which is considered a grave for visiting teams. When the best batsman in the world who is also your captain departs after a test match like the one in Adelaide, it is very easy for teams to droop their shoulders and throw in the towel. But for one man’s persistent faith and unmatched captaincy, there weren’t even signs of being negative.

How can we not appreciate Ajinkya Rahane? That Melbourne knock of 112 after Adelaide was one for the archives. Under his stint as leader it has been proven that each of the players have felt comfortable enough to express themselves and give their best.This Indian side with the depth in every department of the game, has the potential to rule international cricket for the next 10 years provided they are led in the right manner.