India: the toast of the cricket world

Dazzling strokeplay from Pant and Gill, supported by a resolute Pujara defence steer India towards a series victory in Australia.

Breaching the fortress of Gabba will go down as one of the great moments in the annals of Indian test cricket history. The beauty of test cricket unraveled before the viewers as the deciding test match between Australia and India went down to the wire of day 5 of the test match. A cobbled-up bunch of inexperienced Indian cricketers put up a gallant display of cricket shocking the mighty Australians, thus clinching a second successive series win in Aussie turf and retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

The touring team will be one that is remembered for ages, not just for the victory but also for winning the hearts of the hard-bitten Australian public. It is impossible to not admire this group of warriors, who portrayed enormous levels of skills and managed to overcome adversities and a full-strength Australian team. India's captain Ajinkya Rahane's nerves of steel which kept the team believing is commendable, contrasting Kohli's firebrand leadership and aggression.

The top 4 run scorers of the Indian team are lead by Pant, followed by Pujara, Rahane, and Gill. In this mix of young exuberance and veteran stars, it was only fitting for the audacious Rishabh Pant – who signifies the cavalier of the Indian team – to seal the series by hitting the winning runs, and mark the rise of a new generation of new Indian talent. One might look to the Indian Premier League - cricket's biggest spectacle, for filling young cricketers with confidence to play their strokes. The brash, yet counter-attacking style of cricket from both Gill and Pant is one such case in test matches.

The red Kookaburra ball has a pronounced seam that fades quickly, taking sideways movement in the air out of the equation. To make an impact, bowlers hit the deck hard. The Indian batsmen were successful in taming the lethal left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc. While skipper Tim Paine defended the ace bowler in the wake of the shocking loss, Starc was the least used fast bowler in the afternoon sessions, after being smashed out of the attack by Shubman Gill. While questions will be raised on how selectors can make the best use of this Aussie golden arm, it is important to note that Starc's tapered form is not the first time in his career. At the other end, Pujara's resolute defense and footwork helped effectively blunt spinner Nathan Lyon's bowling.

But the number one test bowler in the ICC Test Rankings, Pat Cummins held no punches back and bowling his heart out. Australian captain Tim Paine's go-to bowler for breakthroughs kept the Kangaroos in the game, picking up the crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Mayank Agarwal with a four-for. Lauded for his consistent line and length, Cummins picked up 21 wickets at an average of 20.04 and claimed the Player of The Series award.

A visibly defeated Justin Langer applauded India's fightback since their collapse in Adelaide, calling them "tough" and saying that one should "never underestimate the Indians". Amongst the 1.5 billion odd population of India, the country has now found new stars in test cricket in the likes of Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj who all play the game with a never-say-die spirit. Langer continued: "They haven't gone away after that first match (in Adelaide) after we bowled them out for 30 odd. For them to fight back as they did is amazing, credit to them. The big lesson for us is that you can't take anything for granted. India never got away."

The story of Mohammed Siraj relentlessly bowling his heart out is one for the ages. He missed his father’s funeral while on tour and endured racist chants from the Sydney crowd. However, an undeterred Siraj led India's bowling charge and collected his maiden five-wicket haul in test cricket. With the grit and maturity displayed by Washington Sundar, one can only wonder why he has played only a handful of first-class cricket games. Coming in as a substitute to Ravindra Jadeja, Sundar has unearthed an all-rounder capability with serious Test potential, and is one to look out for.

As cliche as it might seem, an inexperienced Indian squad was written off by many, but their determination and zeal saw them record history by breaching the 'fortress Gabba' where Australia had not lost a test there in 32 years. In this rivetting competition between two historic rivals sharing a deep passion for cricket, the ultimate winner was the game of test cricket. Considered the ultimate test for athletes in the game, one endures a mental and physical battle for 5 strenuous days. If anything, this series speaks highly of India's reservoir of talent and its dominance in the world of cricket. A cricket-mad nation of over one billion people will celebrate for a long time to come.