Indian Test captain Ajinkya Rahane was left lost for words after his team pulled off a heist against Australia to win the Brisbane Test as well as the series on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 328, India showed they had within them to chase down rather than opt for a draw. And on the back of a sparkling unbeaten 89 from Rishabh Pant as well as a stoic innings of 56 by Cheteshwar Pujara and a fighting 91 by opener Shubman Gill, India got over the line for an epic win.
"It really means a lot to us. I don't know how to describe this victory,” Rahane said at the post-match presentation.
“I'm just proud of all the boys, each and every individual. We just wanted to give our best, not to think about the result. When I went in, the conversation between me and Pujara was for Puji to bat normal and me to go for my shots, because we knew Rishabh and Mayank (Agarwal) were there. Credit to Pujara, the way he handled the pressure was magnificent, and Rishabh was brilliant in the end,” he added.
Rahane, who was standing in as skipper after Virat Kohli left on paternity leave following the first Test, also lauded the bowling attack. India went in with an inexperienced attack due to injuries but they stepped up to the plate.
“Taking 20 wickets was the key, that's what we identified, that's why we picked five bowlers. Washington Sundar got that balance for us. The intention was to play five bowlers. (Mohammed) Siraj had played two Test matches, (Navdeep) Saini one, (Shardul) Thakur one, Natarajan also on debut, all credit to them,” said Rahane.
“After Adelaide we didn't discuss what happened, we just wanted to play our game, show good attitude, show good character on the field. It was all about the team effort,” added the Mumbaikar.
james@khaleejtimes.com
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