India defeated Australia by eight wickets in the boxing day Test against Australia. The four-match Test series is now level at 1-1.
India reduced Australia for a total of 200 in their second innings and got just 70 runs to chase in the final innings. After losing Mayank Agarwal and Chateshwar Pujara early, the debutant Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane took the charge and remained not out till they took India to victory.
Ajinkya Rahane is adjudged as the player of the match for his terrific hundred in the first innings. Meanwhile, Rahane’s captaincy is also being praised all-around for his significant efforts when it comes to bowling changes.
“Really proud of all the players. Played really well. Want to give credit to the debutants Siraj and Gill, the character they showed after the Adelaide loss was great to see. Character was important for us, especially after losing Umesh in the second innings,” said Rahane.
“That (five-bowler plan) worked well for us nicely. We were thinking of having an all-rounder and Jadeja has been brilliant for us. Shubman, we all know his first-class career and in this game, he has shown the intent to play shots at this level. Showed composure. Siraj has shown that he can bowl with discipline. It is really difficult for debutants to bowl with discipline but that’s where I think the first-class experience comes in handy,” added Rahane.
Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and many other senior cricketers shared their congratulatory messages on social media after India’s cracking victory.