'As good as winning a Test match': Ajinkya Rahane lauds Team India for Sydney heroics

Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane lauded his team’s resilience and grit after India held on to a draw in the third Test against Australia. Rahane said the draw felt like a win as the injury-plagued Indian batting unit battled for a draw.

India started the final day of the Sydney Test at 98-2 after losing openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma before the end of Day 4. Rahane was sent packing in the second over of Day 5 by Nathan Lyon with India needing another 309 to win.

As Cheteshwar Pujar continued to grind it out, it was Rishabh Pant, with elbow pain, who hammered 97. After the duo’s dismissal, Hanuma Vihari, nursing a hamstring injury, defied all the odds along with Ravichandran Ashwin, who had treatment on his ribs, to register a memorable draw for India.

The pair faced 256 balls and scored just 62 runs, helping steer India to 334 for five and safety at the close. The four-Test series stands at 1-1 ahead of the final game in Brisbane.

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"This was as good as winning a Test match," said Rahane. "When you come abroad and play a match like this, it was really special, as good as a victory."

"Our talk coming into this morning was to show character and fight till the end. Not to think about the result," he said.

"So really happy with the way we fought especially today but also throughout the game, even in the first innings when Australia were 200 for two and getting them all out for 338 was really good."

Rahane credited all the players for sticking together as a unit while mentioning Pant, Vihari and Ashwin for showing hunger and character.

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"We had that strategy and it paid off. Credit to him (Pant) going out at five, the way he counter-attacked, the way he managed his innings throughout the day was really good to see. We know he can win a game for us from any situation, we have that belief and I think he is improving. And Vihari was batting really well. The last few Test matches, unfortunately, he hasn't been able to get those big scores," Rahane added.

"But today, that knock was really special. To show that motivation, to show that hunger, to hang in there for your team was really good and that's what we want from each and every individual -- to show that character on the field."

Rahane even took to social media platform Twitter to post a heartfelt post as the visitors shift their focus on Gabba Test now: "Bruised. Broken. But never short of character. Really happy with how the boys fought till the end. Lots to learn and improve as we look forward to Brisbane now."

Bruised. Broken. But never short of character. Really happy with how the boys fought till the end. Lots to learn and improve as we look forward to Brisbane now. pic.twitter.com/4VBZGCvbnp — Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) January 11, 2021

With series locked at 1-1, India will now try and defy all the odds once again to win consecutive Test series on Australian soil. The fourth and final Test of the series between India and Australia is set to be played from January 15 at The Gabba in Brisbane.