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Bruised and broken but Sydney was 'conquered'

subhayan.chakraborty
Authored By subhayan.chakraborty
Published: Jan 11, 2021, 02:23 IST | Updated: Jan 11, 2021, 02:23 IST
Bruised and broken but Sydney was 'conquered'

Bruised and broken but Sydney was 'conquered'

Former American football player Steve Gleason once said, “from adversity, heroes are born”. And the Indian cricket team replicated the same in what will be remembered as one of the most memorable draws in the world of Test cricket. Bruised, battered, wrote off, hardly a few gave India a chance to survive the entire Day 5 of the Sydney Test, against a world-class Australian bowling attack, after losing both the openers – Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill – a day before.

India lost skipper Ajinkya Rahane in the second over of Day 5 and suddenly social media went abuzz, especially the Australian fans. Surely, it was a matter of time. India still had their modern-day wall, on Rahul Dravid’s birthday, to pull off a great escape. But what about others? Almost everyone was injured. But remember what Gleason said?

Cheteshwar Pujara was criticised by a section of fans and pundits, over his strike-rate and ‘intent’ ahead of the second innings in Sydney. The same Pujara, whose strike-rate and ‘intent’ was richly praised when India registered their first-ever Test series win on Australian soil in 2018/19. Pujara went into his bubble and did what he does the best. Defend. With a strike-rate of 37.56, Pujara batted with heart and grit as he faced 205 deliveries to score 77 runs. No one questioned his ‘intent’ this time as with every delivery which Pujara left or blocked, India were crawling towards their target. Do remember, what Gleason once said...

Pujara

After Rahane’s dismissal, walked in Rishabh Pant, who himself has struggled to score consistent runs of late. At a time when everyone expected Hanuma Vihari to come out, the youngster took the centre-stage. He defended and left well and then took on the Australian bowlers, which pushed the hosts on the back-foot, despite being in charge of the game. What followed was a scintillating show of pure stroke-playing. Yes, he was dropped by Tim Paine. But surely, the youngster deserved a bit of luck after what has been a tough last year for him. Oh yes, even Pant was not fully fit. He had coped a blow on his elbow and was unable to keep wickets in the second innings. He was even struggling to lift the water bottle during the drinks break. Even though Steve Smith may have scuff up Pant’s guard, he couldn’t scuff up Pant’s heart and resilience. He scored a blockbuster 97 off 118 deliveries. Remember what Gleason said?

Hanuma Vihari, whose spot in the playing XI was questioned by many, surely would have hung around for a bit. But then who can predict injuries? Vihari pulled a hamstring and was down in immense pain. The physio and medical staff kept on attending and giving him heavy dosage of painkillers. The 27-year-old, who was getting starts but was failing to register a big score, didn’t even flinch once in all the 161 deliveries he faced.Remember what Gleason said?

Vihari

Ravindra Jadeja was out with a fractured thumb. Indian pacer Navdeep Saini was spotted peeling off a banana for Jadeja in the stands. How could have Jadeja faced the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood when he was not even able to peel off a banana? Well, that will remain a question forever.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been one of the standout performers of the series, tweaked his back and wasn’t even able to tie his shoelaces (according to his wife) ahead of the game on Day 5 of the Sydney Test. How did he face the likes of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood, or even take a giant stride out to tackle Nathan Lyon? Well, he did, for 128 deliveries. Remember what Gleason said?

Ashwin

Almost all the Indian players have been stuck in bio-secure bubbles since the preparation for the Indian Premier League 2020 began. And they have obliged with all the bio-secure bubble protocols that have been put in place by Cricket Australia and the Australian government so far. There have been controversies, harsh reportage after the ‘Adelaide Horror’ but this Indian team has shown what real toughness is. The Indian players had to face racist chants from the crowd but they held their fort with courage and determination.

Siraj

After suffering the worst Test defeat in Adelaide, they bounced back strong in Melbourne to level the series. Surely, many must have thought this is the only win they can get in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. What can this Indian team do without their talismanic captain Virat Kohli, ace speedsters Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav? Even KL Rahul was ruled out. Let's not even bring Ishant Sharma, who has been the go-to bowler for India in Test cricket, into the conversation. Yes, he was ruled out of the Test series with an injury before the players flew Down Under. But remember, what Gleason said?

India may not have won the Test match but this draw is no less than a win for Indian fans and as captain, Rahane said after the Sydney Test: "This was as good as winning a Test match". Ask the physios, the masseurs, everyone accompanying the Indian team, even the fans sitting at home,they will say this draw is indeed a win.

The final Test between India and Australia will be played at The Gabba in Brisbane – a ground where the Aussies last lost a Test match in the year 1988. And surely, everyone must bealready rulingout this injury-plagued Indian team. But do you remember, what Gleason once said?

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