Who would have thought India would win the MCG test on the same day we had won the same MCG test two years back? Who would have thought World’s best batsman would horribly fail in his own backyard?
It was Mayank and Pujara then; it is Gill and Rahane now.
Gill didn’t make many runs but when you saw him bat, you knew he belonged. He was positive, he solidly defended, didn’t poke at the ball, played the pull-shot well: player to watch for, for sure.
To come back like that from a horrible performance in the previous match, it speaks volumes. Toss went wrong, Umesh’s injury, no Virat & Shami—against all odds, India still won. When the leader leaves, the subordinates rise. It was the perfect opportunity for Rahane to showcase why he has been one of our best Test batsmen. He also showed us how great a captain he is—bringing Ashwin early who looked at his best ever and using Bumrah efficiently—both paid off. Bumrah debuted in 2018 but he has already become the leader of the pack. The maturity shown by Ashwin and Bumrah to keep Siraj, the debutant, comfortable was as impressive as Siraj’s bowling. There was an interesting point put forth by experts: a batsman is a reflection of the position he plays; Jadeja played like a proper batsman who came ahead of Ashwin. Won’t be surprised if he walks out ahead of Pant.
Everyone predicted a clean sweep, but we proved them all wrong. Australia by now must be plucking their hair over the humiliating loss who looked out of all sorts.
That’s why we love test cricket. India believed, India won. On to the Sydney test…
The Cricket Story 