Series win against Australia in 2021 is our biggest highlight in last few years: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma
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head of the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Indian captain Rohit Sharma said that India's series win against Australia in 2021 in their rival's home territory is the iggest highlight for the team in the last few years.
"The biggest highlight for us in the last few years has been winning in Australia. After losing the first Test, the way we came back, it showed the depth and strength of our team. We were missing some senior players, there were injuries, but a lot of youngsters stepped up," the Indian skipper said at the event organised in London ahead of the WTC final.
India's tour of Australia was the most remarkable memory for cricket fans, as the four matches test series was full of twists and turns.
After India faced defeat in the first test at Adelaide by eight wickets, they did an outstanding comeback in the series. In the first Test, India was bundled out for 36 runs in their second innings, setting a target of 90 runs for Aussies.
The Melbourne test saw the mettle and courage of the Indian cricket team as in the absence of captain Virat Kohli, India led by Ajinkya Rahane registered their first win in the series. Ajinkya Rahane played a solid knock of 112 in the second innings. Jasprite Bumrah's 4/56, and Ravichandran Ashwin's 3/35 had restricted 195 in the first innings. Later Mohammed Siraj delivered a spell of 3/37 in the second innings to end the Aussies batting at 200.
In the third test, both teams were in the game till the last. The match result came as a draw. A block-a-thon by Ravichandran Ashwin (39*) and Hanuma Vihari (23*), which saw them bravely occupy the crease despite serious injuries, helped India draw the match during the 407-run chase.
The combination of new talent and experience guided India to a historic series win in the last test match at The Gabba in Brisbane. Shubman Gill's 91 and Cheteshwar Pujara's 56 gave a solid base in the second innings. However, it was Rishabh Pant (89*) who played exceptionally well to clinch the Border-Gavaskar trophy. It was Australia's first loss at the venue in 32 years back then. India chased down 328 runs to win on the final day.
The right-hand batter also shared the challenges batters face in the England condition as batter fid a little difficult to bat in English conditions.
"England in general is challenging for batter. You are never in because weather keeps changing. You need to know when is the right time to take on the bowlers. This one of the best batting wickets. The outfiejd in square boundaries are quick," he added.
Rohit also said, "Test cricket stands at the top, it keeps challenging you as a leader and as a player you always look forward".
Australia squad Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
Standby players Mitch Marsh, Matthew Renshaw
India squad Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat and Ishan Kishan (wk).
Standby players Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav.
✔️ Series win against Australia in 2021 is our biggest highlight in last few years: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma
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