THERE always is a wonderful romance in mighty accomplishments of the underdog, in a fight billed as ‘battle of unequals’. A feeling of great gratification takes the moment to a heavenly high. On January 19, 2021, India experienced that moment of eternal bliss when a battered, bruised, abused, injured bunch of gritty cricketers carved out one of the most satisfying, if not the greatest, Test series victories against Australia in their own backyard. The enormity of this moment is humongous, for, it gave a new definition to the word courage. It was the victory of a young, new India that does not fear anything, not even destiny’s truants. It was a victory that transformed some highly plucky boys into responsible men.

 

 

The 2-1 winning line holds massive significance for Indian cricket for the future journey. The sweet taste of the series win registered by Ajinkya Rahane’s bunch of gritty cricketers will keep lingering on for some time. Improbable victories, won by defying all odds, do this to the aficionados. That is the beauty of sports. It has to be cherished over and over again. What makes the series win probably one of the greatest Test victories in the history of Indian cricket is the ominous situation that this young and untested team found itself in. Never had the odds so heavily stacked against a team that too in a series decider while facing an opponent too strong and at a venue that had turned into a fortress for the hosts. Overcoming all these hurdles to notch history is not a job left alone to the luck factor. It requires blood and sweat, steel and sacrifice, grit and gumption.

 

The Indian team formed a magical convergence of all these qualities in Brisbane to walk off the Australian shores with an incredible achievement. This series was one of the best advertisements for Test cricket. All through the four Tests cricket witnessed the glorious twists and turns associated with the longest format of the game. This will go down as one of the best Test series ever witnessed by cricket’s lovers for the quality and energy on display. Within four Tests, India experienced all sides that life offers to a human being. If Adelaide saw what ignominy looks like with an all-time low of 36 All out, Melbourne brought redemption in the most profound manner. If Sydney tested the tender fabric of human flesh, Brisbane saw a gruelling inquisition of pain’s threshold. The Indian came out through all the scrutinies, taking blows on the body, taking racist humiliation in stride, facing cuss words from frustrated opponents and ignoring broken bones too. If this stuff is not to be celebrated for a long time to come, then life is not worth living.

 

The circumstances bestowed on the Indian team by fate’s cruel blows add a special glisten to India’s victory. The Brisbane Test should form the epitome of cursed luck. Six Test specialists were rendered unsuited to play in a game that was to decide the ultimate winner. Punditry had already proclaimed the full-strength Australians as winners. And then, with a bunch of untested players with combined experience of next to nothing at hand, Rahane’s boys turned the world upside down. Two debutants, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, decided to make their own luck with the ball and the bat. Two rookies, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini, formed the first line of pace attack under a one-Test senior(!) Mohd Siraj. The second string bowling line-up, marked for a roll-over by the Australians, entered history books by knocking them over twice in the game. Only dreams are made of such stuff. For all the scorn heaped upon Cheteshwar Pujara for being a strokeless wonder, his fourth-inning grimness was the stroke of brilliance at Gabba. For all memes and jokes cracked on the ways of getting out by Rishabh Pant, his aggression was the key to achieve the impossible of chasing down a 300-plus target. The side deserves all respect and love for the way they stood up to the challenge. The future looks extremely rosy for India in Test cricket. They have unearthed diamonds from this tour. All that is needed now is to polish them with a tender touch.