A BOWLING strategy hatched in a period when cricket was struggling to stand on its feet after being pushed down by the coronavirus pandemic, a midnight call from a despondent but resolute captain to the coach, a small pledge to defeat humiliation, little plans formulated by novices forced into a Gladiatorial battle ... threads of the momentous victory carved by the Indian cricket team in Australia are surfacing as the high of the moment sinks in slowly in the numb minds of the stars on their return to home.

 

The epic victory is now being unravelled, presenting to the world the way gritty champions work for their ultimate goal, unmindful of the spoils fallen by the wayside. Indeed, India’s courageous and outrageous triumph Down Under, notched by a second (or third!) string side, is a tale of epic proportions. As the players come out with finer details of the planning for the Australia tour, they present a wonderful mix of dream, ethics, passion and fortitude that delivered the most memorable Test series win in the history of Indian cricket. Chief coach Ravi Shastri was on the job along with bowling coach Bharath Arun way back in July, devising a bowling line to fell the strong pillars of Australian batting. They studied the weak areas of the ‘invincible-at-home’ Steve Smith, picked up the lengths, marked the line and finally managed to tame the Aussie giant with a leg-side trap.

 

Not for nothing sports finds parallels with war, albeit without the bloodshed. Strategies form the core of a contest and the Indians deserve full applause for keeping their A, B and even C plans ready to counter exigencies. That their bench also responded with the same intensity during the gravest of situations proves how motivated the team was despite the massive setback of 36 All Out. Ignominy did not cower them down but stoked a raging fire to effect a magnificent turnaround. “Wearing 36 All Out like a badge” when the team, under Ajinkya Rahane, launched ‘Mission Melbourne’ little did anyone imagine about the glorious chapter that was to unfold in the next three Tests. It was not achieved by fluke. It was a tenacious effort borne out of an inherent doggedness to defy destiny. This is how champions work. Winning against odds is all about conquering own inhibitions.

 

Team India did it with amazing aplomb, readily shedding the tag of being an equal opponent billed at the start of the tour, and graceful in the status of underdog after being inflicted by an epidemic of injuries before the Gabba Test. Fearlessness was the only guiding principle for the team assembled with third choice bowlers and untested debutants. They made their own collective luck, drawing tremendous strength from each other. The philosophy of team sports teaches an individual to amalgamate the bunch’s identity with one’s own identity. The spirit works on an extraordinary plane to guide the body. And in this case, there were some badly battered bodies. In the end, it was the spirit that goaded the rugged flesh to carry on and cross the pain barrier. On the other side of the barrier lay glory, a dazzling glory, that the Indians made it theirs. Their journey from impossible to implacable will remain an inspiring story of boldness for the entire world.