10 bloody body blows!!
I could hit a few long ones, when I used to play with tennis ball. Then I started playing red ball at college. Boy, I hated padding up for the sheer fear of getting hit. Not that I’ve been hit badly, the sheer thought itself was intimidating enough for me to stay away. Then you see one Che Pujara, taking blow after blow from Pat Cummins & Co. He stood up each time, with no emotions on his face. Once, he jumped around with pain, when he was hit on the thumb. All the other times, he stood there ice cold and responded to the now polite queries of Aussies.
India didn’t have a flamboyant start on Day 5. Rohit Sharma was there major hope, when they went to sleep last night. He didn’t last long enough to trouble the Aussies. Cummins produced a beauty and Paine completed the catch. Che Pujara, India’s warrior-in-chief, joined Shubman Gill.
Indian fans couldn’t make out whether India was going for victory or playing for draw in the first session. The Aussie bowlers were running in hard, and the world No.1 bowler Cummins was relentless. He was miserly and kept testing the batsmen. Pujara was in the firing line and he faced it with his mind, body and soul. He will have plenty of markers in his body to show today. But, he was a man on mission. He knew the Australians couldn’t keep bowling the way they did during the first session.
Shubman was looking solid at the other end and looked at home. Indians had a peaceful lunch as they had lost only Rohit in the first session. Mitch Starc looked below par and Lyon deployed questionable tactics. He started straighter, when he has been reasonably successful against Pujara during the series, starting from a wider line and deploying silly point.
Post lunch, Cummins kept asking questions. Gill started to grow in confidence so much so, at times it felt like it would be better if Pujara had more strike. He would’ve played one shot too many it seemed, but Gill didn’t seem to be playing his third test. He had every shot in the book. Backfoot punches were crisp. Short balls were dealt with confident pulls. He kept the fans on the edge of their seats, with his positive strokeplay. The fear of one shot too many, was in the air, for his inexperience. Gill did his part. He scored 91 glorious runs. Stitched a 114 runs partnership with Che and one could smell, India were going for the kill. Lyon finally managed to get an edge, which Smith did well to pluck in the slip.
Ajinkya Rahane joined Pujara and there was intent, straightaway. Where the Indians were heading was crystal clear with the entry of the captain. Two skips down the ground and Lyon was deposited over long on. The Australian commentators were of the opinion that the carrot was not quite there for the Indians to go after, as the target set was too high for the Indians to go after. But the captain read out the agenda loud and clear. However, the flip side of going after a target is, you go after everything thrown at you. Rahane perished on 24, trying to guide one over the cordon. Cummins was yet again the bowler.
Australia yet again sniffed a chance of redemption, when Rahane fell in the 57th over. India sent out Pant, ahead of Mayank. In the hindsight, it turned out to be a masterful tactic. The thought process could have been simple, yet again, left-right combo. But a soft red cherry, possibility of an attacking batsmen at crease from overs 60 to 80 and prospect of sending in an opener for the new ball, would have all compounded in for the decision. Add to it the fact that, the famed Gabba pitch was not deteriorating as predicted by the pundits.
Pant joined Pujara, who was all bruised, but importantly, resolute. Australians, yet again in the series, discovered the hard way that a wounded Indian player is as good as a wounded tiger. Somehow, Indian players have found adversities their best opportunity. Pant started slowly. Take nothing away from the Australians, they were playing hard cricket. Bowling was high octane and there were no freebies on offer. They fielded well and saved every run they could. Pant didn’t go for anything outrageous, but played a couple of shots to warn the Australians of what was coming. He completed his 50 in 100 balls, a sober one by his standards.
Just as when Indians looked to be marching towards the remarkable and the Australians started fearing the unimaginable in their minds, new ball gave them another sniff. Pujara was adjudged leg before off that man Cummins, who kept running in. Pujara reviewed straight away, to find the ball hitting the top of the bails. “The Umpire’s Call”.. yet another sigh of disbelief, but Pujara had to walk off. He walked to a standing ovation from his teammates and crowd. They knew, it was a priceless innings, an immortal one.
Pant was not throwing away today. He played fluent drives, swiveled pulled and ran hard. Washington Sundar, after Mayank Agarwal, left too fast, joined Pant and proved that his first innings heroics were no flash in the pan. He settled the nerves and played an able ally to Pant. India required 50, in the final available 8 overs. Pant played and missed a few. But Sundar hit a few boundaries and the required rate never climbed over 6, afterwards. When Australia decided to spread out the field, the young guns of India ran like they’d miss a train.
The twists were not over, yet. Sundar tried a reverse sweep and perished. Lyon bowled him. Thakur too was in a hurry to finish off and lobbed one to Lyon off Hazelwood.
Pant pushed one firm off Hazelwood to complete a historic win. The Indians ran to the field. There were hugs around. Maybe a few tears too.
Team India’s mettle was tested in all possible ways in this tour. There captain left early. They missed their frontline bowlers one by one. They had their batsmen injured on field. Like Ravi Shastri the cricketer, this team found a way out. They were not ready to take no, for an answer and kept coming back to complete a series victory, which looked highly unlikely even at the start of the day.
India is indebted to the entire squad and many more for this victory. The physio would easily clear the YoYo test now, it seems, with all the field trips he had. The coaching staff kept providing replacements out of nowhere for all the injured players. And Rahul Dravid, who got all these youngsters battle ready can’t be applauded enough. Not to forget Jadeja, who yet again proved to be a hard nut. Or Ashwin, who was at his best or Bumrah who led the Indian pace battery for three tests.
Praise of individuals can wait for now. This collective success is once a lifetime kinda thing. And the tales of it, etched in golden threads. It was fitting that the series had to be decided in the final hour of the final session of the final test.
RamZy's World 
Leave a comment