Gabba fortress breach no aberration, this is new India
There is no universal adjective to describe this unique ensemble of young Indian cricketers. They are a bunch of rookies who would be chit-chatting in alleys if not playing on the most lethal of cricket grounds—The Gabba—against Australia. Five of the eleven had not made their Test debuts until this series. They are like a support cast to the well-established protagonists.
It was poetic justice that the ball that rolled down the greens and across the rope flew off 23-year-old Rishabh Pant’s bat. No visiting team goes to the Gabba and leaves it unscathed. But this Indian team did and it did this with a telling authority and a fair bit of gumption—far removed from the predictions of naysayers.
The beauty of Test cricket kept us intrigued and engaged with its compelling plot until the last minutes of a more than two-month long tour. Instead of burnout in the bubble, this bunch refused to surrender. Both physically and mentally. Writing off a team or player is always perilous. Even after that 36 all out in Adelaide and after Pant’s dropped catches behind the stumps. Sport, like life, throws limitless possibilities at you with disdain. You just need to know which one to grab.
The performance of the youth—Pant and newcomers Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar and T Natarajan—was a reflection of the country’s bench strength. That their contribution complemented the resilience embodied by Cheteshwar Pujara, whose body took a beating, and Ajinkya Rahane, who started the fightback with a fire-fighting 100 in Melbourne, is worthy of an Oscar-winning script.
The backroom boys—coach Ravi Shastri and his team— too need a pat on the back for bringing the boys from the brink after that 36 all out. The triumph epitomises the rise of Indian cricket, its sheer depth of reserves, never-say-die attitude and the willingness to take risks, something that has been imbibed in recent years. No Indian team has ever managed to come back after suffering a defeat like that lowest of lows in Adelaide. India won one, drew the next and despite being battered and bruised, won the last Test. This is not an aberration. This is new India.