Boxing Day Test: Historic Victory for India, beats Australia by 8 wickets
Melbourne, 29/12: Who could have thought India could come back after a shocking defeat in the First Test match. Getting bundled out for 36 is not easy to overcome. Well, Team India has silenced their critics here at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground. India came back strongly to beat home team Australia by 8 wickets.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane’s team put up an inspired performance on the field after the Adelaide shocker. Regular Captain and Batting mainstay Virat Kohli’s absence wasn’t felt at all. Both the debutants Shubman Gill and Mohammad Siraj were very impressive in the match. Siraj, who came as a replacement for injured Mohammad Shami was lethal with the ball. He was not only consistent with his lengths but also scared the batsmen with his bouncer. Shubman Gill showed his class and he would very well be the next batting superstar for India. He looked calm and confident in both the innings he played.
It would be unfair if we don’t talk about Rahane’s Gritty hundred and Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round performance. Rahane led from the front and guided the young batsmen of the team to give India a healthy 1st innings lead. This innings of his will go down as one of the best innings by a batsman in Australia. Ravindra Jadeja whose selection in the playing xi was under the scanner proved everyone wrong with both bat and ball. He scored an important 50 and picked up 3 crucial wickets in the match. Bumrah and R. Ashwin were brilliant as usual, they got India breakthroughs whenever required.
Going to the 3rd test injuries could be a concern for India. Mohammad Shami broke his hand in the 1st test and here Umesh Yadav has pulled his calf. His availability is doubtful in the next test. In the batting department form of Mayank Agarwal and Cheteswar Pujara is a problem, Hanuma Vihari has also failed to convert his starts. With Rohit Sharma fit for the next test, it will be interesting who the team management drops.
As far as Australia is concerned, they must be absolutely rattled by this defeat. Their batsman has let them down. The highest team score in this series for Australia is 200 only. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne’s form is a concern for the team. The return of David Warner in the 3rd test might boost the team.
The next test match will take place on January 7, 2021. The venue of the match Sydney is doubtful because of the rise in COVID 19 cases. The decision on the next venue will be taken today by Cricket Australia.
