Kohli’s men make history

SEVENTY-ONE years after first touring Australia, India have finally won a Test series Down Under; in fact, this is the first Test series triumph in Australia for any cricket team from Asia. India won their first Test on Australian soil in the late 1970s under the captaincy of ace spinner Bishan Singh Bedi. The series was a watershed for India, with Bedi’s men coming close to clinching the five-Test series. They lost 2-3, but since then no Indian team had matched their two wins. That was until this tour, of course. India won the first and third Tests and were denied a 3-1 victory margin after the last two days’ play of the final Test in Sydney was marred by inclement weather. India’s series win in Australia came after 11 attempts, which included three draws — twice in the 1980s and once in 2003-04.

One big takeaway from this series, in fact from the season, was the skill and discipline of the Indian bowling attack. Long dominated by spinners, India’s bowling has often lacked teeth in overseas conditions. The current pace attack, though, is truly world class, with Jasprit Bumrah showing the potential to become the best in the business. It was not just in Australia that India’s fast bowlers stood out; they gave their team a shot at victory in England and South Africa as well, but the batsmen let them down. Cheteshwar Pujara was an equally huge factor in India claiming the series. With 521 runs, including three centuries, the No. 3 batsman was a picture of patience and perseverance. It was a lesson in Test batting not only for his compatriots, but also for all modern-day batsmen.

For Virat Kohli and his men, it’s the biggest win, one that could be the stepping stone for many more glorious triumphs abroad. The only blemish, if we were to pick one, in this victory is that it came against an Australian side that was sorely missing Steve Smith and David Warner. However, there’s nothing to suggest that India couldn’t have pulled it off even if the duo had played.