Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane led India to a dominant eight-wicket win over Australia in the second Test Tuesday, levelling the series 1-1 and capping an extraordinary turnaround after their record collapse in the opening game.
Rahane, deputising during Virat Kohli’s paternity leave, hit an unbeaten 27 in Melbourne – after a century in the first innings – as India reached the meagre target of 70 for the loss of two wickets.
It capped a remarkable comeback for an Indian side desperate to make amends after losing in Adelaide by eight wickets, when they posted their lowest ever score of 36 and were widely criticised at home.
And they bounced back without superstar and batting maintstay Kohli, who has returned home for the birth of his first child.
“Really proud of all the players,” said Rahane.
“I want to give credit to the debutants (Mohammed) Siraj and (Shubman) Gill, the character they showed after the Adelaide loss was great to see. Character was important for us.”
Here’s how other Indian players reacted to the win:
Video courtesy: BCCI