INDIA GLORIOUS

Well, what a day it was for Indian cricket at the WACA! They achieved the impossible. Honestly I didn’t think, like so many Indians, that they stood a chance at one of the quickest wickets in the world. After all the turmoil they had to go through for the last 2 weeks, it seems this team has what they call the Killer Instinct. They gave a real shock to the mighty Aussies who might have quietly planned on how to celebrate their 17th win at their bastion instead they were brought crashing down to earth for the second time after 2001.

First, let’s look back at the circumstances in which this victory came about. The Indians were furious that a certain Andrew Symonds had branded Harbhajan Singh a racist, the acrimonious Sydney Test where the umpiring was so one-sided that it would even put our own Gulli Cricket to shame, and also the prospect of a humiliating whitewash very much on the cards considering the next test was at the WACA, where no one, not even my granny, would have given the Indians any chance of a draw let alone a win. Then this should surely rank as one of India’s greatest Test wins of all time.

What is even more amazing is the fact that we were playing Sehwag and Pathan for the first time on the tour and also we out thought and out bowled the famed Aussie think tank and bowling respectively. There was lot of pre-match hype on how a certain Shaun Tait would blow the Indians away off their feet. Instead, he became a royal cropper whereas our own Pathan with his gentle swing bowling managed to hoodwink the Aussie batting order. Also, one should not forget the efforts of both Dravid and Tendulkar in the first essay and also Laxman in the second. Without these three innings, India would have been staring down the barrel again, It was these three who beautifully set it up for the bowlers to do the rest and they duly obliged.

One should also congratulate the veteran statesman of Indian cricket, Anil Kumble. He not only had the onerous task of keeping his team together but also to motivate them to rise to the occasion and deliver the goods and how well he managed both! Truly he had great part in this momentous and landmark victory which brought the Aussies off their perch for the second time after 2001. I think we should all salute this gallant leader and hope he continues to shine in his new avatar though he has only a couple of seasons left in him.

This victory should now act as the catalyst for even greater things from our beloved team with their main focus now on squaring the series in Adelaide. This has been a victory that is to be cherished and treasured. One hopes this is not a one-off and just the start of a long list of glorious achievements hopefully starting with the next one in Adelaide. Can’t wait for that one to start!