Hyderabad: The historic victory at the Gabba, that helped India retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2-1 on Tuesday, brought cheers to cricketing circles in the city. Former Indian cricketers from the city hailed the victory as one of the most memorable one.
Former Indian cricketer and ex BCCI president Shivlal Yadav lauded the youngsters for the win. “It is a fantastic victory. Hats off to the young Indian players. Despite lack of experience, the bowlers did a great job. When Gill was batting and with his positive approach, I knew it was going to be an interesting contest. I was a bit nervous in the final session after losing Pujara. But they showed they (Pant and youngsters) they are not afraid to play aggressive and fearless cricket. Indian cricket has immense talent and they showed. We only have to give them a chance.”
Former Indian cricketer Arshad Ayub too lavished praises on Ajinkya Rahane men. “It is a remarkable victory. The fact that India are playing in Brisbane and winning the match, especially without the main players, was fantastic. The credit goes to all young players. (Shubman) Gill, (Rishabh) Pant, (Washington) Sundar, (Shardul) Thakur and (Mohammed) Siraj, all played their part. Also the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara played a key role. We are so many heroes and because of that the victory was possible,” he said.
He also lauded the attitude of the team. “The most positive thing was the will power and belief that we can win matches from any situation. The management deserves a lot of credit for keeping the positivity in the team. This team is different and they have the attitude to win the match. Though Virat is not there, his attitude and nature rubbed on to the youngsters. They played fearless cricket. Hats off to their grit,” he added.
“The way they bounced back after the 36 all out in Adelaide was incredible. They won the Melbourne Test and we were in a position to win the Sydney Test. If Pant had stayed for a while or Ashwin and Vihari had not suffered injuries, we would have won the match. But despite injuries, they contributed to a great draw. And coming into the deciding match, we had so many injuries,” he said.
Ayub had special praise for our Hyderabad speedster Siraj who picked up five wickets in the second innings. “Siraj has done a great job. When I picked him up in under-23, and made him play Ranji, we knew the talent was there. He went from strength to strength and improved his attitude. He is now much more disciplined. This is all helping him. It is great to see him perform at the highest level. He has got many years to play for India,” he added.
Meanwhile, former BCCI chief of selectors MSK Prasad attributed the success of youngsters to the India A tours. “It was an incredible victory. This shows the team’s character. Particularly with so many injuries and in the absence of senior players, the youngsters rose to the occasion. It is all because of India A tours around the world. The exposure kept them in good stead,” he added.
Also read:
India conquer Gabba fortress, clinch Border-Gavaskar Trophy
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