Remember the names!

India 2 - Australia 1 was the result in 2018 too. But this time it's special than the last time. The Australian team in 2018 wasn't at its best. The two of their best batsmen, Steve Smith and David Warner, were out of the team because of being banned after the infamous sandpapergate. And the captaincy was handed over to a very new face, Tim Paine, who might never have become the captain of the Australian side had that scandal hadn't happened. It was the Australians that were the underdogs in 2018 and it would have been an upset if Indians hadn't won that year. But as India had won a test series in Australia for the first time, it was a big achievement. And every member of the 2018 team deserves credit for what they achieved in that series. But 2021 was a different mission altogether. With Smith and Warner back in the Australian squad and Virat Kohli deciding to return home after the first test, congratulations to him and Anushka for the baby girl, Indians had a big challenge to face. And the second inning scorecard in the first test is what every Indian would want to finish as soon as possible. But it didn't look easy then. A new captain, Ajinkya Rahane was going to lead the team for the remaining matches and he had to do it with players like Kohli, Ishant, Bhuwaneshwar and Shami in the team. And Rahane not just led the team brilliantly, he has etched his and his teams's name in the history books forever.

It was the Indian captain who was fantastic at Melbourne in the second test and led the team from the front as India secured victory because  of his ton in the first inning. Shubman Gill and Mohammad Siraj were brilliant in their debut match and showed the glimpse of their capabilities. The third match was the toughest challenge for the Indian team on this tour and that match most certainly was the defining moment in the whole tour. Pant and Jadeja were injured in the first inning, Hanuma Vihari got his hamstring stretched and Ashwin got a stiff back. And Bumrah wasn't having his luck with him either. Pujara was criticized for his slow knock in the first inning too. To survive the last day of the match with only 8 wickets left and with Pant, Jadeja, Vihari and Ashwin injured, a defeat seemed certain. But the Indian team had different plans. Pant showed why he can't be sidelined with his blistering 97 which took the attack back to the Australians. Vihari was playing for his place in the side as he hadn't had a good series till then. And Ashwin just couldn't bend his back because of the pain. The duo of Vihari and Ashwin saw it through and ensured a draw which would have been a frustration in the Australian dug-out and a huge relief in the Indian dug-out.

The whole hype built around the final test at Brisbane was going to play in the minds of the Indians. But they fought and fought brilliantly. The bowling attack, led by Siraj who was playing only his third test, did a commendable job to restrict Australia under 300 in the second inning. Chasing 324 on the final day to win the test match was still going to be a challenge though. And I can now write with certainty that Indians were going for the win on the final day and they really could do that was because of what had happened in Sydney in the third match. One could see the belief in the players as they came to the crease for their turns. Pant was at his best once again scoring the winning runs for the team. But innings of Gill and Pujara set the tone for the Indians as that ensured India had enough wickets in hand to go after the Australian attack in the final session. We shouldn't forget Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur as well. Both were brilliant with the bat and the ball and played a crucial role in the win.

This series win is so special because we have found multiple heroes. In every inning, it was someone new who stood for the team and played a knock that was crucial in that situation. We had like 5-6 heroes in every match. And when that happens, a team won't give up. It will be as strong as Indians were in the last three matches. An injured team always had players in the playing XI that wanted to prove something. Be it the captain Rahane whose place in the team was questioned often or Pujara whose slow knocks always drew criticisms or Ashwin and Jadeja who are questioned for their statistics outside Asia. This team had the will and made their way themselves to victory. A leader as calm as Ajinkya Rahane deserves all the credit for backing his players and making them play fearlessly. It is a big win for the support staff as well as they were always under the radar everytime India lost, and a loss in the test series was what every expert were placing their bet on. This win is for everyone who believed one shouldn't overburden these players with expectations and give them a free hand to do what they wanted to do. This fighting spirit is the beginning of a new chapter in the Indian Cricket. We have all the reasons right now to be positive about the future of cricket in the nation. This win will give rise to many future heroes who watched the series on their TVs and would want to play cricket like their favourite players now. India would definitely win many more tournaments and series in the future. But this one will be remembered for a very long time.