Riding on Rishabh Pant’s iconic knock, India humbled the hosts by three wickets in Brisbane, putting an end to Australia’s 32-year unbeaten streak in Tests at the venue.
Shastri, who was the head coach at the time, showered praise on Shubman Gill, Pant, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, and Shardul Thakur. The young Indian side led by Ajinkya Rahane overcame all challenges to beat a star-studded Australian side to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India needed 328 runs to win on the final day of the match with all 10 of their wickets intact. Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara scored half-centuries to put the visitors in pole position before Pant walked in at 167/3, ahead of Mayank Agarwal.
The wicketkeeper-batter played an enterprising knock to bring the equation down to 69 off 15 overs with six wickets in hand. While Pant was nonchalant and came hard at the Aussie bowlers, Sundar made a statement, hitting Pat Cummins for a towering six over the fine-leg fielder.
Pant eventually won the match for India along with the series with a boundary as he remained unbeaten on 89 off 138 deliveries.
“The whole world will stand up and salute you” - Ravi Shastri’s rousing speech after historic series win
Ravi Shastri, who was one of the main architects to hold the side together through tough times in the series, gave a rousing speech in the dressing room after the victory at the Gabba.
In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), back then, Shastra highlighted the self-belief the players showed in winning the series after being 36 all out in the first Test.
Shastri stepped down from the role after the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE. Rahul Dravid has taken over the baton from the former Indian all-rounder and will be eyeing to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy when the series gets underway in Nagpur on February 9.
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