Incredible effort to achieve this with all the injuries and Virat Kohli absent, says Sir Alastair Cook on India’s triumph

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook lavished praise on the Indian team for beating Australia at their fortress Gabba and winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. Cook termed India's victory as incredible while hailing them for accomplishing the feat without regular captain Virat Kohli and seven first-team players.

By virtue of the three-wicket victory on Tuesday (January 19), India became the first team to beat Australia in Brisbane since the mighty West Indies in 1988. Notably, they are the only Asian side to win at the Gabba to date.

“To win at the Gabba, to be the first side to win at the Gabba since 1988, just shows the achievement of those Indian guys. The fact that they had all those injuries and Virat Kohli going home, to achieve that is an incredible effort,” Alastair Cook said in an interview with RadioTimes.com.

Alastair Cook lauded India’s rather inexperienced side for overcoming Australia’s elite bowling attack in their own backyard.

“It shows how to play against Australia. It is a bit of a grind against their bowlers because they are so accurate and so, in their conditions, relentless. They don’t give much away, but if you can take them deep and take them into long spells, you get your rewards from it,” Alastair Cook, who is England’s highest run-getter in Tests with 12,472 runs, reasoned.

Going into the final Test, the four frontline Aussie bowlers' combined experience was 247 matches, while that of their Indian counterparts was a paltry four. Despite the odds and the niggling injuries, India took all 20 Aussie wickets before romping home with their wickets intact.

---

“India made Australia work so hard for every wicket” – Sir Alastair Cook

Rishabh Pant drove Josh Hazlewood to the long-off boundary for the winning runs.

Being four for no loss overnight and losing Rohit Sharma early on Day 5, India chased down 328 runs – the highest successful chase at the venue. Shubman Gill (91 off 146), Cheteshwar Pujara (56 off 211), and Rishabh Pant (89* off 138) were the stars of the final day.

Alastair Cook credited India’s batsmen for making the Aussies toil hard for every wicket, saying both Pujara and Pant’s innings were of equal importance despite being of contrasting natures. Acknowledging the enormity of India’s triumph, the southpaw said Australia is one of the hardest countries to stage a comeback in.

“The way Pant played at the end was incredible. But Pujara at the top of the order, I know he only got 56 but 211 balls...they really made Australia work so hard for every wicket. Australia is one of the hardest places to come back from once you get behind there – it’s a bit of a steam roller effect there.

“They’re pretty relentless and ruthless. For India to do that with that side, only three of their starting 11 first choice, to win that was absolutely outstanding,” Alastair Cook, who is currently part of BBC Radio Five Live’s Test Match Special coverage of the second Test between Sri Lanka and England, stated.

India were humiliated in the first Test with an eight-wicket loss, which also included being skittled out for their lowest-ever Test total of 36. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side then came back with a series-leveling win in Melbourne, followed by a memorable come-from-behind draw in Sydney. Finally, the historic triumph in Brisbane.