What’s the story?
Indian captain Virat Kohli has picked the second Test against Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru as the moment that would define the 2016/17 season. According to Kohli, that Test tested the character of the whole team and was probably the team’s sweetest victory.
He also added that the win in the fourth Test in Dharamsala is right there at the top alongside the Bengaluru Test and the latter will be cherished for a long time because of the emotions and tests the team went through.
“One moment that would define the season would be the game in Bangalore. It really pushed us to come back hard in the series, level the series and we capitalised from there. That was the true test of character for all the boys and that probably was our sweetest victory. This win in Dharamsala is right there but the Bangalore one was full of emotions, full of tests and that, for me remains the one moment that will be cherished for a long time,” Kohli said after India’s victory in the fourth Test.
In case you didn’t know...
India played a total of 13 Tests against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia in this home season and managed to come out victorious on 10 occasions with just 1 loss. Each and every member of the Indian team, right from the captain Virat Kohli, to Shreyas Iyer, played their part in the season and made the country proud.
Extra cover: The two-year journey from No.7 to No.1 has been surreal, says Virat Kohli
The details
After losing the first Test by 333 runs, Team India faced a litmus test going into the second day of the second Test in Bengaluru. After being bundled out for just 189 in the first innings on day 1, the bowlers did a fantastic job as they kept the Aussie batsmen at bay by conceding just 197 runs on day 2 for the loss of 6 wickets. The Aussies were eventually dismissed with a lead of 87 runs and the Indian top-order failed to give the team a good start in the second innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane batted brilliantly and put on an 118-run partnership for the fifth wicket and brought India back into the game. Defending a target of 188 to win, R Ashwin ran through the Aussie batting order and was backed well by the other bowlers as India posted a 75-run win and levelled the series 1-1.
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Author’s Take
The victory in the second Test in Bengaluru is definitely India’s finest victory in the recently-concluded home season. The Test saw a lot of twists and turns, just like how the four-match Test series unfolded and emotions ran high among the players and the fans at the stadium.
The Test was very crucial in the context of the series and Kohli’s men gave everything on the field to take India home.
Extra cover: Virat Kohli bashes Australians despite Smith apology
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