On the back of a tremendous team performance at Dharamshala, the vibrant Indian side went on to lift the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. The fourth day at Dharamshala was just a mere formality as the Indians quickly scored the remaining 87 runs without much of a fuss. Opener KL Rahul registered his 6th half century of the series and continued to stamp his authority over the Australians.
For India though, it was their effort with the ball earlier in the game which did the job. The likes of Umesh Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja stood up terrifically to get India the crucial breakthroughs and decimate Australia.
Post the win, a few Indian players and coach Anil Kumble reacted after the series win, and below are the quotes.
KL Rahul:
This series has taught me a lot. After the Pune Test I could not play the big shots, that was a big restriction. Nothing else matters than a Test series win against Australia. I took a few knocks, but all I was telling myself it was okay to a few hits for my team. The way Jinks came out and started hitting sixes was amazing. It is one of the best Test matches and Test series we have been part of.
Cheteshwar Pujara:
We had a fantastic series, especially after a disappointing first Test. We wanted to win it 3-1, but we won it 2-1 and we are very happy. We have been having partnerships from the Bangalore Test match. I was telling KL that he was getting himself out, especially after the Bangalore test, rather than the bowlers getting him out. I would still like to keep going if there were a few matches. I really enjoyed this particular season.
Umesh Yadav:
I just told myself this is the last Test of the season and I have to show what I have got. Knowing this is the last game, I just gave it my all. Just trying hard to do something special for the team. Special for me too. This kind of spells come rarely. Thankful to Sanjay Bangar bhai. He keeps telling me these are my strong points, and asks me to keep bowling there.
- Ashwin:
Yesterday was really special. The game in balance, and Umesh blasting them away. I have been battling injuries this series, thanks to the physio and the support staff to get me up. Jaddu and I have been hand in glove all season. When we bowl in tandem, it has been great. Credit needs to be given to Jaddu, he gives me the cushion to try different things.
Anil Kumble:
Fantastic. We spoke about it that we will take one series at a time, one match at a time, one session at a time. To come back from 1-0 down, when you could see there were tired bodies around, it was brilliant. Rahane led the team brilliantly after losing the toss. The fast bowlers throughout the season have bowled brilliantly. The positives have been adapting to conditions. We have had almost 25 players starting from West Indies. All 25 have stood up in different conditions. Even the new home venues, we didn’t know how those pitches would behave. Everybody put his hand up. The one area we need to improve is catching. Jaddu was brilliant through the season. He has always been in the shadows, but he has now come out of it. With this kind of line-up, with the lower-order contributions, I don’t see any reason why we can’t win abroad.