Indian skipper Ajinkya Rahane continued his glorious run as a captain in Tests. Team India raced to an eight-wicket win in the Boxing Day Test, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday. India has drawn level in the four-Test series, as it looks to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy successfully.
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India faced a daunting task following its embarrassing defeat in the opening day-night Test, in Adelaide, last week, while it made as many as four changes in the side. Nonetheless, it all worked out perfectly, while Rahane praised the hard work and the caharcter of debutants Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj.
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"I am really proud of all the players. I want to give credit to the debutants Siraj and Gill, the character they showed after the Adelaide loss was great to see. Character was important for us, especially after losing Umesh in the second innings," said Rahane during the post-match presentation, reports PTI.
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"Shubman, we all know his First-class career and in this game, he has shown the intent to play shots at this level, has shown composure. Siraj has shown that he can bowl with discipline. It's really difficult for debutants to bowl with discipline, but that's where I think the First-class experience comes in handy," Rahane added.
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Meanwhile, India suffered an injury scare after pacer Umesh Yadav walked off the field on Day 3 following a calf injury. Speaking on his situation, Rahane asserted, "Umesh is recovering well, management and medical staff will take the call."
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Rahane also provided an update if senior opener Rohit Sharma would feature in the upcoming Test, in Sydney. "We're excited about Rohit coming back. Spoke to him yesterday, he's waiting to join the team," assured Rahane.
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Match summary: Winning the toss, Australia had elected to bat first before being bundled out for 195, courtesy Jasprit Bumrah's 456. India scored 326 and earned a 131-run lead in the first innings, thanks to a centurion innings form Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja's 57. The second innings saw Australia getting skittled for 200, owing to Bumrah and Jadeja's two-for, while in reply, India comfortably sailed home by eight wickets.Brief scores: Australia 195 and 200 (Green 45; Siraj 337) lost to India 326 and 702 (Gill 35; Starc 120) by eight wickets.
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