Winning Mantra of Kohli's team: Self Believe, Courage and Fitness

As an Indian cricket fan, I consider myself very much lucky to have been able to witness one of the greatest days of Indian cricket, i.e. 7th January 2018. After touring 11 times in 71 long years, at last India got the success and conquered Aussies in their den in a Test series. A few times before this, India came close to ending on top Down Under. In 1977-78, India lost the 5 Test series 2-3. In 1980-81 and 2003-04, the three and four-Test series respectively was drawn 1-1. But this time, finally, captain Kohli and his determined, fearless men have accomplished the elusive Down Under. It's an extremely significant moment for Indian cricket and a huge leap forward.

Before the New Year's test at SCG, India had an unassailable 2-1 lead as India won the first and the third match at Adelaide and Melbourne respectively and lost the second one at Perth. The weather prevented India from ending its tour on a high note and sealing a 3-1 series win in Sydney as the match was called a draw as intermittent rain wasted almost two days of the Pink test. Still, the tourists will be ecstatic with the 2-1 series result, the wet finish to the Sydney Test won’t dampen the spirits of a courageous team which made history on Australian shores. This Indian team became the first Asian team ever to beat Australia in Australia. England has beaten Australia the most 13 times, West Indies have beaten 4 times, South Africa – 3 times, once by New Zealand and now by India. Fans of a certain vintage would appreciate this triumph more. For the '80s or 90's born, an Australian tour of India always meant setting the alarm to listen to the radio commentary on cool winter mornings, listening to parents wonder why one couldn’t show such unfailing devotion to studies. This is overcoming decades of disappointments and near-misses.

What is the X-factor in Kohli's men?

Fearless mentality and high fitness level are the X-factor of this team. Virat’s intrinsic self-belief, buoyancy, and fitness mantra seem to have become the whole team’s tune. Yes, it’s true that anyone who has ever played any sport, at any level tries to ooze confidence and fitness. But it’s extremely challenging to stick to that mantra when the chips are down and to use confidence itself to stand right back up after being knocked down. And when the opposition is down, to use that confidence to keep them down and go for the jugular. It’s a procedure and the Indian team is following that. The winning recipe is being continuously chased. Now. I am giving you some examples of self-believes and fitness of this team.

Not too many people had thought that Cheteshwar Pujara would outscore the

extremely prolific Virat Kohli in this 4 Test rubber. Cheteswar Pujara, the name no one can ignore in India's test squad now. He reinvented himself in the last couple of months. India started this Border-Gavaskar trophy as a favorite, and after winning the toss and electing to bat in the first Test, India was 4/41 in one stage. Then, Pujara took the charge. He was the mainstay of India's batting in this series and grafted his way to three tons. Such has been Pujara's dominance that others' aggregate runs in this series paled in comparison! But, he is the one, who was dropped from the team in the first test in England. He didn't lose his self-confidence, he stayed patient. None can forget the unbeaten 132 run knocks in Southampton. Trademark Pujara. And he worked on that more. Focused on what his true strength is, believed that he could do that better on the tour of Australia with the right preparation. And he did. He has now a monk-like calmness in his batting!

Take another example - Mayank Agarwal. He was thrust into the spotlight by kismet. He waited a long time for his chance and when he got it, didn’t feel the pressure to mold his game in a way he didn’t want to. Yes, he wasted some opportunity to score big, but he played some steller-hand. The opener’s positive approach, especially against spinner Nathan Lyon, helped India rediscover its mojo.  and made a great impact on the team with his confidence. And now he is being talked about as a potential first choice opener for India. 

Another example of fearlessness is Vihari. He is a middle-order batsman, but he

opened the innings in Melbourne against a fearsome bowling attack and played 69 balls. Hanuma Vihari is more than his runs suggest. If he gets half as many chances as Rohit Sharma, Vihari could evolve into a rounded and reliable middle order Test bat. Although his gritty show and ability to bowl some useful overs would force the Mumbaikar to keep his guard up in Tests.

India has found a star in batsman-

wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who once famously slegded Virat Kohli from behind the stumps in an IPL match is the perfect example of what raw talent and youthful exuberance, channeled in the correct direction can achieve. In 7 innings in Australia this time Pant scored 350 runs, at an average of 58, with the highest score of 159 not out. The 21-year-old was the second highest run-getter of the series. He also had a lot to say from behind the stumps, especially to Australian captain Tim Paine. A song composed by a group of fans i.e., Bharat Army on him went viral on the internet:

"We’ve got Pant
 Rishab Pant
 I just don’t think you’ll understand
 He’ll hit you for a six
 He’ll babysit your kids
 We’ve got Rishab Pant"

From Ricky Ponting to Sourav Ganguly, from Adam Gilchrist to Kumar Sangakkara, everyone showered praise on Pant and they all believe Pant has the potential to be a future superstar - may be an 'Indian version of Gilchrist'! 

All ex-cricketers, fans, and cricket experts are also hailed the Indian bowling and their fitness. Perhaps India got the best fast bowling line-up of all time.

Rookie pace-man Jasprit Bumrah, the spearhead of this Indian bowling in down under, rocked the Aussies in their own den with his raw pace and incisive movement from the deck. One can't forget the last spell of the series, before the rain and bad light curtailed the SCG test,  where Bumrah put up an incredible display of fast bowling. Similarly, one can't forget the spell of Shami in the second innings of the Perth. Such hostile bowling from an Indian Pacer was just a dream of every Indian cricket lover! But it is the pace attack’s depth and bites that are driving Team India ahead. When a master of swing and seam like Bhuvneshwar Kumar stays on the bench, it only underlines the abundance of riches. Remember, Bhuvi was India’s player of the match in India’s lone Test win against South Africa in Johannesburg last January, performing with both bat and ball. In Australia, Bumrah and Shami were the strike bowlers with the rich hauls. But the tireless Ishant Sharma too played his part. The speed guns have hunted in a pack. Shami was the highest wicket-taker in South Africa, Ishant in England and Bumrah in Australia.

What is the significance of this series win?

People will point to the fact that this was perhaps the weakest Australian side that India faced. Still, beating Kangaroos in their own den in Tests is a phenomenal task. Kohli and company had the hunger of conquest and proved themselves on the field. And once they were in a commanding position, they never took the foot off the gas. Over the years, Indian teams have gone from looking to just save Test matches in Australia to win a few to now actually winning a series, that’s a big change for sure. This not only shows how far Indian cricket has come but also illustrates that India has become masters in a game that was introduced by their one-time invaders. Kohli and team demonstrated that in cricket India is no longer gratified with being good enough. This victory in Australia is one to savor for the ages.

Besides that, earlier in 2018, in South Africa, India lost the three-Test series 2-1. In England last year, though the scoreline read 4-1 in favor of the hosts, the margin of losses for India in the 4 Tests they lost were: 31 runs (Birmingham), innings and 159 runs (London), 60 runs (Southampton) and 118 runs (London). Barring the second Test result, all the others were somewhat narrow losses. The series scoreline could have very easily been very different if Virat has had the luck on his side to win the toss. Virat and his team were getting closer but failed to triumph over hosts. India took these lessons and applied in Australia and result is in front of us.

The label of bad travelers will not go away just by virtue of this one series win, no matter how big it might be. But it is a big stepping stone in the right direction. And in an age where away Test wins in challenging conditions are quite elusive, it is also very significant. Youngsters are taken the paramount role in this series victory for India, and whenever the youngsters start doing well consistently, the whole cricketing set-up (including the selectors) heaves a huge sigh of relief. Virat Kohli, as a captain is becoming better after every away test. Especially, in last two tests in down under he looked very much calm and poised. This also marks the coming of age of Kohli as the Test captain. As Michael Clarke - the most insightful of commentators, pointed out – he was tactically superior to Australia’s Tim Paine. This isn’t a perfect, fully settled team. But it has the seeds of a world-beating unit, captained by a combative leader whose hunger for victories seems limitless. 

Cricket is a team sport, but what each and every one of the 11 playing members of a team brings to the table mentally as individuals are what really makes the biggest difference at the highest level. On this occasion, most players in the Indian squad seemed confident they would be able to rattle Australia in their own terrace if they stuck to what they do best. It was evident in their body language and the way they tackled each session of play. It’s probably why, India, who were hit by injury concerns and lost the services of players like Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, and Ishant Sharma at different times were able to regroup and press on. Apart from KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, almost every other member of the Indian Test squad in Australia made meaningful contributions. Yes, there were selection calls that were questioned and some shot selection that was frowned upon, and a catch or two that went down, but the focus this time seemed to be not on the opponents or the conditions or the fact that history was against them. The focus was on doing what they themselves do best and to the best of their abilities. Keeping it simple. Believing in themselves and the preparation they put in. No over the top banter, no trying to get under the opposition’s skin. The bowlers delivered again, the batsmen backed them up. India’s winning formula.

Photo Source: Google

Writer: Souritra Banerjee

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If you missed any articles of Border-Gavaskar series, here is the highlights:

1ST TEST PREVIEW: MOST-AWAITED RUTHLESS TUSSLE BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND INDIA EMBARKS ON THURSDAY AT ADELAIDE
1ST TEST REVIEW: PUJARA AND BUMRAH STARS AS INDIA SHATTERS THE DECADE OLD DEADLOCK AT ADELAIDE

2ND TEST PREVIEW: PERTH PREPARED FOR THE BREATHTAKING GRAPPLE STARTS ON FRIDAY
2ND TEST REVIEW: AUSSIES RULES THE ROOST AND LEVEL THE SERIES BY THRASHING INDIA AT PERTH

3RD TEST PREVIEW: HIGH STAKE BOXING DAY TEST MATCH IS GOING TO BAKE OFF TOMORROW AT MCG

3RD TEST REVIEW: EMERGING OF BUMRAH AND DREAM DEBUT OF MAYANK CORROBORATE INDIA'S HISTORICAL WIN AT MCG

4TH TEST PREVIEW: RATTLED AUSSIES WILL TAKE ON TRANQUIL INDIA IN THE FINAL BATTLE AT SCG

4TH TEST REVIEW: THE PINK TEST ENDS IN A DRAW, AS INDIA TRIUMPHED OVER KANGAROOS IN THEIR OWN DEN

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