Team India rock Ugly Aussies!

Battered and bruised, like soldiers on the frontline, Team India pulled off a sensational draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday. With the four Test series tied at 1-1, the finale in Brisbane from January 15 will decide who claims the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Well before the Sydney Test had begun, the Aussies had begun playing games. If, at first, it was mind games over some Indian players having breached the Bio Bubble in Melbourne before leaving for Sydney, there was more dirt to follow.

The Aussies, whose origin can be traced to convicts being thrown into ships from Britain for the impossible journey to Down Under, played cricket in the ugly way. Anyone who has been to Australia will tell you they are racists. They have no qualms about treating non-white differently and what they did with the Aborigines long back can never be forgotten.

Perhaps, that is why when they celebrate Australia Day on January 26, there are more protests as the Aussies have never practised equality. That the Indians restored equality at the SCG was by sheer dint of hard work, laced with performances from the heart and the willingness to deflect all the muck.

If on Sunday fast bowler Mohd Siraj was subjected to racial abuse in the outfield by fans, on Monday, the Ugly Aussies did everything possible. They say, karma catches up fast in Kalyug. It did on Monday as the Aussies tried dirty stuff, peppering R.Ashwin’s body with shirt-pitched stuff. He took a few blows, nursed a bad back and fought like the brave solider in the company of Hanuma Vihari whose monumental patience defined composure and what it is to play hard Test cricket.

Forget his score and stats, his stay at the  crease was like The Wall, as the nation recalled Rahul Dravid’s efforts on his 48th birthday. Ashwin was defiant, he knew what had to be done and the duo fought the last session like Tigers. They could have even pressed for a win, in hindsight, but this performance was as invigorating as a win.

If after the score of 36 in the first Test you  thought India had been finished, then in the second Test at Melbourne, the visitors bounced  back and won. On the final day in Sydney, Cheteshwar Puajra and the man who has faced maximum flak for his sloppy keeping, Rishabh Pant batted like giants.

Pujara was like the Monk in Meditation while Pant showed his pluck and aggro would work. Sadly, Pant missed his ton, and was out for 97. But these two men, one like a mature classical singer and the other a hard rock star showed fusion of a different sort.  It frustrated the cheeky Aussies.

Captain Tim Payne dropped catches galore and that was karma hitting back instantly. You had Steve Smith, man of the match and well known for his misdeeds with sandpaper and working on the ball a few years ago, again showing he has ugly traits. He was spotted doing the unthinkable, working his boots on Pant’s guard at the crease.

All this made for very ugly stuff from the Aussies even as the new Team India under Ajinkya Rahane stole the limelight and forced a draw. So, who all will be fit for the final Test is a big question what with Ravindra Jadeja also now out.

Be sure, the 11 men who will take the field in the final Test will be like the Special Forces on a special assignment. That is the mental strength they have shown in a hard series where the Bio Bubble can test your nerves every minute.

Oh yes, Virat Kohli, on paternity leave, and Anushka Sharma were blessed with a baby girl on Monday. January 11, 2021 is indeed special in so many ways for millions of cricket fans.