The Melbourne Test of the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy was a memorable one for Team India as they came back from being 0-1 down in the four-match series. After the Adelaide debacle and with Virat Kohli going on paternity leave, Ajinkya Rahane guided the visiting team to an eight-wicket victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. […]
The Melbourne Test of the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy was a memorable one for Team India as they came back from being 0-1 down in the four-match series. After the Adelaide debacle and with Virat Kohli going on paternity leave, Ajinkya Rahane guided the visiting team to an eight-wicket victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Rahane, who has been jostling for form of late, became the Player of the Match for scoring a century. In the meantime, a past occurring during the game has sparked little controversy. Ravi Ashwin, who picked up five wickets in the game, including a three-fer in the first innings, said then head coach Ravi Shastri instructed him to operate with the new ball.
Ashwin said that due to the dampness of the pitch, he extracted a significant amount of turn and bounce. In the 18th over, he also got rid of Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 28 runs.
“Ravi Shastri came into the dressing room and boomed, ‘ASSHHHH, get the ball in the first 10 overs’. I was just wearing my pants. I thought ‘in Melbourne he wants me to bowl in the first 10 overs’ (Ashwin imitating Shastri).
“‘It might be damp, it might spin, I have told Jinks (Rahane)’. Bumrah bowled a good spell. Jinks then gave me the ball and the first ball I bowled, it spun a lot and bounced as well. I was like wow,” Ashwin said.
But in a recent turn of events, Rahane hinted that giving Ashwin the cherry in the first 10 overs was his idea and not Shastri’s. Rahane was clear cut in saying that he didn’t quite get his dues as far as decision making was concerned.
“I know how I have performed and I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, and that’s not in my nature to go out there and take credit. However, there were a few decisions that I personally had to make on the field but the credit went to someone else.
“To me, it was important that we won the series and it was a historic series. For me, that was really special,” Rahane told to Boria Mazumdar on his show ‘Backstage with Boria’.
The victory in Melbourne changed the complexion of the entire series. In the third Test, Hanuma Vihari and Ashwin’s resilience helped India save the game in Sydney. Then India breached the Gabba fortress to win the series 1-2.
