What is it that we like about sports? It is inspiring, entertaining, and a learning experience and at times it is a mirror of the life we live in.

Growing up as an Indian cricket fan in the 90s was a strange feeling. After dominant performances against teams home, we would inevitably be humbled as we toured there. Take South Africa 1996 home and then away. Australia blown away home (and in Sharjah… yes how can I forget that) in 1998 and totally demolished us in Australia in 1999 and so on. We have had heroes even in those series with Sachin being the lone man standing in many cases. But something happened yesterday that heralded the arrival of a new era in Indian cricket.

What is that new era one might wonder? Is it the conclusion of series where India began from 36 all out to winning 2 matches and coming close to winning a 3^rd? Losing their best batsman Kohli after the first match and then a slew of bowlers to injury? Was it the fairytale of 3 bowlers who were brought in as backups but led the attack and scored some invaluable runs in the decider in Gabba?

It was all of this but apart from that there was something else that happened. For the first time in a long long time you had an Indian team missing that one towering player but instead many players chipping in and as Sachin Tendulkar said, ‘India found new heroes every session’. From a culture of superstars we went and won these without one superstar but had many young superstars chipping in and the older players like Rahane and Pujara holding the fort down.

There isn’t much to talk about the results as they are there for everyone to see. But the attitude displayed by a squad largely under 30 was remarkable. Many if not most on their first or second tour to Australia, not the easiest place to play cricket, showing grit that we had never seen before in multiple matches in a whole series. Especially coming days after 36 all out.

2001 Kolkata for my generation was an incredible achievement and brought us back to test cricket like nothing before. It came a year after the match fixing scandal and two series where India had been hammered by Australia and South Africa. Yet that India, could stand up to and beat the best team in the world that time the way it did was fantastic.

But, this victory as a match might be at par with Kolkata but as a series it rates higher than 2001. 2001 India was already a team with established superstars (yes, Kumble was injured) and it was playing home. 2020, after a humiliating loss India lost its best batsman, multiple bowlers and against the best attack in the world right now came on top. Imagine an Indian side thru the 90s or later without the superstars, an effectively India A team beating the best team in the world twice and barring an injury would have done so a third time.

To think of it that most of the heroes might not even play the next test series almost seems unfair. But that’s how it will be. There are two things that happened yesterday: Indian fans got a taste of how strong India’s bench strength is and after a long time a series caught the attention of the world where everyone was glued to the outcome of the match.

Very rarely do we see test series be decided in the last hour of the last match of a grueling 4 match series. But that is exactly what happened. It was a reaffirmation that test match cricket is alive and kicking. And if there were any doubts, this series reignited the spark in many TV rooms across the world. Let’s not take away anything from Australia and especially Pat Cummins who was brilliant. But this was their series to lose especially after the first game. They played well, but India just never gave up. They kept coming and coming till they won.

For a cricket fan who wasn’t brought up on such wins, this almost seems surreal. It took hours to sink in and the enormity of what has just happened is slowly dawning in. But on behalf of all the fans of Indian cricket, thank you Ajinkya Rahane was literally doing the impossible. Whether India repeats this or not this year remains to be seen. But for a generation that got up at 5 am and saw heartbreaking losses and narrow matches, this was a comeback for the ages.

I have never seen so many messages coming from across the world in support. This series has revitalized Test cricket in an age when IPL dominates. Make no mistake the credit of this win, goes to Rahul Dravid and his work at NCA as well as IPL. IPL gives these youngsters an opportunity to play with the best and play under immense pressure. And you say how two 21 year olds and a 23 year old absorbed it. Win or lose in the next series, the boys have done themselves and millions of cricket fans proud.

Image Credits: Cricket Australia Facebook page. No Copyright infringment intended.