Australian High Commissioner hails Indian team's grit, resilience

Hailing India's historic win over Australia to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell on Tuesday said the every Indian should be proud of the great determination shown by the team.

"I was delighted, though I never want Australia to lose...More importantly, what we saw in the past two matches is great cricket and as a cricket lover, I thought it was a fantastic finish amongst the bests," he told ANI.

"When they arrived, they had faced a number of challenges. One was COVID and the bubble and the second was a number of injuries that they incurred," he added.

Heaping praise on the comeback of the Indian team after the loss at Adelaide, the High Commissioner said: "I don't think anybody expected particularly after Adelaide, the sort of resilience, grit, and determination, we saw in the Indian team in Sydney and in Brisbane."

"I think every Indian should be very proud of the team. I think Ravi Shastri also deserves great credit because of his vision and his coaching," he added.

• Congratulate Team India

India's memorable win at The Gabba not only saw the team script history but also ensured they toppled Australia in the ICC Test Team Rankings to claim the second spot.

New Zealand sit atop the table with 118.44 points while India now have 117.65 points, overtaking Australia on 113 points.

Commenting on the absence of India's captain, Virat Kohli, Barry O'Farrell said "sometimes he felt his absence because he is an inspirational leader".

On Tuesday, Australia's fortress -- The Gabba -- was finally breached. It took 32 years and two months, but the unthinkable was achieved as an injury-ravaged young Indian team beat Australia by three wickets against all odds to take the series 2-1.

The last time a visiting team came out triumphant from the Brisbane Cricket Ground was back in November 1988 when the mighty West Indies under the leadership of Viv Richards thrashed Allan Border's team by 9 wickets.