Australians full of praise for Indian victory

Australia's cricket lovers and critics were united in their praise for India following their amazing victory over Australia in the Calcutta test.

Rather than dwell on their first test defeat since 1999, Australians said India's shock win had breathed new life into the game.

Australian newspaper columnists described India's incredible performance as the greatest comeback in cricket history and said the Australians could take consolation from being involved in the greatest match of all time.

Australia's 171 run defeat, which ended their world record run of 16 consecutive victories, was front-page news in every major newspaper in the country and was featured on television news bulletins and radio talk shows.

But there were no excuses for the loss, just applause for the Indians incredible victory.

"It was a great game of cricket," Australia's cricket-mad Prime Minister John Howard said.

"I watched the game last night (and) I congratulate the Indians, particularly VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid for a wonderful partnership."

Sydney's Daily Telegraph described India's victory as the "greatest test win of all time" but said cricket was the real winner.

"Cricket has seen nothing like this...and may not do it again," the newspaper's chief cricket columnist Robert Craddock wrote.

"Even as Australia licked their wounds behind closed doors it was impossible not to feel elated for the future of test cricket and what this match has done for the Indian game.

"Like the All Blacks, Tiger Woods and Manchester United, Australia's great winning run has raised the bar, attracting massive crowds and increasing television rights of every series they play in."

The Sydney Morning Herald's cricket writer Mark Ray said India's victory was the country's finest moment in the game.

"This victory against the best team of its era will long be remembered, holding as exalted a place in Indian cricket as Ian Botham's test at Headingley in 1981 does in the pantheon of the English game."

Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter Roebuck said India's win would also give hope to other cricketing nations that the Australians were not unbeatable.

"Sooner or later someone was going to find the pluck and gusto needed to stop the Australian juggernaut," Roebuck wrote.

"It happens in life and it happens in the sporting arena, the underdogs casting off their defeatism to produce a captivating performance at an unexpected time."

The Australian newspaper's Malcolm Conn said Steve Waugh's men now faced the greatest challenge of their careers pulling themselves back together in time for the third test in Madras.

"It will take a super-human effort from the weary Australians to claim a series triumph here for the first time in 31 years," Conn wrote.

Mail Cricket Editor