'If the big boys wake up, and step up to the plate -- which I just get the gut feeling they will -- then Australia has a problem on their hands.'
Ravi Shastri on India avoiding the follow-on in the Brisbane Test.
Refuting criticism from some sections, former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri said the moment Team India avoided the follow-on in the drawn third Test at Brisbane was worth "celebration" and will lift the visitors as they gear up for the crucial fourth Test of the series, a Boxing Day affair, starting December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Despite staring at a huge defeat, India's resilience on the final day of the Test in Brisbane proved to be a defining moment in the ongoing series. It provided the team a psychological boost ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, said Shastri.
After conceding 445/10 in the first innings, thanks to centuries from Steve Smith and Travis Head, India were in trouble at 51/4. However, fighting fifties from K L Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, and a fine 47-run stand for the last wicket between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah took India to 260/10, preventing the follow-on.
Australia declared at 89/7 in their second innings, setting India 275 runs to win in two sessions. However, rain meant that the match ended in a draw.
Shastri reflected on the importance of the Indian team avoiding the follow-on at the Gabba when speaking with host Sanjana Ganesan on the most recent episode of 'The ICC Review'.
"You should celebrate," declared Shastri.
"It required a lot of character from the last pair with 35-36 runs needed. That celebration showed they knew the importance of that effort within the dressing room in the context of the series," he added.
The effort from Bumrah and Akash Deep was not just about saving the follow-on but setting the tone for the next phase of the game.
As Shastri put it, "It is one thing following-on, it is one thing then again being two-three down as opposed to, you going ahead and rattling the Australian top-order. It is fully justified."
Shastri was quick to compare the performance with similar moments in India's recent history, particularly recalling the remarkable 89-run partnership between Bumrah and Mohammed Shami at Lord's during the 2021 series against England.
"It reminded me of the celebration, when in COVID times, when Jasprit and Mohammed Shami were involved in a partnership at Lord's, which turned the game on its head.
"England were odds on favourites on the final day to win the Test. And that partnership, I think of about 80 or 90, suddenly turned the game on its head and by the end of the day, India had won the Test match."
For Shastri, India's recent successes in Test cricket have often been defined by the stubbornness and resilience of the tail-enders.
Whether it is Bumrah and Shami's resilience, or the steadfast batting of Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari in Sydney, the ability of the lower order to fight it out has been handy for India in recent times," he said.
"When the tail-enders are stubborn, they fight it out there. It makes a massive difference. It did it on the last tour. When Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari batted the whole of the last session to save the game, going into the Gabba and then winning the series," Shastri added.
Such performances lift the entire team and provide a psychological advantage in high-stakes series. Shastri believes that the fight shown in this Test could prove crucial for India as the series moves forward.
"It will lift the Indian team. And for me, the series is on a level peg now and India might just be calling the shots," he said.
With the series tied at 1-1 ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Shastri emphasised the significance of this moment in the context of the series, particularly with India's challenging road ahead.
"Massive. They would give anything for a 1-1 result," Shastri said, reflecting on the early stages of the series.
"The first Test is in Perth, the second Test is a day-nighter in Adelaide, and then the third Test in Brisbane. Any overseas team will... settle for a 1-1 score because come Melbourne, come Sydney, I think India will be powerful," he added.
India's confidence heading into Melbourne is palpable. Despite being pushed to the brink in the third Test, Shastri believes that India now finds themselves in a strong position.
"They have been kept in this series single-handedly by Jasprit Bumrah," Shastri said.
"If the big boys wake up, and step up to the plate -- which I just get the gut feeling they will -- then Australia has a problem on their hands. Yeah, they got out of jail but they are not on bail. They are free birds in Melbourne. They can do what they want and come and attack Australia on Boxing Day."
