‘I can imagine how much red wine Ravi Shastri must have had’ – Michael Vaughan recalls India’s win in the 2020-21 Border Gavaskar Trophy

Michael Vaughan, the former England cricketer, went down the memory lane and hailed India after their win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia earlier this year. Throughout the series, the visitors kept losing players to injuries, but despite the hassles, they won the series 2-1.

They started the series with a crushing defeat at the Adelaide Oval. Moreover, the fact that Virat Kohli, their skipper, would be away for paternity leave made things tougher for India. However, under Ajinkya Rahane’s leadership, Team India made a stupendous comeback in the series.

“The way that they bounced back and Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy was spectacular. And then to get to Sydney and the Aussies just pummel them for a few days. There’s nothing like the last day battling out for a draw,” Vaughan was quoted as saying on Fox Cricket.

It’s a great spectacle when a team just try to hang in there: Michael Vaughan

Going by Australia’s numbers at the Gabba, not many gave India a chance to come out trumps in the fourth Test in Brisbane. However, despite having an inexperienced team, they won the match by three wickets.

“It’s a great spectacle when a team just trying to hang in there. A little bit of banter – Ashwin taking a little bit of talking from behind the stumps. And then the Aussies arriving at the Gabba thinking that’s all. They just can’t get beaten at the Gabba… they’ll steamroll them,” he mentioned.

Vaughan also lauded Rishabh Pant for his fearless brand of cricket that helped India defy the odds on Australian soil. In the last Test, it was the left-hander’s unbeaten knock that saw Rahane’s men over the finishing line. Vaughan didn’t forget to make a cheeky comment of head coach Ravi Shastri as well.

“Throughout the whole tour, we knew Rishabh Pant was a player. But I thought particularly those last two Test matches, pant came to light. It was a brilliant series. I can only imagine how much red wine Ravi Shastri must have had,” Vaughan added.

The likes of Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar also showed their class and didn’t panic when being put under pressure. In the third Test in Sydney, it was Ravi Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari’s patience that helped India eke out a draw.