So Many Doubts In Virat And Rohit's Absence, But They Showed Everyone What This Indian Team Is Made Of: Varun Aaron

Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’ after the end of the fifth Test, JioHotstar expert Sanjay Bangar spoke about Siraj’s match-winning effort:

“It's all heart, it's all passion, it's all skill. And all of that coming together with that commitment to put his body on the line for the team, no matter what. Siraj is always a guy who's going to put his hand up and do the difficult yards. He doesn't always get the new ball but is happy to bowl with the older ball and happy to bowl long spells, whether it's the first or the last session, or whether the team is in deficit or looking to bowl a team out. I think you put any situation in front of him, and he puts his hand up and just wants the ball in his hand. And the way he runs with that sort of energy and that sort of wicket-taking mindset- you are certainly fortunate to have a bowler of that class, ability and mindset, which can not only deliver individual performances but also unite the team and forge them to do special things.”

On the significance of the win for Gautam Gambhir:

“This is one of the special moments in the history of Indian cricket. This was a very important win for Gautam Gambhir as well. Yes, Shubman Gill has done some special things on tour. But even for Gautam Gambhir, with all the combinations that were being tried, the kind of start he had as head coach of the team - losing to New Zealand at home, then going to Australia and losing a series there too - the team never gave up, because even Gautam never gave up in terms of whatever he was thinking about the team and the direction in which he wanted to take them. The very fact that India kept fighting back after each setback - losing the first Test, winning the second, losing the third, drawing the fourth, and then to have a victory like this when the entire game was against you - they made this happen.”

On Shubman Gill’s leadership and performance:

“Performing in a series like this certainly takes away all the doubts that one has about his ability to lead India because if he is scoring runs in his primary role as a batter, then I think captaincy is something that you learn on the go. There is never a perfect captain, and victories like these also lessen the burden of scrutiny as you settle into the job. So from that perspective, going unscathed in his first series and making sure that India never gave up and played as a united front where every player stepped up obviously the combination part can certainly get better once he starts to believe what are the things that are required to win a series and take a few bolder steps. That will come with time, and I think that is why scoring those mammoth tallies in his very first Test series as captain also means something. Maybe someone like the great Sunil Gavaskar, when he took up the Indian team, or Virat Kohli when captaincy came to him, all of them had fabulous first Test series as captain, and then went on to lead India for a long, long time. So from that perspective, I think this is brilliant from Shubman Gill.”

On the overall importance of the series result:

“What this series is going to do is give great belief to the guys who are part of this unit. Siraj, for that matter, or KL Rahul or Yashasvi Jaiswal or Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja, all of them at some point in the series, knew that they had to stretch their resources mentally and physically. But now, having understood what they can achieve once pushed to the wall and still choosing to stand back or rise after every fall, I think this is a quality that has been the defining factor of all the members who participated in this series. And going forward, I believe that this is going to stand them in good stead when they play more challenging situations, more challenging matches in the future.”

JioHotstar expert Varun Aaron on India’s series-leveling win with a young squad:

“Extraordinary achievement, especially when the team is going through a transition phase. Who thought that the Indian team, going through a transition phase, would come out and perform like this? A very, very special victory to witness. Siraj bowled like a dream. Unbelievable. Everything on the line with the 80-over old Dukes ball. So much heart, so much dedication for this win. It shouldn't go unnoticed. Such an important Test victory for the Indian cricket team, especially because this was the first one under Shubman Gill. There were so many doubts with Virat not being there, Rohit not being there, and Bumrah playing just 3 Tests. I think they have put everything, more than everything, all the doubts to rest. And this is what this Indian team is made of. They are an absolute gun team.”