Dilip Vengsarkar, the former India captain, and Praveen Amre, the former middle-order batsman, have praised the Indian cricket team for its dominant performances in Australia.
With a day remaining in the final Test, the team is well-positioned to ensure a series victory, its first-ever in Australia.
“This team has played superb and fantastic cricket and beating Australia in Australia is a great achievement, because Australia is a tough team in those conditions,” Vengsarkar told PTI on the sidelines of the inaugural function of the 25th Inter-Hospital Cricket Tournament, a tourney recognised by the Mumbai Cricket Association.
‘Exemplary’
Vengsarkar added: “This is a fantastic achievement by Virat Kohli’s team. Australia has tough conditions for touring teams but the way they (the Indian team) have adapted to these conditions is exemplary to say the least. Every team is rated on how they perform outside their own country and this Indian team has made us proud and they have done so well.”
Read | Kuldeep, seamers lead India to brink of history
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was particularly praised. “Bumrah now is one of the best [fast bowlers] in the world. He is a complete bowler,” Vengsarkar noted.
Amre called India’s performance “outstanding.”
‘Outstanding’
“In every series, the first Test is important and the way we started, that was critical. Equally important was Australia to [make a] comeback and win the match (second Test). I think, most important was the third Test, the way we played, that was outstanding,” Amre said.
Amre noted India played as “one unit.”
He said, “To win the series, it’s all about playing as one unit and that is what is happening [right now]. We are delivering as a batting and bowling unit and Bumrah and the other fast bowlers — hats off to them,” Amre, best remembered for his hundred on his Test debut in South Africa, said.
‘Tremendous’
Amre was elated to recognise India’s capability of taking 20 wickets in Tests. He said, “India was having a strong batting line-up, but it was a question of getting 20 wickets consistently. That is what is happening over the last four series and that is very critical. From there we had a hope that we can get the opponent out twice and that’s exactly what happened. Because of that this result [has come]. After 71 years, we [are] winning the series in Australia and that is a tremendous achievement,” Amre said.
Read | Ponting lashes out at Australia for showing 'no desperation'
Amre also showered praise on batsman Cheteshwar Pujara. “I got only one [hundred] but what Pujara has done [is exemplary]. He won the series for us. He has shown the world the importance of patience and self-belief,” he said.
Comments
SHARE