A resilient show by Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin initiated by some strong counter-attack by Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara gave India a valuable draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the third Test of the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Series.
Having lost captain Ajinkya Rahane early on day five, the mighty task ahead for Team India to save themselves from a crushing defeat was negated by the four Indian batsmen who took India’s batting count to 133 overs.
And just as expected Twitterati had to be there for the special celebrations.
The Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar lauded the efforts of each of the four by also asking a sort of rhetorical question at the end of congratulatory tweet.
Really proud of #TeamIndia!
Special mention to @RishabhPant17, @cheteshwar1, @ashwinravi99 and @Hanumavihari for the roles they’ve played brilliantly.
Any guesses in which dressing room the morale will be high? 😀#OneTeamOneCause #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/hG60Iy6Lva
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 11, 2021
Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane summed up the performance of his team in the correctly measured and descriptive words.
Bruised. Broken. But never short of character. Really happy with how the boys fought till the end. Lots to learn and improve as we look forward to Brisbane now. pic.twitter.com/4VBZGCvbnp
— Ajinkya Rahane (@ajinkyarahane88) January 11, 2021
There’s always the wait for a Wasim Jaffer tweet, especially when India do well. The former India batsman took a dig at Tim Paine’s stump mic antiques. The Australia captain had nudged Ravichandran Ashwin, from behind the stumps.
#AUSvsIND #Ashwin #Paine pic.twitter.com/cKHbS7gdvD
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) January 11, 2021
It wasn’t just Tim Paine though who was at the receiving end of the Twitter trolls. Former India opener, Virender Sehwag also made sure he didn’t let go of a golden opportunity to address a particular prediction made by Ricky Ponting.
https://t.co/Z8zqkzZGNe pic.twitter.com/hKPAa3FLoc
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 11, 2021
In his defence though, Ricky Ponting tweeted post India were able to construct an incredible show to end the game in a draw, congratulating the visitors on their performance. Also praising Rishabh Pant, who he is the head coach of at Delhi Capitals.
So much for the prediction of India scoring under 200, this pitch hasn't deteriorated anywhere near what I was expecting. Like the way Rishabh Pant's playing, it's the perfect approach to take in these conditions. And now it's game on #AUSvIND
— Ricky Ponting AO (@RickyPonting) January 11, 2021
Perhaps one of the most powerful and inspiring thing on Twitter was the conversation between Ravichandran Ashwin and his wife, who shared a heart-touching detail of the Indian all-rounder.
Instant tears!! 😭Thanks for being there with me through all this🙏🙏 https://t.co/aauA4Bg7Dy
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 11, 2021
Former India world cup winning captain and one of the best all-rounders to have played the game, Kapil Dev also congratulated the team on Twitter for a spirited performance.
Well done Indian Cricket Team
Aap ka Jawab nahi @BCCI @RaviShastriOfc @ajinkyarahane88— Kapil Dev (@therealkapildev) January 11, 2021
One of the most emotional moments for an Indian fan was watching the Indian team bat for more than 100 overs.
Indian batting for more than 100 overs in the 4th inning to save a test match without Virat Kohli. #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/FgMvKorh2k
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) January 11, 2021
But if one picture summed up India’s day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, it was this collage posted by The Bharat Army, India’s official fan club on Twitter.
🇮🇳 WHAT A THRILLER! Such a fitting tribute to The Wall on his birthday from @Hanumavihari and @ashwinravi99 👏
📷 Getty • #INDvAUS #AUSvIND #BAIsBack #TeamIndia #BharatArmy #cricket #lovecricket pic.twitter.com/JF8FM5SzKl
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) January 11, 2021