India put on a masterful performance in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Nagpur, winning the match in a mere three days by an innings and 132 runs. India now lead the four-match series 1-0. Ravichandran Ashwin was the star of the show, taking eight wickets, while his spin partner Ravindra Jadeja contributed seven wickets. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj also played their part with their pace bowling.
After comprehensively defeating Australia, India's captain Rohit Sharma jokingly remarked in a post-match interview with Irfan Pathan that his bowlers would often request the ball whenever they were close to a milestone.
"Every one of them is nearing a milestone. There's a milestone to be achieved every day. Someone is taking five wickets, someone else is taking 250 wickets, and someone else is taking 450 wickets. Every day, someone is reaching a new milestone," he said with a chuckle, eliciting laughter from those around him.
“I am not really aware of the milestones. These people come and tell me, “Main dhai sau ke pass hoon, mujhe ball de yaar, woh saare chaar sau ke pass hain, mujhe ball de yaar. Mera 4 wicket ho gaya, mujhe 5 chahiye (I am near 250 wickets, give me the ball, he’s near 400, he says give me the ball. I have 4 wickets, need 5),” Rohit said about the conversations he has with his bowlers in the middle.
The captain recounted how Mohammed Siraj had been bowling tirelessly in a recent ODI against Sri Lanka in pursuit of a five-wicket haul.
“In Trivandrum, Sri Lanka were bowled out I think pretty cheaply and Siraj was on 4 wickets. He bowled 10 overs in those 22 overs because he wanted 5 wickets. He wasn’t stopping so I had to tell him there’s a Test series coming up,” he said.
India's emphatic victory against Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Saturday has propelled them closer to a second World Test Championship (WTC) final berth, while extending the Pat Cummins-led side's wait for a title round spot confirmation.
However, India still needs two more wins from the remaining three Tests of the series to guarantee themselves a minimum points percentage of 62.50, which would undoubtedly eliminate third-placed Sri Lanka from contention. With a victory in the upcoming matches, India could secure a spot in the World Test Championship Final, making this series a crucial one for both teams.
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