'Pakistan must learn from India to show character' Shoaib Akhtar hails Ajinkya Rahane after India's win in Melbourne

Ajinkya Rahane’s Indian cricket team put up a magnificent performance in the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as they won the match by eight wickets to level the four-match series 1-1. The win was significant as India were bowled out for 36 in Adelaide and was missing the services of key players like Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma. Yet, despite all the odds, India managed to win the Boxing Day Test for the second consecutive time and Ajinkya Rahane registered his third straight win as captain. The performance and spirit shown by the Indian cricket team in the win has been hailed the world over, with Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar praising the Indian cricket team.

Shoaib Akhtar, who was in the news for his recent criticism of India and was at the receiving end of social media hatred for his ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ remarks on India, lavished praise on Ajinkya Rahane’s outfit in his Youtube Channel following the win in Melbourne on Tuesday. Here are some of the key points made by Shoaib Akhtar in his six-minute long analysis of India’s win over Australia in Melbourne.

Giving it back to Australia

Shoaib Akhtar hailed the mentality of the Indian side, stating that they wanted to humiliate Australia on their home turf. “India’s mantra was ‘We were humiliated in one Test match. We must humiliate the other team in the next match.’ They were bowled out for 36. They were missing their key players. There was no Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. What did the Indian cricket team do? They showed character. How did they beat Australia. Comprehensively. This is Team India. Characters are not made in crisis, characters are exhibited. Team India has exhibited their talent in a deep crisis. They showed immense guts and determination. So what if they were missing key players? There were other players who stepped up.”

Pakistan need to learn from India

The current bench strength of the Indian team is such that they can win even without key players. Shoaib Akhtar said Pakistan needed to learn from India this mentality. “The bench strength of the Indian cricket team is superb. Even if there are no key players, they can still win Tests and that too overseas. They are not worried about who is available and not available. They have great captaincy and great sports system. We in Pakistan have to learn from India as to how to invest in the sports system and get the best players out but unfortunately, we have not done that,” Akhtar said.

Australia will be worried

Shoaib Akhtar has said that Australia will be worried, very worried over this situation that developed in Melbourne. “Australia will now be really worried. They will be wondering, ‘What hit them? How did India do this?’ They did not have three players and also they were low on confidence after being bowled out for 36. Yet, they turned the tables on them decisively. To have lost a Test after humiliating India who were down and out, it will be a worry,” Akhtar said.

Siraj a strong character

Mohammed Siraj suffered a tragedy before the Test series when his father died but he could not return back to India due to coronavirus protocols. Shoaib Akhtar also praised Siraj. “Mohammed Siraj had a superb debut, took five wickets. Siraj showed his character. He could not see his father who died recently. The disappointment would have been evident. How did he channel it? By focusing his energy on the bowling and getting the better of Australia,” Akhtar said.

Jasprit Bumrah too good

Jasprit Bumrah once again showed he was the leader of the attack with six wickets in the Melbourne Test and Shoaib Akhtar had nothing but immense praise for his skills. “What can one say about Jasprit Bumrah? Many pigeonholed him as a T20I or ODI bowler but he had success. The critics said he would not get Test success. Now, he is winning you Test matches. How much ever you can criticize, it is the performance on the field that matters and speaks out loud” Akhtar said.

Rahane - The silent assasin

Shoaib Akhtar said Ajinkya Rahane’s motto seems to be work quietly and that success will shout out loud. “How much ever you may criticize head coach Ravi Shastri and Ajinkya Rahane, the fact is that Rahane quietly went about making the bowling changes, making the field placements and he batted with tremendous application. His success is now shouting out loud. They say, work quietly and let success shout from the rooftops.,” Akhtar said.

Shoaib Akhtar also signed off by saying that India must not let their grip slip on the series and that they have put Australia in a vulnerable position.