'By no means...': Rohit Sharma left astonished at reporter's 'can Australia make India-like comeback' query - Watch
With the kind of performance Australia put up in the first Test, the question remains - can they make a comeback? Well, India skipper Rohit Sharma was left astonished at the query before he replied in epic fashion.
Australia were hammered in both the innings in their humiliating loss in Nagpur, by an innings and 123 runs, as India took an early 1-0 lead in the Border-Gavaskar series. Australia, still the No.1 ranked Test team, will be hoping to make a comeback in the second Test in New Delhi with the aim to make the World Test Championship final. And who else to look for inspiration than their very own opponent, who had scripted a comeback of ages two years back Down Under. But with the kind of performance they put up in the first Test, the question remains - can they? Well, India skipper Rohit Sharma was left astonished at the query before he replied in epic fashion.
Two years back, when India had landed in Australia for defend their Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the tourists were folded for just 36 runs in the Adelaide Pink Ball Test. India were written off at the very second by most veterans, and by a few more after Virat Kohli left for home while a few of their mainstay players picked up injuries. With India forced to feature their second-string side, Australia were backed for a whitewash.
India, under Ajinkya Rahane, bounced back in Melbourne, eked out a valiant draw in Sydney before completing one of the best comeback stories ever with a stunning win at Gabba.
After India's win on Saturday at the VCA Stadium, a reporter reminded Rohit of India's fairytale comeback in the 2020/21 series and asked if Australia could pull off the same in India with three Tests remaining in the contest. Rohit was rather left astonished at the question before admitting that he does expect a fightback from the Aussies.
“Good one. Australia is always a good team. The good thing about this team is we don’t think about what has happened in the past. It’s important to stay in the present. Lot of the guys who played in that series are not here for Australia. For us as well, a few guys are missing," he said.
"Australia love playing Test cricket. They pride themselves in coming out and representing their country. We are quite aware of them bouncing back. We are pretty much aware of what they can do as a team. By no means are we ruling them out. We want to play the cricket that we played in this game."
Watch the video below…
The second Test will begin from February 17 onwards.
