AUS VS IND - 2nd Test, India tour of Australia, 2020-21

Harsha Bhogle: This will go down as one of India's most memorable test wins. Winning a test in Australia is always special but to do so given the wounds of Adelaide and the absence of key players makes it one for the ages

This is turning out to be some roller-coaster, this India tour of Australia. The ODIs and T20Is were identical with roles reversed. You could say that about the two Tests so far as well. So how will the climax be? Your guess is as good as mine. One thing is for certain, we're in for some more of these high-voltage contests. Expect Australia to be hurt, really hurt, and they will come back all guns blazing. But India are now on cloud nine, sky high on confidence. Should be a lot of fun. On that note, this is Hari Sadanandan signing off, on behalf of Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Vineet Anantharaman and Mukesh. Cheers!

Tim Paine | Australia captain: Pretty disappointed. We played some poor cricket, sloppy cricket for a major part of the game. Credit to India, they forced us into mistakes with the bat, ball and also on the field. And when you do that against a quality team, it costs you. But again, need to credit India as they put us under pressure. We have issues with the batting and need to get it sorted. We've seen the temperament that he (Green) showed and as he plays more games, he'll get even better, which is exciting. (On the team plans in coming days) We'll stay together probably although some guys may get released to play BBL games but mostly, we should be together.

Ajinkya Rahane | India captain | Player of the Match: Really proud of all the players. Played really well. Want to give credit to the debutants Siraj and Gill, the character they showed after the Adelaide loss was great to see. Character was important for us, especially after losing Umesh in the second innings. That (five-bowler plan) worked well for us nicely. We were thinking of having an all-rounder and Jadeja has been brilliant for us. Shubman, we all know his First-class career and in this game, he has shown the intent to play shots at this level. Has shown composure. Siraj has shown that he can bowl with discipline. It's really difficult for debutants to bowl with discipline but that's where I think the First-class experience comes in handy. The talk was all about showing the attitude and intent on the field. As I said, character. Adelaide was about one hour that took the game away from us. Lots to learn for even now. Australia applied themselves with their last five wickets. Umesh is recovering well, management and medical staff will take the call. We're excited about Rohit coming back. Spoke to him yesterday, he's waiting to join the team.

A big shout out to Deepu Narayanan for all the stats he's churned up:

** India's first win away from home when they have fielded first since Aug 2010 when they beat Sri Lanka by five wickets at Colombo PSS.
** First defeat in a home Test for Australia after winning the toss since the seven-run defeat to NZ in Hobart in 2011/12

Most wins for India at an overseas venue:
4 MCG, Melbourne (14 Tests)
3 Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain (13 Tests)
3 Sabina Park, Kingston (13 Tests)
3 SSC, Colombo (9 Tests)

** Ajinkya Rahane is the second Indian captain to win each of his first three Tests as captain after MS Dhoni.

Rahane as skipper:
Beat Aus by eight wickets, Dharamsala 2016/17
Beat Afg by inngs & 262 runs, Bengaluru 2018
Beat Aus by eight wickets, MCG 2020/21 *

Australia have problems and they seem more mental than anything else. Rarely have you seen an Australian batting unit play this defensively in home conditions, even when the surface got better to bat on. Credit is definitely due to India's bowlers who were relentless but the hosts' approach was also not the greatest. Smith has suddenly hit that lean patch and Labuschagne isn't converting starts, and the duo's failures have dented the batting. The home side will hope that the duo get back to form soon, and with Warner expected to be back as well, they will be a touch relieved. Green's batting in the second innings comes as a boost in that regard. Their catching will also need to be better. As for India, this is a massive win but they also have concerns with Umesh being the latest casualty in the injury list. The top-order also is a bit shaky, and with Rohit now available, there is a selection dilemma as well. All this for later though, as they will be partying for now.

The hero of the game? Well, there were heroes to be honest and the main man was Rahane. Under-fire for the Kohli run out at Adelaide and his poor form, he now had the added pressure of being the captain of a side 0-1 down with the morale low. But you didn't have to go beyond Day 1 of this game to know that Rahane had come with a mission. Tactically, he was exceptional and India's incisive bowling attack executed the plans to perfection. And what about that knock he played in the first innings? Arguably his finest, and his partnerships with the middle order is what proved to be crucial to the eventual result. Australia's bowlers were competent but not as efficient as they were at Adelaide. The biggest difference though was the catching. It was almost a role-reversal from the first Test with the Aussies shelling several chances, while India barely put down a significant one.

Veeresh Babu: Loved the way Indian team bounces back from these awkward losses. Back in 2008 after the Monkeygate scandal at Sydney and winning in Perth. Fast forward 2020, Done and dusted at Adelaide last week, they have roared back at MCG. Way to go !

Omkar Nawathe: This win will be really very special as Virat, Rohit, Shami, Bhuvi and Ishant are not part of it. Also, India lost a very important toss in this game but they made sure that they didn't lose the game after that.

14:48 Local Time, 03:48 GMT, 09:18 IST: How do you define a comeback? Losing key players to injuries, best batsman out due to personal reasons and importantly having just suffered a potentially morale-destroying loss. You then come back and thump the opposition at one of their favourite dens. That's a comeback. Apart from the toss and perhaps a stuttering start to their first innings with the bat, it was India all the way here at the MCG. Prior to the series, there were concerns about India's bowling with Ishant ruled out and when Shami got injured, the writing seemed to be on the wall. Might have been the case to many Indian teams of the past. Not this team. The attack showed bravado like never before and clearly outbowled their more fancied counterparts on what was an unusual MCG surface. The fact that Australia went at less than 2 rpo in the second innings on a flat deck with India losing a pacer should tell you all that you need to know.

Deepak Sharma: Shubman Gill has had an immense impact on the outcome of this game. His first innings laid the foundation for Rahane and others to flourish. India needs to capitalize on such finds and not make them one or two match wonders.

Lyon to Rahane, 1 run, the ghosts of Adelaide have been buried! Fittingly, it's Rahane who hits the winning runs. Sits back and tucks this past short fine leg. There is a fumble that allows the single and the series is now 1-1!

Lyon to Rahane, no run, drifting in on middle and leg, tapped off the back foot but this time to square leg

Lyon to Rahane, no run, charges down, gets a shortened length, tucked to mid-wicket

Lyon to Rahane, no run, mix up but they get back in time! Rahane jabbed this towards mid-wicket and they thought about the single. Fortunately for him, no harm done

Lyon to Rahane, no run, flatter on middle and leg, blocked off the back foot

Who else but Rahane to hit the winning runs.

Labuschagne to Rahane, 3 runs, fuller and outside off, Rahane leans into the drive and places it through the gap at cover. Looked like it be a boundary, but it's hauled back in. Three more and India just a run away now

Labuschagne to Rahane, no run, speared down leg, Rahane opts for the half-paddle but can't beat short fine leg

Labuschagne to Rahane, no run, sliding in from outside off, pushed off the back foot towards point

Labuschagne to Shubman Gill, 1 run, flatter, shorter and wider, cut in front of point and they pinch a single

Labuschagne to Shubman Gill, FOUR, the victory lap has begun and Gill is enjoying himself. Fuller and slower, he reaches out and thumps this wide of mid-on. Easily done

Labuschagne to Rahane, 1 run, fuller and straighter, swept away past square leg