30 December turned out to be a Super Sunday for Indian cricket, as Virat Kohli and team inched closer to an unprecedented Test series win in Australia by taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match contest with victory at Melbourne.
The 137-run win at MCG also meant India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on account of their unassailable lead in the series.
Needless to say, it was celebration mode for the team and its fans, as New Year’s festivities kicked off a day early for the Indian contingent in Melbourne.
The Indian captain responded to rapturous fans awaiting outside the team hotel with a little jig, which was enough to send the ‘Bharat Army’ into a tizzy.
Victory at the MCG saw Kohli level Sourav Ganguly’s record for most Test wins away from home for an Indian captain. In just 24 away Tests at the helm, Kohli has now overseen 11 Indian wins.
Coming as it did to close out a year where he also made 2735 runs, to finish with over 2500 runs in international cricket for the third year running, the 30-year-old had more than enough reason to cheer.
Coach Ravi Shastri, too, cut a visibly pleased picture. Never one to shy away from a drink, the Indian coach was spotted chugging a beer while walking out of the team bus and into the hotel.
Towards the end of the video, Hardik Pandya is also seen launching into an impromptu jig. Whether the fit-again all-rounder gets a game at Sydney remains to be seen, but what can be said with a fair amount of certainty is that it’s a happy Indian unit welcoming in the new year!
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