Melbourne Test: An incredible win by a talented, confident and strong-minded group of individuals

India and the Melbourne Cricket Ground MCG go together like Chicken Masala and Basmati rice Perhaps that should read an aroused India and the MCG combine like Rogan Josh and Basmati riceFollowing the latest crushing victory under Ajinkya Rahanes imaginative leadership thats four times India have beaten Australia at the Melbourne Coliseum Thats like saying four times the Christians overcame the LionsApart from the first victory in 197778 which was comprehensive and I missed because I was otherwise occupied with World Series Cricket the rest have been hard won in adverse circumstancesIn 198081 India was never going to win especially after skipper Sunil Gavaskar threatened to take his batting partner from the field However that all changed when Karsan Ghavri bowled Greg Chappell first ball and Australia eventually fell 59 short of the meagre 143 targetThen in 201819 India were sufficiently chastened after losing in Perth by a large margin that saw the series levelled at 1all They needed an inspirational performance and they got it from Jasprit Bumrah with nine wickets for the matchThose three were all meritorious victories but they cant match the latest version of David overcoming Goliath in a Coliseum Battered by being dismissed for a deflating 36 in Adelaide and bruised by the loss of skipper Virat Kohli and fast bowler Mohammed Shami India conjured up a remarkable victory that would have done Harry Houdini proudLed by the unflappable Rahane and again inspired by Bumrahs mastery at the MCG India overcame an acclaimed attack on a spicy pitch and the loss of yet another injured fast bowler to level the series and leave Australia with some serious selection headachesThis latest win is up there alongside the incredible WACA victory in 200708 and the miracle at Kolkata in 200001And one of the more amazing things about the fourth victory at the MCG after Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat India walked on to the ground looking full of confidence It was like they were suffering from dementia they couldnt remember last week but they had clear recall of distant victoriesTwo players were responsible for this bout of confidence Firstly there was the captain with his calm clear thinking approach and then there was Jasbrit Bumrah the leader of an attack that is threatening to replicate the magnificent feats of their predecessors in 201819This pair proved that appearances werent deceiving Inspired by their calmness and their deeds other heroes surfaced Ravichandran Ashwin twirled away successfully first bamboozling Matthew Wade and then tying Steve Smith in knots Smiths early demise added to Indias burgeoning confidenceThen it was the turn of the debutants to inhale the pervading scent Both Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj acquitted themselves admirably displaying both the talent and temperament to suggest theyll serve India well for many yearsThis was an incredible victory by a talented confident and strongminded group of individuals well led by a positive thinking captain Rahane and Bumrah and the other heroes of Melbourne look like theyll be rewarded with another Test at the MCG Australia really has some problem solving to do if they are to match Indias Houdini act