Overjoyed Indians bask in historic cricket win over Australia

NEW DELHI

Millions of Indians on Dec. 16 celebrated their cricketers' historic win over Australia in a pulsating match whose last few hours brought the entire cricket-crazy nation to a standstill.

Wild cheering erupted in hundreds of thousands of homes, offices and even roadside shops when batting sensation Rahul Dravid scored the winning boundary off spinner Stuart MacGill at the Adelaide Oval.

From crowded railway stations to staff rooms in schools and even in Parliament, everyone seemed to have only cricket in mind.

"We defeated the world's best team in their den, despite their scoring 500-plus runs!" screamed Mihir Tandon, a 13-year-old resident of east Delhi.

It was the first Indian win in a Test match in Australia after 22 long years and even the cold and clammy weather in northern India could not lower anyone's high spirits.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi took time off politics to hail the team after the four-wicket victory.

Vajpayee, a big cricket fan befitting the leader of a cricket-cracy nation, could not watch the final moments of the play due to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) meeting.

"But he was keenly monitoring the progress and he is really happy," said a Vajpayee aide.

Members of Parliament, who have been going through the motions of a rather lacklustre winter sessiont, also monitored the match on the big screen TV sets in the Central Hall of the historic circular building.

"It was dull in the house in the first hour since most MPs were interested in the cricket match," said Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Trivedi, who was part of the Central Hall cheering squad.

Later, both houses interrupted the proceedings as MPs clapped and thumped their desks in applause.

Former cricketer-turned-MP Kirti Azad, who was also attending Parliament, remarked: "It was team spirit that won the day." Azad was a part of Sunil Gavaskar's eleven that scored the last victory in Melbourne in 1981.

A large mass of Indians woke up soon after 5.30 a.m. to catch the start of the winning bout -- the target seemed too easy for an entire day. And as they prepared to go to offices, schools and colleges, they made sure the score was always with them either through mobile phones or portable radios. There was no question of losing, yet the enemy was formidable and could not be underestimated.

"Thirteen runs left!" shouted Atul Malik, thumbing away on his mobile phone while travelling in a bus from south Delhi to Connaught Place, and the strangers around him cheered spontaneously. "After a long time people looked enthusiastic about a Test match!" Malik later recounted.

Australia had scored 556 in their first innings, setting them up for a walkover defeat that Indian fans had been resigned to, haunted still by their failed attempt at winning the World Cup in South Africa.

The Indian reply was just 30-odd runs short, thanks to a double hundred by Rahul Dravid and a century by V.V.S. Laxman. The Australians were then restricted to 196, thanks to some spirited bowling by Ajit Agarkar, who took a career-best six wickets. That left Indian a target of 230 to achieve in a day and 10 overs.

"When Dravid batted his double century, I felt hope rising. I did not think we could come here from the point when India was at 81 for four," said Ranjit Narayan, a public relations professional.

Viewers groaned loudly when young Parthiv Patel was dismissed at what could have been the winning score, but they still knew victory was in the bag. They almost held their breath as the batsmen took it slow and easy, enhancing the suspense greatly.

Former cricketer Ajay Jadeja marvelled: "All our players are in great form. The way we fought back and bounced back into the game is tremendous."

The mood was more sombre in the Australian High Commission, where officials said people were "watching the match off and on." Many could not believe the way things turned around for India.

"This is an amazing feat," said Samar Bose, a freelance photographer, for whom the match was nearly a blackout due to the cable operator's threat to cut off transmission of pay channels to south Delhi residents. "Nobody thought India could pull it off. But it did and in style. We showed the world that India can produce results when it really gets its act together."

However, Bose also held out a sobering thought.

"Let us not go overboard over this victory as Australia is a team that always has tricks up its sleeve. We have two more tests to go. But still, we are leading 1-0!"


Vajpayee praises Indian team for 'impossible' feat

NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one of the first to congratulate the Indian cricket team after its historic victory over Australia in the Adelaide Test on Dec. 16, picking out Rahul Dravid for special praise.

"I send my hearty congratulations to the Indian team for its spectacular victory in the Adelaide Test," Vajpayee said in a message to the team minutes after they pulled off a sensational four-wicket victory at Adelaide.

"This first (Test) win in Australia after 22 years is the result of great team work and inspiring tenacity in the face of a seemingly impossible task. My special praise for Rahul Dravid for his dependable play in both innings and, especially, his record-breaking double century."

Though Vajpayee was in the midst of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary group meeting during the final moments of the match, his aides said he had been keeping track of the game throughout.