Published 16:39 IST, January 23rd 2021
Anand Mahindra to gift SUVs to Natarajan, Siraj & 4 others for their Aus series heroics
 Automobile giant Anand Mahindra has announced that he will be gifting the all-new THAR-SUV to six Indian players for their outstanding performance in Aus
Automobile giant Anand Mahindra has announced that he will be gifting the all-new THAR-SUV to pacers, Mohammed Siraj, Thangarsu Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini opening batsman Shubman Gill, and, all-rounder Washington Sundar for their heroics in the recently-concluded Test series in Australia.
India, who had to field a second-string side in the fourth Test at the Gabba after most of their main players were unavailable due to injuries did the unthinkable as they defeated a full-strength Australian side in Brisbane to clinch the four-match series 2-1.
'They serve as an inspiration': Anand Mahindra
Taking to the micro-blogging site, the business magnate had shared a video of these six cricketers where they can be heard talking about overcoming all the obstacles in their way to reach where they are today. Heaping praise on these players, Mahindra wrote that they have made it possible for future generations of youth in India to dream and explore the impossible.
In his second tweet, the 65-year-old entrepreneur mentioned that theirs ( referring to the players') are true ‘Rise’ stories as they have overcome daunting odds in the pursuit of excellence and serve as an inspiration in all arenas of life after which he added that it gives him a great personal pleasure to gift each of these debutants an all-new THAR SUV and that too on his own account at no expense to the company.
In his third and final tweet, the Chairman of Mahindra Group mentioned that the reason for this gift is to exhort young people to believe in themselves & ‘Take the road less traveled.’
Team India rewrite history
Team India had to chase a stiff total of 328 runs to register a famous win on the final day of the Brisbane Test match.
After losing Rohit Sharma early on Day 5, it seemed as if the visitors would settle for a draw. However, Shubman Gill had other ideas as he kept them in the hunt with a solid 91. Gill's batting partner Cheteshwar Pujara on the other hand made the Australian bowlers toil hard for his wicket even though they were resorting to bodyline bowling tactics.
The number three Test batsman stood tall by braving constant bouncer barrage and played an impactful knock of 56 runs from 211 deliveries and once he was dismissed, it seemed as if it would open the floodgates for the hosts. Nonetheless, Rishabh Pant had other ideas as he toyed around with the Aussies bowlers and brought India within touch distance of victory.
In the end, the young wicket-keeper batsman (89*) hit the winning runs as all the members of the Indian team ran towards the ground to celebrate. Thus, Ajinkya Rahane & Co. ended up retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy by winning the four-match series 2-1 and India registered back-to-back Test series triumphs Down Under.
At the same time, the Men In Blue also breached Australia's fortress Gabba after a long wait of nearly 33 years. The Aussies had not lost a single Test match at the venue since 1988.
Updated 16:39 IST, January 23rd 2021