Ajinkya Rahane gets a heroic welcome as he returns home after historic win vs Australia

Returning back home after registering a historic Test series win in Australia, Team India's stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane was welcomed back with a heroic reception on Thursday morning. Rahane, who led the battered Indian team after the Adelaide rout and in the absence of Virat Kohli, was welcomed by a massive crowd at his residence in Mumbai along the tunes of dhols and roars of 'Ajinkya is the winner'. The Indian batsman was also showered with flowers and a huge poster of an image from his century at the MCG. 

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Rahane registered a historic series win Australia as he led a bunch of inexperienced players to breach the Australian fortress - the Gabba - as the Men in Blue retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy. India's win in the fourth and final Test broke Australia's 32-year-old record of remaining unbeaten at the Gabba. Apart from Rahane, the remaining Indian players also landed back home on Thursday morning after a lengthy tour of Australia. 

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'Toughest Tour Ever'

Reflecting upon the historic win at Gabba and retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Team India Head Coach Ravi Shastri has remarked that this has been the 'toughest tour' for the Men in Blue ever. Citing the bio-bubble restrictions, COVID-19 fear and multiple injuries faced, Shastri stated that there is no other tour that even comes closer to this one Down Under. While the Head Coach lauded the youngsters, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane for leading the injury-hit team, he also had a special mention for Virat Kohli for imparting his strong character to the Men in Blue. 

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Speaking at the post-match press conferences, Shastri looked back at the team marred with injuries and spoke of how Rahane led the team with a comparatively inexperienced bowling attack. 

Meanwhile, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane echoed Shastri's thought and also revealed that he too was emotional after the win. "I got emotional, I am not someone who has tears in my ears but I had. Because this is unreal. What these guys have pulled off will go down in history as one of the greatest Test series ever played," Shastri said as he shared the space with Rahane. 

Acknowledging the gutsy comeback after the humiliating loss in the first Test at Adelaide, Rahane said, "It means a lot to us. I don't know how to describe this, but our boys showed a lot of character and determination after the Adelaide Test."

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