Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar showered immense praise on the Indian team after their thumping win over Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne on Tuesday. Needing just 70 runs register a series leveling win as they had bundled out Australia for 200 in their 2nd innings by lunch on Day 4, opener Shubman Gill (35 not out) and stand-in skipper, Ajinkya Rahane (27 not out) took the team over the line in a blaze of shot-making to square the series 1-1 ahead of the third Test.

Rahane’s 112 in the first innings along with the performances of debutants Gill and Mohammad Siraj in both innings were the biggest takeaways for the visitors in this match, something which would give them a lot of confidence ahead of the Pink Test in Sydney.

Not only did they outperform the hosts in all three departments in their own backyard, but the visiting team did all of this despite not having four of their crucial cogs in Virat Kohli, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav, who bowled 3.3 overs in the second innings before leaving the field due to the calf injury.

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All this action unfolded after the debacle in Adelaide last week which saw India losing the game by 8 wickets inside 3 days after getting bundled out for their record-low score of 36 in their second innings. Praising the performances, Akhtar said India showed their real character at the iconic MCG and that Rahane deserves a lot of credit for this memorable victory.

Talking about the same in the latest video on his Youtube channel, Shoaib Akhtar said, “Team India beat Australia like how you beat up a person in a sack. Characters are not made in crisis, they are exhibited. The best part was that they showed heart and courage today. They didn’t have 3 of their star players but it didn’t matter to them. Ajinkya Rahane quietly led the team but his success is making all the noise for him today.”

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He further explained, “India brought in Siraj, he took 5 wickets. Then came Gill, he’s certainly a big star in the making. So Team India showed their character, that they have guts, heart, and courage. What impressed me the most was they should have fallen flat on their face in this match after the kind of defeat they suffered in the 1st Test. When teams show their character like this, it doesn’t matter which religion or country the players belong to, I feel very happy.”