India's 'relentlessness' takes them to historic win vs Oz

Final day of the oneoff Test was poised to provide a thriller but hosts wrap things up in quick time to win by eight wickets

- Aditya Chaturvedi

The celebrations had begun well before Smriti Mandhana stepped down the track and hit the winning runs. The sense of occasion wasn't lost on the 1,000-odd fans in attendance, who were all seated in the stand above the Australian dugout. They had been amusing players from both teams with their clever chants over the four days, and with a historic win in sight, there was a festive atmosphere in that section of the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

And then came the big moment as India sealed their first Test victory in 11 attempts against Australia. It was a dominant eight-wicket win at that. Just over a week after their record win over England, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co trumped the mighty Aussies. To put things in perspective, till a couple of weeks ago, India had won just five of the 38 Tests they had ever played.

“England and Australia are the two best teams in the world and we beat them by a good margin. It’s an amazing feeling,” said Sneh Rana, who was declared the player of the match for her haul of seven wickets and a crucial 50-run partnership with Smriti in the first innings.