You need to enjoy this moment, don’t let it go away. Just enjoy! The courage, resolve, spirit you have shown is... unreal. I have tears in my eyes.” This was Ravi Shastri, chief coach of the Indian cricket team, talking to his wards following the victory lap, the award ceremony and the mandatory television interviews. The Border-Gavaskar trophy was back in the Indian dressing room after India beat Australia 2-1 in the four-match series. There was no jumping or yelling; just exhausted faces with tired smiles. The feeling of having played a role in one of India’s greatest ever Test series wins was yet to sink in. Suddenly, those hellish five months in a bio-bubble, away from their families, felt worth it.
Rishabh Pant—the hero of day five in Brisbane—grinned wryly as Shastri told him, “You were simply outstanding! While you were batting, you gave us heart attacks every moment, but what you have done is amazing!” Pant rubbed his eyes and looked down.
For a player who was under scrutiny for his glovework throughout the series, Pant also got high praise from Sachin Tendulkar. “He is a threatening player and the Australians were worried. They were restless when Rishabh was around,” Tendulkar said on his app, 100MB.
The fairy tale tour of hard knocks came to an end with India slaying Australia at their fortress—the Gabba. Some even call it the Gabbatoir, for it is a place sacrificial touring teams are taken for slaughter. Australia had not lost a Test there since 1988. That is, till January 19, 2021. India beat the Aussies by three wickets, ending a 31-Test winning streak.
Denne historien er fra January 31, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Denne historien er fra January 31, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
