Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar lead Twitter to congratulate Team India for 'iconic' win at MCG

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New Delhi, December 29: An all-round performance from the players helped Team India come back strongly to register an eight-wicket win in the second Test in Melbourne on Tuesday (December 29) and drew level in the series.

Regular India captain Virat Kohli, white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma, and Sachin Tendulkar lauded the Ajinkya Rahane-led side for securing a morale-boosting win.

With no Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami available for the series, India responded in style at the MCG, chasing down a target of 70 relatively comfortably on day four. Cameron Green (45) and Pat Cummins (22) helped Australia reach 200 as Mohammed Siraj took 3-37 for India.

But that set India just 70 for victory, and Shubman Gill (35 not out) and stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane (unbeaten 27) ensured the tourists levelled the four-Test series at 1-1.

Resuming at 133-6, Green and Cummins managed to frustrate India until the second new ball. But short balls from Jasprit Bumrah (2-54) and Siraj removed Cummins and Green respectively.

Siraj finished with five wickets on his Test debut. Syed Abid Ali (seven in 1967) is the only Indian man to have taken more having made their career debut in Australia.

Mitchell Starc (14 not out), Nathan Lyon (3) and Josh Hazlewood (10) provided limited resistance.

Bowled out for their lowest ever Test score of 36 in the second innings in Adelaide, there were some signs of nerves for India early in their chase.

Starc (1-20) had Mayank Agarwal (5) caught behind and Cheteshwar Pujara (3) was caught by Green off Cummins (1-22), but Gill and Rahane made sure of the victory.

The third Test is due to start in Sydney on January 7, although there remains uncertainty over where that will be held due to a coronavirus outbreak in New South Wales.

The Indian cricketing fraternity lauded the Ajinkya Rahane-led side for scripting a famous win Down Under, especially after their capitulation in Adelaide where they folded for 36 in their second innings and suffer a shambolic defeat.

Here's who said what on Team India's iconic win at the MCG: