India lauded for ‘perfect finish’ in Australia

NEW DELHI: India’s cricketers are being hailed a once-in-a-generation side as the World Cup looms, capping off a “perfect finish” to their historic Australia tour with a maiden one-day international bilateral series victory.

The Men in Blue will return home to India triumphant without having lost a Test or limited-overs series — a first on Australian soil. The Test victory was India’s first in 71 years of trying in Australia, a crowning achievement burnished by another historic first as the visitors clinched the ODI series 2-1 in Melbourne on Friday.

India earlier drew a three-match Twenty20 showdown 1-1 after one match was washed out, ending the tour without losing a series in any format.

“Perfect Finish To Dream Tour”, declared the Mail Today daily on page one Saturday.

“One-Day wonder Down Under”, ran a front page headline in the weekend edition of the Indian Express newspaper. Other Indian dailies called it a “perfect ending” and “series of firsts”. Captain Virat Kohli, riding on a high, is already looking ahead to the World Cup in May, confident his men have hit their stride as the coveted ODI cup looms. “We are feeling confident and balanced as a side with the World Cup in mind,” the skipper said.

The India side is being tipped as one of the best in years. “The teams that used to come here (to Australia), you can’t compare those teams to this (one),” veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle told broadcasters Sony Six after India’s seven-wicket win in the third ODI.

“It has only happened twice in history that a visiting team has won a Test and ODI series in Australia.”