Rahul celebrates after scoring his maiden Test Hundred.
© AP
The India-Australia Test series got over on Saturday and the score line read 2-0 for the hosts. But the result doesn't tell the tale of a few gritty performances by some of the Indian team members.
NDTV put together a list of five top performances from the tour, ones who also promised Indian cricket a brighter future.
KL Rahul
Karnataka batsman KL Rahul was picked for the Test tour to Australia courtesy a great run in domestic cricket. But the lanky youngster had a forgettable debut. He drew criticism after two rash shots, scoring just four runs in his first two innings. To add to his woes, he dropped Chris Rogers on 19 in the Sydney Test and the opener went on to score a 95 in the first innings. But then the 22-year old turned it around with a ton in his third innings. Rahul finished the series with 130 runs from two Tests at an average of 32.5.
Mohammed Shami
After skipper, Virat Kohli claimed that bowling was India's weak link, Mohammed Shami stood out with 15 scalps. The Bengal fast bowler was India's top wicket-taker in the series and was second on the list of top bowlers, behind Nathan Lyon. Shami played three Tests but it was finally in Sydney that he claimed a five for. His bowling average of 35 made him the pick of Indian bowlers in the series.
Ajinkya Rahane
This series was also the story of India's hard-working middle order and Ajinkya Rahane showed just why Rahul Dravid says that he has nerves of steel. From glory at Lord's to gumption in MCG and guts in Sydney, Jinx, as he is called by his team-mates, has come a long way. It wan't just his 147 in Melbourne, but also the manner in which he held out for 126 minutes at the SCG to ensure a draw, that drew huge praise. In 4 Tests, Ajinkya scored 399 runs.
Murali Vijay
His team-mates call Murali Vijay- 'the Monk'. He got out on 99 in Adelaide and that perhaps made his resolve stronger. Vijay's mental fortitude helped him conquer Brisbane where he scored his personal best of 144. With four fifties and a hundred, Vijay was one of the standout performers in the series.
Virat Kohli
History will remember this as Virat Kohli's tour, one in which he grew in stature as a player. He stood tall against Mitchell Johnson's bodyline tactics in Adelaide and hit back with two back to back hundreds.
Not many in international cricket can claim to have sledged Johnson and then come out on top but, Kohli can! With four hundreds, a fifty and 692 runs in his kitty, Virat was clearly the man of the series. So what if the adjudicators of the award didn't think so?
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