The Indian cricket team's historic Test series triumph in Australia last month was recounted in the budget speech of Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who said it epitomises the country's "unsuppressed thirst to succeed". The Indian team, ravaged by injuries to most of its key players and without regular skipper Virat Kohli who was on paternity leave, upstaged a full-strength Australia 2-1 in a four-match Test series last month.

"I can't help but recall the joy that we as a cricket-loving nation felt after the team India's recent spectacular success in Australia," Sitharaman said on Monday during her speech. "It has reminded us of all the qualities that we as people, particularly our youth, epitomise having abundant promise and the unsuppressed thirst to perform and to succeed," she added.