MCG win is one of our greatest victories of all time: GR Viswanath

Following Tuesdays remarkable eightwicket win the Melbourne Cricket Ground MCG has emerged Indias most successful hunting ground overseas Fittingly it was there that their maiden Test victory on Aussie soil too came in 197778Subsequent wins in 1981 and 2018 solidified the bond between the team and the ground Now after the extraordinary recovery from the meltdown in Adelaide future Indian teams will regard the iconic MCG as a home away from homeGR Viswanath the wristy genius from Bangalore has a lowest score of 54 among one century and two fifties in three Test innings at the MCG playing instrumental roles in consecutive victories split by two series and three years What a comeback absolutely brilliant he gushed elated at the character shown by Ajinkya Rahane and his warriorsGR ViswanathHindsight tells us it was a good toss to lose However the toss had little to do with the outcome Like all Indian fans I was anxious in the leadup to this Test I am glad my anxiety was misplacedVishy was a part of the playing XI shot out for 42 at Lords in 1974 Indias lowest Test tally until two weeks back when they plummeted to 36 all out at the Adelaide Oval I went through it as a player I didnt expect to see a debacle like that again in our lifetime he shuddered mentally but had to endure it on live television Australia bowled brilliantly no doubt but that didnt make what happened easier to swallowIn Melbourne India were outstanding It has to be one of our greatest wins of all time what a fabulous innings by the captain he continued To play an innings of that calibre in these circumstances under pressure and as the standin skipper its one of the greatest centuries in Test cricket Just beautiful His partnership with Ravindra Jadeja took the team to a huge lead negating the possibility of a tricky fourthinnings chaseI was pleasantly surprised at the application shown by Jadeja He has been in great form in whiteball cricket but this was a different ball game and he was unflustered I feel Rahanes calmness rubbed off on his teammates Rishabh Pant too played a lovely hand providing the impetus required at the time I know he only made 29 but those were crucial not just in magnitude but for the positivity the impact Rahanes bowling changes and field placements came in for high praise as did the allround bowling effort R Ashwin has Steven Smith in a bind For Smith to admit that no spinner has put him under greater pressure than Ashwin is a surprising confession at this stage of the series Viswanath pointed out Knowing Ashwin I am sure he wont relax the strangleholdTurning the clock back Viswanath said the class of 1977 had been stung at defeats in the first two Tests against an understrength Aussie side led by the recalled Bob Simpson We had to win in Melbourne to stay alive in the series Chandra BS Chandrasekhar the ultimate matchwinner was unplayable in that game got six wickets in each innings the Aussies didnt have a clue he chortled And the next time in 1981 Kapil Dev did in the second innings what Chandra had shrugging off an injury on the final day with a decisive burst It just so happened that I got runs in both matches he saidThere is a feelgood to returning to a ground abroad where one has tasted success he agreed Like Sunil Gavaskar and Port of Spain He debuted there made tons of runs hed love to roll that pitch and carry it with him The MCG is like that for the Indian team from a mindset and security perspective Past success doesnt come with any guarantees but for sheer confidence there is no better tonic