Learnt a lesson from the series, never ever underestimate India: Australia head coach Justin Langer
Brisbane: Outplayed by an inexperienced and injury-plagued India, a shocked Australia head coach Justin Langer on Tuesday said one massive lesson that he has learnt from the setback is to "never ever, ever underestimate" the "really tough" players from that country.
A visibly shaken Langer lauded India for the lion-hearted effort to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1 despite playing with a second-string side, especially after being decimated inside three days in the series-opener in Adelaide. That loss included India's lowest-ever Test score of 36 in the second innings.
"It was an incredible Test series and in the end there is always a winner or a loser. Today Test cricket is the winner. It's gonna hurt us big time. India deserved full credit. They have been outstanding but we have learnt lessons from it," Langer told Channel 7.
"First, you can never take anything for granted, second never ever, ever underestimate the Indians. There are 1.5 billions Indians and if you play in that first eleven you got to be really tough, don't you?"
Langer said the fightback after the Adelaide debacle was nothing short of remarkable especially after injury-forced ouster of big players like Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja.
India found new stars such as Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj among others who surprised the Aussies with their never-say-die spirit.
"I can't compliment India enough. They haven't gone away after that first Test match which we won in three days, bowled them out for 30 odd. For them to fight back like they did is amazing, credit to them. The big lesson for us is that you can't take anything for granted. India never got away," he said.
The Indian team showed a never-seen-before zeal to retain the coveted trophy with a historic three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth and final Test here, successfully chasing a 328-run target.
Talented Rishabh Pant (89 not out off 138 balls) showcased his breathtaking strokeplay to secure the win for the visitors, thereby ending Australia's 32-year-old unbeaten run at the 'Fortress Gabba'.
"It was an amazing effort. (Rishabh) Pant's innings somewhat reminded me of Ben Stokes' innings in Headingley actually. He came in, he was almost fearless and he will be lauded because of it. It was an unbelievable innings," Langer said in his praise of the Indian wicket-keeper batsman.
"I thought young (Shubman) Gill (91) batted very well. Their young bowling attack kept us under pressure throughout the match and as I said India deserve full credit."
Langer also commended his own team's bowling attack for its tireless effort in the series, albeit in a losing cause.
"...from our point of view, we had the same four bowlers (Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc) who have gone hard, they have stood up and they have worked so hard but unfortunately we didn't get over the line today.
"I am proud of the way those four guys fought so hard," he signed off.
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Bus helper held for stealing USD 1,600 from Iranian woman's purse in Delhi; money recovered
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a bus helper and recovered USD 1,600 that was allegedly stolen from the purse of an Iranian woman who had forgotten it on a private bus at ISBT Kashmere Gate, an official said on Sunday.
The incident came to light on December 15, when a complaint was lodged at the ISBT Kashmere Gate police post by Dr Ali Akbar Shah, a professor at Delhi University and a resident of Mukherjee Nagar, the police said.
He informed police that his guest, Fareshteh Sayanjali, an Iranian national, had arrived in India on December 13 and was staying at his residence, they said.
The woman had travelled to Uttarakhand's Rishikesh and was returning to Delhi on December 15 in a bus. While de-boarding at ISBT Kashmere Gate around 1.45 pm, she inadvertently left her purse on the bus seat, the police officer said.
After some time, she received a phone call from the bus operator informing her that the purse had been found in the vehicle. However, when the purse was handed back to her, she discovered that USD 1,600 in cash kept inside was missing," the officer added.
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Based on Dr Shah's statement, an FIR was registered at Kashmere Gate police station on December 16, and an investigation was taken up, police said.
During the investigation, the team questioned the driver and conductor of the bus in which the woman had travelled, police said.
During questioning, the conductor told police that Monish, the bus helper, found the purse lying abandoned on a seat and handed it over to him, police said.
Monish initially attempted to mislead the investigators, but later confessed to stealing the US dollars from the purse, police said
Following his disclosure, Monish was arrested on December 17 and recovered the entire stolen amount, police said.
The accused, Monish, 26, is a resident of Jahangirpuri in north Delhi.
He has studied up to Class 10 and has been working as a helper with the private bus service for the past year, they said.
