Historic India Test cricket win, Imran Khan congratulates

Dubai: The Indian cricket team made history on Monday by winning a Test series on Australian ground for the first time, and former cricket legend and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated the team.

A 71-year-long wait ended as captain Virat Kohli guided the sports team towards the win. As heavy rain hit the ground, India managed to win the series with a draw in the fourth and final Test match confirming a 2-1 victory.

“In the 10 years that I have played it is the proudest moment that I have experienced and I am so happy for the whole team because it’s a young bunch of guys. To have that belief and to strive for excellence on a daily basis and to get a reward like this, we definitely have to be happy,” Kohli said at the post-match press conference.

Speaking further about the strategies the Indian cricket team has been implementing over time, he said: “It’s pure satisfaction of the hard work of 12 months and understanding that what we believed in has been proven right.”

Ravi Shastri, the team’s head coach credited Kohli for driving India towards the win and making a difference this season. He also said that the victory is significant as India’s 1983 World Cup and 1985 World Championship achievements.

Speaking about his team’s determination, Shastri said: “It’s not ... a team of seniors or juniors, this is an Indian cricket team that will jump over a cliff to win a game for the country.”

Former cricket legend Khan, @ImranKhanPTI, took to Twitter to forward his wishes to the team, regarding the win as an achievement for the whole subcontinent. He posted: “Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a test series in Australia.”

The tweet has gotten over 4,500 retweets and around 25,000 likes.

Cricket fans from Pakistan also congratulated their neighbouring team.

Tweep, @yasiralihamza, commented on India’s progress as a team and what their Pakistani counterparts could learn from their achievement. He wrote: “Congratulations India and @imVkohli for your first ever Test series win (2-1) in Australia. Indians are truly dominating Test cricket now. Pakistan can learn a lot of things the way India improved their performance over the years. #INDvAUS”

Whereas many like @Hkrazykiller, took the opportunity to tweet at Khan about improving the sport in Pakistan. Replying to Khan’s post, he tweeted: “…Please sir do improve the system of our cricket team. You have already lots of responsibilities, just saying when time is right do focus on our cricket system.”

Indian netizens also appreciated Khan’s move. Twitter user, Ravi Tripathi, @rajinder_ravi, posted: “Thank you Khan sahib (sir). We might have political differences but when it comes to cricket, you are one of the all-time best cricketing brains, your opinion and your wishes matters a lot. Thanks again.”