Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his satisfaction with his team’s performance after the third Test against Australia at the Gabba ended in a rain-affected draw on Wednesday, December 18. Despite the interruptions, Rohit hailed the resilience of the lower-order batters, which gave India the confidence to move forward with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series tied at 1-1.

In the post-match presentation, Rohit credited Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul for their important contributions at the top of the order. He was particularly impressed with the lower-order partnership between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah, which helped India avoid the follow-on.

“I mean, we will take that. Obviously, to have interruptions like that wasn't great, but going to Melbourne at 1-1 pretty much gives us that confidence to go out there and pull things towards us. The situation we were in just after lunch on Day 4 needed someone to stand up and take us through; we knew with the weather, we knew it wasn't going to be a full game.”

Rohit also lauded the efforts of Jadeja and Rahul, saying, “Credit to Jadeja, the way he played, and Rahul, the way he played was magnificent at the top of the order. The fight that Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah had was great to watch; we have seen them work so hard at the nets on their batting.”

When discussing India’s bowling attack, Rohit praised Bumrah’s outstanding performance, while also highlighting Akash Deep’s work ethic and determination.

“Bumrah was outstanding; Akash Deep is a feisty cricketer who always wants to be involved in the game. He is very new to international cricket, but he has worked hard at the nets. He is still new to international cricket, but he has put in the hard yards. There are people in the group to put their hand across and help him going forward.”