Fielding Coach R Sridhar Reveals How Surprise Midnight Call From Virat Kohli Led To 'Mission Melbourne'

India vs Australia: The Indian cricket team made a solid comeback in the Melbourne Test, which was planned at midnight. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fielding coach R Sridhar spoke about how a surprise midnight call from skipper Virat Kohli led to 'Mission Melbourne'.

Virat Kohli

India's tour of Australia is going to be remembered for two reasons. First - the Indian team was bundled up for 36 runs in the first Test match of this tour. Second- After this humiliating defeat at Sydney, India made the most dangerous counter-attack in cricket history and defeated Australia 2–1 in the Test series to script history.

The Indian cricket team made a solid comeback in the Melbourne Test, which was planned at midnight. Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fielding coach R Sridhar spoke about how a surprise midnight call from skipper Virat Kohli led to 'Mission Melbourne'.

The India vs Australia Test series was played between 17 December 2020 to 19 January 2021. December 19 proved to be the worst for the Indian team. On this day, the Indian team was reduced to 36 runs in the second innings of the Adelaide test. As a result, Australia won the match by 8 wickets.

Team India's veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, during a converstaion on his YouTube channel, spoke to fielding coach R Sridhar about India's defeat in the Adelaide Test and their counter-attack plan against the Aussies.

Sridhar said that the most important thing for the counter-attack in the Test series was that India made sure they win the Melbourne Test, after getting 36-all out in the Adelaide Test. For this, Captain Virat Kohli and deputy Captain Ajinkya Rahane made a plan and Ravi Shastri helped them.

Sridhar said: “It was midnight, around 12.30 am, the night we lost the Adelaide Test. Virat Kohli messaged me: ‘What are you doing?’ I was shocked. I thought ‘why is he messaging at this time?’ I told him ‘head coach (Ravi Shastri), myself, Bharat Arun and Vikram Rathour are sitting together’. He said, ‘I’ll also join you’. I said, ‘no problem, come over.’

“He came there and all of us started discussing. That’s where ‘Mission Melbourne’ began. Shastri made a point there: ‘This 36, wear it like a badge! This 36 is what will make this team great’,” said Sridhar.

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