The billionaire businessman, Anand Mahindra gifted the all-new Thar SUV to Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur for their outstanding performances in Australia which helped India clinch the four-match series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Theirs are true ‘Rise’ stories; overcoming daunting odds in the pursuit of excellence. They serve as an inspiration in all arenas of life. It gives me great personal pleasure to gift each of these debutants an All New THAR SUV on my own account—at no expense to the company. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/5aiHSbOAl1
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) January 23, 2021
Apart from winning the series, another special moment was the win at The Gabba. Popularly known as Australia’s fortress, The Gabba, was finally breached when the Indian team claimed victory. The victory came 32 years and 2 months later when the Indian team beat Australia by three wickets in the final Test to take the series 2-1.
India was playing without their few key players, including their captain Virat Kohli. Virat went back to India after playing the first match as his wife, Anushka Sharma was about to give birth to a child. However, in absence of these players, the youngster performed strongly to make sure that India won against Australlia. Six young men made their debuts in that recent historic series.
Here are those Six Indian Cricketers who were gifted Thar SUV by Anand Mahindra :
Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj made his debut in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. He was the highest wicket taker for India with 13 wickets in 3 matches. He also picked a maiden five-wicket haul in the series-decider in Brisbane. Siraj had lost his father before the series against Australia started, but he decided to stay back to fulfil the dream of his father.
The Incredible Comeback by Mohammed Siraj
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill was the only batsman in Mahindra’s list to receive the beast, Thar. He scored 259 runs in 3 Tests at 51.80 with 2 fifties and a highest score of 91 which he made in the record run chase in Brisbane on January 19. He showed a great intent from the very first ball he faced at the MCG and impressed everyone with his immaculate stroke play.
Washington Sundar
He was among one of two debutants for Team India in the final Test. Washington Sundar made an immediate impact, producing a solid performance with both bat and the ball. Sundar bagged three wickets in his first Test innings, including the important wicket of Steve Smith. He was also a part of123-run partnership with Shardul Thakur. His knock of 62 runs, batting at number seven, was the third-highest score by a Team India debutant at that position.
T Natarajan
He was the second Team India debutant in the final Test at the Gabba although he didn’t have as good a performance as Sundar. T Natarajan went wicketless in the second innings at the Gabba but picked three wickets in the first innings, including the all-important wicket of the centurion Marnus Labuschagne.
Navdeep Saini
Saini made his debut in the New Year’s Test in Sydney. He bowled with an injured hamstring in Australia’s 2nd innings but went wicketless in the match. Navdeep Saini was injured during the first innings of the Gabba Test, so his impact in Team India’s stunning win was limited. Although, he was very good with the ball in his debut Test in Sydney
Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur was playing his 2nd Test in Brisbane. He was also included in Mahindra’s list because his debut had lasted just 1.4 overs against the West Indies in Hyderabad in 2018. Shardul scored 67 crucial runs in the final Test and picked 7 wickets in the match as India become the first team to beat Australia at the Gabba since 1988.
