'Two absolute warriors' - Fans recall the heroic partnership between Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin in famous Sydney Test

Turning the clock to exactly two years back on this day, it was a tough morning for the entire Indian camp on the last day of the third of the four-match Test series at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s team India had lost half-of their team on the score of 272 runs when a fighting knock of 77 runs off 205 balls from Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara came to an end on a length ball off Hazlewood.

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Then came the defining moment for India as Ravichandran Ashwin entered in the middle with a complaint of back pain after the end of the last day’s play. Just from the third ball of the 89^th over of the Indian inning till the end of the 131^st over, it was the pair of Hanuma Vihar and Ravichandran Ashwin that stood strong as a difference between the win and the hosts Australia.

The heroics of the Ashwin-Vihari duo compelled Tim Paine’s men to adjust on a draw in a match that was easily looking like a win for them. Ashwin ended up scoring 39 runs off 128 balls alongside Hanuma Vihari’s 23 off 161 balls and saved a historic match for the Indian team.

Recalling the incident exactly after two years of that match, the Indian fans lavished their praises on Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin. They took to Twitter to appreciate the intent of both the batters in such kind of tough and pressured situation.

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Here’s how fans remembered Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari’s historic and match-defining 62-run partnership:

Now, India and Australia are again scheduled to play a full-fledged four-match Test series in the upcoming month of February. Both teams will play the first of the four Tests at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

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Notably, this series would be a crucial part of the ongoing World Test Championship 2023 and Rohit Sharma’s men ought to win at least three of the four matches to confirm their slot into the final of the coveted Test Championship.