Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane received a red-carpet welcome as the stand-in skipper, along with head coach Ravi Shastri and several other members of the team, returned to the country after registering a historic series win in Australia.
An injury-ravaged India, led by Rishabh Pant's batting heroics at The Gabba, defeated Australia by three wickets in the fourth and final Test to clinch the rubber 2-1 and retain the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Shubman Gill (91), Rishabh Pant (89*) and Cheteshwar Pujara (56) bolster India's run-chase on the final day in Brisbane as the visitors hunted down the total with three overs to spare.
To celebrate a win for the ages, chants of 'aala re aala Ajinkya aala' were heard upon Rahane's return to his home. Rahane's residential complex was also echoing with sounds of the traditional dhol tasha, along with showering of flower petals.
A day after returning home and soaking in a festival-like atmosphere, Rahane shared an adorable picture with his daughter while talking about reuniting with her. Rahane was blessed with a baby girl in October 2019.
"5 months. 2 countries. 8 cities later, back to spending some quality time with my favourites, in my favourite city," tweeted Rahane.
Before leaving Australia, Rahane had thanked all the supporters for constantly backing the team. Rahane is currently unbeaten five Tests as the Indian captain, winning four and drawing one game.
"Thank you, everyone, for sending across all your good wishes. It's your constant support and belief in the team that kept us motivated to bring the trophy back home," Rahane had tweeted.
After steering India to a historic series win Down Under, Rahane had said, "It's an honour to lead the country. It was not about me but about the team. I looked good because everyone contributed. For us it was about having that character on the field, having the fighting spirit, the attitude."
