‘One of the great comebacks’

India coach Ravi Shastri hailed his team's eight-wicket win over Australia on Tuesday as one of the great comebacks of all time, praising their character after a crushing loss in the first Test last week.

Despite missing superstar Virat Kohli, the Indians outplayed the hosts in Melbourne to silence their critics after being dismissed for 36 in Adelaide on their way to an eight-wicket defeat. The four-Test series is level at 1-1

"I think this will go down in the annals of Indian cricket, world cricket, as one of the great comebacks in the history of the game," said Shastri after they levelled the series 1-1.

"To be rolled over for 36, then three days later to get up and be ready to punch was outstanding. "I think the boys deserve all the credit for showing real character."

"To win a Test match without Virat, Rohit, Ishant & Shami is a terrific achievement. Loved the resilience and character shown by the team to put behind the loss in the 1st test and level the series. Brilliant win," tweeted batting great Sachin Tendulkar.

Shastri paid particular tribute to Rahane, who in contrast to Kohli is a less flamboyant captain, but equally effective.

"He is a very shrewd leader, he has a good understanding of the game, he's a good reader of the game," he said. "And I thought his calm composure out there in the middle, it helped the debutants and I think it helped the bowlers as well. It was a calming influence."

Rahane, meanwhile, said that India still need to learn.

"The talk was all about showing attitude, intent and character. One hour took the game away from us in Adelaide, but we still have a lot to learn," Rahane said in the post-match presentation.

Australia captain Tim Paine said: "We are very disappointed, we played pretty poor cricket, pretty sloppy cricket, for the majority of the match." "That's to take nothing away from India; they put us under pressure and forced us into making a number of mistakes, especially with the bat, and in the field, and when you do that against good side it makes it very hard to win.

"You've got to give the Indian attack credit, they've bowled beautifully to us, there's no doubt about that," Paine told the host broadcaster after the match.

Meanwhile, Sydney will remain the venue for Australia's third Test against India, starting from January 7, despite the Covid-19 outbreak in the city's northern beach suburbs, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday.

Australia's most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) reported three new cases on Tuesday but CA decided against changing the venue.

"We have met regularly over the past week to assess the unfolding public health situation in Sydney and gauge its impact on border restrictions around the country," CA's interim chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.

"To that end, we have made the decision to keep the New Year's Test at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground).

"We are confident that both this match, and the fourth test in Brisbane, will play out in a safe and successful manner."

The Melbourne Cricket Ground was kept on standby to host back-to back matches against India, who won the traditional Boxing Day test at the MCG by eight wickets on Tuesday.