Lara, Smith declare: Great for India and for the game

‘‘It’s good for the game as it shows that teams can go to Australia and win,’’ Lara said when asked for his reaction. ‘‘I have followed their progress in the last couple of years to monitor our progress and you can see the way they have prepared for this series shows how much they have advanced.’’

Lara, who had said the batting of Dravid and Laxman had inspired him to his double century, spoke at length about the Adelaide result. ‘‘This win means others can now take confidence of going into a Test against the world’s number one and emerge as victors. It is a great achievement as India were given so little hope when they started the series. Now they lead 1-0 with two to play.’’

Lara felt that India’s strength rested in the capabilities of their batsmen to pull their efforts together under testing conditions. Dravid’s role, he said, was a key factor. It was a matter of one or two batsmen putting runs on the board and being competitive.

In this he was supported by Barry Richards, who felt that the way India went about winning the game was a lesson for others. The former South African Test batsman agreed that winning in Australia is not always easy but wins at Adelaide and Sydney were always a possibility for India as the conditions at both venues were likely to help, not hinder, India.

‘‘This is a better side than that which toured Australia several years ago and lost the series,’’ he said. ‘‘India have moved forward. You can see that.’’

In Lara’s opinion the result would lead to a serious rethink about India’s position and the team’s ability to overcome a psychological handicap of not having won a series overseas in 17 years — and the fact that this is the first Test India have won in Australia since 1981.

Smith, who has played against India, felt the result was important for the game as it indicated India were on the rise and Australia could be beaten. ‘‘It is a great win for India but, more importantly, it means that other sides know that they too can win Down Under and have suddenly realised this,’’ he said. ‘‘It gives us all encouragement.’’