Kumble hails Indian players after beating Australia

By Julian Linden

PERTH (Reuters) - India captain Anil Kumble has praised the character of his players for the gallant way they fought back from the disappointment of losing in Sydney to beat Australia in the third test on Saturday.

India pulled off a stunning 72-run victory to hand Australia their first test loss against any team in nearly 2-1/2 years and their first at home for more than four years.

Few people gave India any chance of defeating the Australians on the notoriously fast and bouncy WACA pitch after they lost the first two matches in Melbourne and Sydney but they defied their critics with a deserving win.

"We had our moments in Melbourne and Sydney but I'm really happy that we could grab those opportunities here in Perth," Kumble told a news conference.

"We were 2-0 down and we knew could lose the series here if we didn't play really well so it was important that we came back and we've done that."

Kumble said he was especially proud of the way his players had been able to distance themselves from the bitter fallout between the teams in Sydney and the suspension of Harbhajan Singh for an alleged racist offence.

There were fears the tour might even be cancelled but Kumble said the players had agreed to put it all behind them and just concentrate on the cricket.

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