New Delhi, Mar. 4 : Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, an enthusiastic cricket buff, today gave a “Chak De” salute to the victorious Indian team that stopped Australia in its tracks in the second of the three finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series by nine runs.

Giving his reactions to the nail-biting encounter at the Gabba in Brisbane, Chatterjee said that Team India had proved that it was up for the competition right throughout the series. He also said that the Test team had also not performed badly against Australia.

Asked what should be the reaction to the Australian team and fans, who had given the Indians a fairly rough time on and off the field, Chatterjee said: “We should be magnanimous to the losing side.”

The Minister for Sports, Mani Shanker Aiyer, also congratulated the Indian team on its one-day series victory on Australian soil after 23 years.

The last time the Indian team had won a one-day series in Australia was in 1985 under the captaincy of Sunil Gavaskar. Ravi Shastri, a commentator in the present series, was then declared the Champion of Champions for his outstanding performance with both bat and ball.

Chatterjee also announced that statues of freedom fighters Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bhagat Singh would soon grace the Central Hall of Parliament. (ANI)