India have won the Brisbane Test by 3 wickets to snatch the series 2-1 and retain the Border-gavaskar Trophy. But this was no ordinary Test. This was no ordinary series. People will be talking about it for generations to come. So let’s not waste any time and take a look at some of the best moments from this India-Australia Test series.
1. India were dismissed for 36 on the 3rd day of the 1st Test at Adelaide, their lowest ever score in Test Cricket.
2. Ajinkya Rahane, India’s stand-in captain after Viat Kohli left Australia, smashes a ton at Melbourne to get India back on track.
3. India defeat Australia by 8 wickets in Melbourne after chasing a meagre total of 70 in the second innings and level the series 1-1.
4. Shubhman Gill made his debut in Melbourne and instantly impressed both fans and critics with his impressive strokeplay and good technique.
5. Steve Smith, who had been criticised for a couple of poor games, came back in a very strong fashion and smoked Indian bowlers for 131 runs.
6. After India were dismissed for 244, Smith and Labuschagne scored 81 and 73 respectively setting India a target of 407 with a day and a few overs to spare.
7. India had a solid start but were looking uncomfortable after Rahane lost his wicket. The wind was blowing in Australia’s favour. But Rishabh Pant had different ideas. The southpaw smashed 97 making people believe India could win the game.
8. But after both Pant and Pujara got out in quick succession and Jadeja out of the game with an injury, it seemed like Australia had the game.
9. It was then that Hanuma Viari with a torn hamstring and Ravichandran Ashwin with a very sore back, decided to defy the mighty Australians, playing almost 50 overs between them. The duo batted till the end of Day 5 and saved the Test and the series.
10. Of course, the match had other problems as well. First Indian players complained to the umpires about facing racial abuse from the spectators.
11. After this, Australian captain Tim Paine joined the Indian team huddle as a sign of solidarity with the guests.
12. However, that is where the niceties ended. Paine would later go on to ask Ashwin to come to Gabba and refer to him as a ‘dickhead’.
13. A few moments later, he also dropped a simple catch of Ashwin and follows it up with dropping another one of Vihari that could have sealed the game for the Aussies.
14. India fields a bowling attack at Gabba that has 11 international wickets between them. Saini, Thakur and Natarajan picked up 3 wickets each.
15. In the midst of all this, Rishabh Pant’s singing prowess gets known to the world, when he delivers the Hindi rendition of the Spiderman theme song.
16. Anyhow, Australia put India in a spot of bother again and it looked like history will be repeated and the Aussies will topple the Indian tail quickly. But Shardul Thakur and debutant Washington Sundar played their shots through a 123-run partnership for the 7th wicket, bringing India back into the game.
17. Md. Siraj who was leading the Indian bowling line-up in what was his 2nd Test grabbed 5 wickets at Gabba. When he returned to the pavilion at the end of the innings, he was greeted by the man he replaced in the team.
18. Chasing 324 on the final day, India got off to a bad start with Rohit Sharma getting out cheaply. However, Shubhman Gill had no intention of slowing down, The young opener smashed 91 sending the signal loud and clear that India was going for the kill.
19. Even as India kept losing wickets at the other end with batsmen trying to score freely, Pujara blocked one end. On his way to a 211-ball-56, he took quite a few blows to his body, each nastier than the last.
20. But when push came to shove, it was Rishabh Pant who saw the team chase down 324 on the final day with a beautifully timed 89 off 138 balls. His batting ensured that Australia were defeated at the Gabba after 32 years and India won the series 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
This series is what Test Cricket is all about. It was a great advert for the game and it shall remain so for a foreseeable time.