India registered a remarkable 2-1 series win against Australia which was their second successive series win on Australian soil. They have now retained the Border-Gavaskar since the series win at home in 2016-17, including two in Australia.
We just wanted to give our best, not to think about the result.
Ajinkya Rahane
The series started off with a humbling loss as India were bowled out for a mere 36 in the second innings of the first Test. However, India bounced back with a bang as they recorded a thumping eight-wicket win at the MCG.
In the third Test, they hung on to a thrilling draw as they batted out 131 overs in the fourth innings. Meanwhile, they breached the Gabba fortress and chased down 328 to register a famous win.
It was a series to remember. Every time India were knocked down, they found a way to get back up. There have been quite a few memorable series wins, both at home and overseas. But this 2-1 series win in Australia is arguably India’s greatest.
“No touring side wins at the Gabba… it’s just an unwritten rule”
Fun88 Betting
- Injuries galore
Even before the Test series started, India were hampered with injuries. Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were injured in the IPL and were ruled out of the entire tour. Rohit Sharma’s injury management became controversial and he flew to Australia only for the last two Tests as he wasn’t fully fit.
And from the time the Test series started, there were casualties every other day. Mohammed Shami broke his arm in the first Test match and was ruled out of the series.
Umesh Yadav suffered a calf injury in the second innings of the second Test and he was subsequently ruled out. Despite Yadav missing the second innings at the MCG, India found a way to come out on top.
Mohammed Siraj stepped in beautifully in Yadav’s absence and it was a complete team effort from the entire bowling attack to bowl Australia out cheaply.
Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah all injured!
Fun88 Betting
Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara were hit in the nets ahead of the third Test. Ravindra Jadeja suffered a dislocated finger, Hanuma Vihari had a hamstring injury while Ravichandran Ashwin suffered from back spasms and Jasprit Bumrah had an abdominal strain.
Rishabh Pant was also hit on his elbow. All this in the third Test match. Despite having a long list of casualties and with injuries, India managed to survive at the SCG and played out a draw. Pant alongside Pujara then Vihari along with Ashwin helped India saw the game.
Ahead of the fourth Test match, Jadeja, Vihari, Ashwin and Bumrah were all ruled out. Agarwal got fit just in the nick of time.
India’s bowling attack was all of three Test matches and 10 balls old (Shardul Thakur bowled just 10 balls on Test debut). Navdeep Saini was injured in the second session of the first day at the Gabba.
Yet, India picked up 20 wickets. Thakur, Washington Sundar and T Natarajan all picked up three wickets each in the first innings while Siraj returned with a fifer in the second essay and he was aided by Thakur’s four-wicket haul.
India’s injury list kept growing, but they kept fighting There were as many as six first-choice players missing and yet, they put up this performance and that’s what makes this series win special.
2. 36 all out
In the first Test, India were in a good position as they took a 53-run lead. However, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood just blew away India who nicked everything and were shot out for 36, their lowest score ever in the history of Test fun88.
Very hard to put those feelings to words. We had a lead of 60-odd coming and just collapsed.
Virat Kohli
Indian captain Virat Kohli went on paternity leave after that first Test. Shami was injured and the Indian fun88 team looked down and out. Not many teams have come back from such a low and winning a series from 0-1 down and that too away from home, is a daunting ask. Many people even wrote them off and predicted a 4-0 whitewash as well.
But this Indian team never gave up and kept fighting. They won at the MCG, they drew at the SCG before doing the unthinking and winning at the Gabba.
For India to comeback from that 36 allout isn’t easy and the way they did and winning in the second Test was the cherry on the top.
3. One of the greatest Australian bowling attacks
This Australian bowling attack which comprised of the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon is arguably one of the best to have ever played for Australia. They are simply relentless.
Starc gets the new and old ball to move around and that too at extreme pace. Cummins is a machine and he can run in all day and peg away. Hazlewood runs in and hits that one spot consistently. Nathan Lyon is regarded as the best Australian spinner since Shane Warne.
The entire bowling attack combined had picked up 972 wickets in their Test careers. They showed why they are rated so highly when they blew away India for a mere 36. But the Indian batsman blunted out this attack.
Australia have 3 of the top 10 Test bowlers Pat Cummins (1), Hazlewood (5), Starc (8)
Fun88 Betting
In the last three Test matches, Australia bowled in excess of 100 overs on four occasions and 97 overs once. It just underlines the way Indian batsmen tackled this relentless attack and even though; they did not get big hundreds, they did just about enough.
Hence, for the second time in a row in as many series’, India have blunted out one of the greatest bowling attacks and this time, without their best batsman and Rohit Sharma for two Test matches.
4. This time with Smith and Warner
In 2018-19 when India beat Australia 2-1 to record their maiden Test series win on Australian soil, a few of them said, Australia were without two of their best batsmen.
It was going to be a tougher challenge this time around with those two back in the reckoning. Plus, Marnus Labuschagne had become bigger and better. Yet, India found a way.
David Warner scored a mere 67 runs in four innings. Steve Smith was kept quiet for the first two Tests and he ended with a series aggregate of 313 runs at an average of 44.71.
It was just the second time that Smith averaged under 50 in a Test series against India and for a change, didn’t end up as the leading run-getter in the series. Yes, Labuschagne piled on the runs but he was lucky with the numerous drop catches.
Despite having three of their best players in full flow, India managed to keep a lid on them and not let them get away big time.
5. Breaching fortresses
Before this series, India had won just seven games on Australian soil. Two of those came in the famous 2018-19 series. But only one of those wins came at the SCG and none at the Gabba. The only game India won at the SCG was back in 1978 and in six games at the Gabba, India had suffered a loss five times (one draw).
But India breached their fortress. They drew at the SCG but the proud Australian record at the Gabba was broken. India became the first team to beat Australia at the Gabba since 1988. Australia had won 24 and drawn seven at this venue in this 32-year unbeaten period. But India defied the odds and upstaged the Aussies at their fortress.
About Author
