An Australian supporter was shouting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ at the end of the absolute nail-biter in Gabba. That pretty much suffices the day in Gabba – the victory of Test Cricket in the era of T-20 cricket.
The final test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was on the verge of cancellation owing to the stricter covid protocols for Team India. The team members were not allowed to leave their hotels.
Protocol Fiasco in Brisbane
Simple facilities such as a gym and swimming pool were forbidden, even they were reportedly not provided room services. That fuss was somehow handled by BCCI but the exhaustion had taken a toll on the psyche of the players. Nine of the playing eleven were out due to injuries or other reasons (Kohli for paternity leave).
The above paragraph portrays a tragic story of a team stung by injuries and covid protocols, pointing towards an injury-laden inexperienced Indian team completing the series for the sake of completion. Social Media and the Cricket Pundits were quite sure of an early collapse of a completely new team in the Australian fortress, Gabba, Brisbane.
Proving the Pundits Wrong
The Cricketing World goes upside down as the prediction of the pundits goes wrong. The whole world watches in awe how this new team conquered the Australian Fortress with conviction.
Gabba is known as the fortress for a reason as Australia was last defeated in Gabba 32 years back by West Indies. India never won in Gabba before. This win means a lot for all the right reasons.
The rain came on the fourth day of the match, hampering at least 10 remaining overs. India had a mammoth task of 329 runs to achieve. Australia was somehow at a sweet spot, they had to take 10 wickets to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Gill lays the foundation for win
Shubhman Gill uppercuts Mitchell Starc to Third Man boundary for a maximum and sets the tone and intention of the team. Shubhman has rightfully secured the much-coveted opening slot with his consecutive matured yet attacking performances.
After Gill’s departure, skipper Rahane steps up the gas with his brief cameo of 22. Maybe he departed early but the intention was pretty clear from his aggressive batting that India is eyeing a win. Then comes Pant and history is created.
Lot has been said this young lad, his wicket-keeping skills were often under the scanner, so is his irresponsible shot selections at important circumstances. But nobody had a shred of doubt about his immense talent. Today he goes one step ahead and finishes it for the team with his unbeaten 89.
Pujara : The symbol of Resilience
Pujara, the symbol of resilience, the new ‘Wall’ of Team India, stands tall against the best bodyline attack as well as the frequent cynicism against him. He was subjected to some nasty blows by Cummins and Hazelwood, yet he showed character with his monumental presence.
Pujara is the puzzle that Aussies can’t crack. Pujara was phenomenal in the last Australia tour in 2018-19, scoring 521 runs in seven test innings. He was one of the architects behind India’s first test series victory in Australia. Pujara was not his best form this time, but his impenetrable defense has helped the attacking batsmen play their shots. He is a valuable asset in the team whose inclusion should not be questioned more often based on his strike rate.
Fresh Indian bowling line-up
This Bowling unit is insane, deserves every bit of applause for picking 20 wickets of a full-fledged Australian Team. Indian bowling has suffered blows after the first test as Shami was ruled out. Eventually, Ashwin and Bumrah have also been ruled out after Umesh and Jadeja. The void was filled with promising talents in the names of Natrajan, Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, and Navdeep Saini.
The all-round performances by Shardul Thakur and the debutant Washington Sundar need special mention as they secure the highest seventh-wicket partnership (123) for India, beating Kapil Dev and Manoj Pravakar(58). The nonchalance seen in their faces while facing World’s best bowling line-up shows fearlessness and conviction.
Team India not only retains Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also sends out the message that their bench strength is the most revered one. Australia missed Warner and Smith the last time which led to believing for certain people that India fought a weaker Australian Side. The table has turned this time as India misses their top 9 players but the result stays unchanged.
What could be the possible reason behind Australia’s failure even in its full strength? Australian coach Justin Langer said in the post-match interview that nobody should underestimate a team like India. The playing eleven comes from 1.5 billion people so they must be the crème de la cremes.
Rahane wins heart by presenting Nathan Lyon a signed jersey for his 100th Test match appearance. The long tour of India ended on a high note for Team India. India plays England on their home soil in February.
