On January 19, 2021 at the Gabba in Brisbane, the closing moments of the fifth and final day of the fourth cricket test match between India and Australia, India achieved the most improbable by defeating the shocked hosts by 3 wickets. He set a disheartening goal of 328 runs for a win, the visitors responded with 4/0 on the stumps on the fourth day, which India had to get 324 runs on the final day for the win. The Indian team, already ruled out by many experts after the catastrophic 36 races in the opening round in Sydney thus conceding an easy win for Australia, had a tough job ahead of it on an unpredictable final-day pitch facing arguably the best bowling attack. of the world. Most importantly, the soil is popularly known as Gabbatoir for Australia where the home team never lost a test match against any cricket team since the last 32 years with an incredible 24-0 win tally. So at best, most cricket pundits and fans were hoping that India would somehow save the match by standing out and drawing the Series. Against a rainy forecast, the weather cleared in the morning, perhaps to witness a competition of immense proportions.
Cricket lovers around the world witnessed one of the most incredible chapters in world test cricket. Mixing caution with aggression, the Indian hitters launched a campaign for outright victory, despite losing all-star starter Rohit Sharma very early. Rock solid Cheteshwar Pujara (56) acted as an anchor at one end, while the other starter Subhman Gill (91) and captain Ajinkya Rahane, albeit briefly for 24 runs, continued their attack on the Australian bowlers. from the other end. Pujara held the strong until the arrival of player of the match Rishabh Pant, whose talent has been widely discussed by cricket experts and fans for over a year with almost no concomitant results, delivered, after a glorious 97 runs in the draw. . Third Test in Sydney, the finishing blow hit all four winners with only 2 of the mandatory overs remaining in their unforgettable 89-run individual score.
And India violated the Gabbatoir, after 32 years, amply proving that Australia is never invincible even in its favorite strongholds. They had retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by winning the Test Series 2-1 after Virat Kohli’s first Test Series victory in Australia against Australia on their 2018-19 tour. Shell-shock, in fact, is the word that describes the reactions of the Australian team, the Australian media and their cricket experts. We have already seen the tremendous importance of this victory for all stakeholders. However, there are several other crucial takeaways from this memorable match that we mention below:
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Gabba’s victory coupled with the victory of the Four Test Series marks one of the toughest comebacks for any team in the history of world test cricket. All the odds were against India after losing the first Test in Sydney and conducting those 36 runs in his second inning. Then the departure of regular captain Virat Kohli, called disastrous by most Australian commentators / experts, put the team into the tightest corners possible as they had to overcome the ignominy of the 36 full speed race syndrome and had to carry out without your captain defining history. Defying all predictions, the India team regrouped under the calm but aggressive and strategic substitute captain Ajinkya Rahane: he gave an adequate response to the hosts who won the second test in Melbourne convincingly by 8 wickets, and then they starred in the historic save of the third test in Sydney keeping the fierce Australian bowlers at bay for almost a day and a half.
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Before the start of the final test at Gabba, the chips were still downhill for India with nearly half of their team members down and out with injuries, mainly from the body blows they suffered in that Sydney save, which included bowlers main strike. They recruited their youngsters, most of them showing up only in a test match or two before and some downright rookies. And, they violated the Gabbatoir.
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India has discovered its incredibly talented bench strength that would not have come to light without the injuries sustained by its pillar. This is likely to mark the definition of an era for the future of Indian Cricket, giving national selectors the opportunity to choose the “best” team. This would also come in handy considering the fact that players tend to be injured in fiercely competitive international cricket.
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The victory also marks a significant departure from having players on the national team mostly from megacities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata or others, because most of the talented rookies like Mohammad Siraj, Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar and others come from small towns or villages with humble origins, often from the clutches of poverty.
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India has proven time and again that super teams like Australia, England and the West Indies are never invincible, even on their own turf, once the team has the resolve and self-confidence in their abilities under any circumstances. Particularly in regards to Australia, Sourav Ganguly’s India ended the world record streak of 16 consecutive test victories of Australian skipper Steve Waugh at the Kolkata test in March 2001 on the Australian tour of India and Anil Kumble’s India ended Australian skipper Ricky Ponting’s 16-win test streak without a single loss in Perth in January 2008, on his 2007-08 tour of Australia. Not to mention the home test series victories against the West Indies and England in 1971, and the arrest of the giant called the West Indies at the 1983 ICC World Cup.
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Team India has also suffered bouts of racial abuse in some of the stands during this tour and sledding by Australian players desperate to win. However, they have also succeeded in this regard.
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It has been shown once again how strong the game of cricket is as a unifying force in times of divisive strategies around the world and the horrors of the year-long pandemic. There is simply not a soul left in the Indian Republic that has stopped smiling since that unforgettable day of the 19th.th January 2021, and they will smile a lot for a long time.
Long live the game of cricket! Let the competitive spirit of cricket conquer us again and again from the narrow horizons of division and communalism!