India vs Australia: From The Eden Gardens to The Gabba – India’s Finest Test Wins

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KEY STORY

  • India chased down 328 at The Gabba to register one of the greatest Test victories in their cricket history. Not only did India breach Australia’s fortress where they had not lost for 32 years but also won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the second time in a row. Adversities, injuries, hostile conditions, and Australian media, quarantine, and bio-bubbles protocols made this win one of the most remarkable in India’s cricketing history.

India vs Australia: From The Eden Gardens to The Gabba - India's Finest Test Wins

  • We look back at some of the finest wins for India in Test cricket.

6th February 1952 | FIRST TEST WIN

  • United diagnosticss

    United diagnosticss
It took India nearly 20 years (from the debut) and 25 Tests to register their maiden Test victory. And in every way, it was a big one! In a series-levelling effort in the fifth and final Test in Chennai, India thrashed their ‘erstwhile’ colonial masters, England by an innings and 8 runs. Vinoo Mankad’s 12-108 and hundreds from Pankaj Roy and Polly Umrigar were the standout performances in this historic win.

15 February 1968 | FIRST OVERSEAS TEST WIN

Farokh Engineer (63) and Ajit Wadekar (80) helped India gain a nine-run lead in the first innings in Dunedin overhauling New Zealand’s total of 350. Chasing 200 in the fourth innings, India were in early trouble at 49 for 2 before a century partnership between Rusi Surti (44) and Wadekar (71) not only resurrected the innings but set the platform for a historic five-wicket win for India – their first away win in their Test history! Wadekar was the hero with the bat and India had turned another leaf in their cricketing history under the leadership of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

19 August 1971 | FIRST TEST AND SERIES WIN IN ENGLAND & CHANDRASEKHAR’S MAGIC

Bhagwath Chandrasekhar’s 6-38 in the second innings in the third and final Test at The Oval was the standout performance in India’s first Test win on English soil. He routed the home team for 101 in the second innings which meant that India needed 173 for victory. Contributions from skipper, Wadekar and Dilip Sardesai and Gundappa Viswanath helped India to a thrilling four-wicket win. It was a historic moment for Indian cricket – their first series win on their seventh tour to England.

7 April 1976 | INDIA CHASE DOWN 406 AT PORT OF SPAIN

Chasing 403 in the fourth innings, Sunil Gavaskar (102), Mohinder Amarnath (85) and Gundappa Viswanath (112) produced the performance of a lifetime as India chased down the record target at Port of Spain in 1976 with six wickets in hand. It was the second-highest successful chase (based on set target) in Test cricket history then. It remains the fourth-highest chase in Test cricket history and one amongst the only 4 occasions when a target of 400 or more has been gunned down.

June 5 1986| FIRST TEST WIN AT LORD’S

Dilip Vengsarkar’s classic 126 and Kapil Dev’s 4-52 in the second innings set up India’s first Test match win at Lord’s. Set 134 for victory, India were in trouble at 78 for 4 when Ravi Shastri joined Mohammad Azharuddin in the middle. The pair resurrected the innings before the latter fell at the score of 110. Kapil Dev, the Indian captain, came and smashed 23 off 10 deliveries. Game, Set, Match India!

February 4 1999 | KUMBLE’S PERFECT 10

Pakistan had won the series opener in Chennai. It was the second and final Test in the national capital. Chasing 420, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar gave the visitors a great start and put together a century stand for the opening wicket. And then it was the Anil Kumble show. The Indian leg spinner became only the second bowler in Test cricket history to pick 10 wickets in an innings as he ran through the Pakistani batting line-up returning with 10-74 in 26.3 overs. Pakistan were bowled out for 207.

March 11 2001 | VICTORY AFTER FOLLOWING ON

India became only the third country in Test cricket history to win a Test after following on. After being bowled out for 171 in reply to Australia’s 445, India through a record-breaking 376 run partnership between Rahul Dravid (180) and VVS Laxman (281) posted 657 in the second innings setting Australia 384. Harbhajan Singh then returned with 6-73 in 30.3 overs to bowl out the world champions for 212. It was one of the greatest wins in Test cricket history against a world-beating Australian side led by Steve Waugh.

December 11 2008 | THE GREAT CHASE IN CHENNAI

Virender Sehwag gave India a rollicking start hammering 83 off just 68 deliveries. Chasing 387, Sachin Tendulkar (103 not out) and Yuvraj Singh (85 not out) put together an unbeaten match-winning partnership of 163 for the fifth wicket to take India to a famous six-wicket win in Chennai. It was only the second time in their Test history that they had chased down a 300-plus target in the fourth innings.

December 26 2020 | THE GREAT FIGHTBACK AT THE MCG

After being routed for their lowest Test score of 36 in the series opener at the Adelaide Oval, India without Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami staged one of the greatest comeback wins of their Test cricket history. Down and out and written off by one and all, India, led by an inspired hundred from stand-in-captain, Ajinkya Rahane and brilliant performances with the ball from Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin, beat Australia by 8 wickets in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

January 15 2021 | A HISTORIC CHASE AGAINST ALL ODDS

India, without their pace quartet and leading spinners and minus the batting of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari, facing adversity, accusations, abuse, a hostile Australian media and several stringent quarantine protocols, fought all of this and more and chased down a target of 328 at Australia’s fortress in Brisbane where they had not lost a Test match in over 32 years! Rishabh Pant produced the innings of a lifetime and remained unbeaten on 89 off 138 deliveries. Pujara was the rock at one end and played his part with a defiant 56 off 211 deliveries. The chase was given the platform by a fluent 91 from Shubman Gill who was playing in his debut series.

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