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January 19: A momentous day in India's Test history

Siddharth has been part of Khel Now since September 2023 and has covered Asian Games, Olympics and Pro Kabaddi League, writing articles for multiple sports.
Published at :January 19, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Modified at :January 19, 2024 at 4:06 PM
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The Indian test team rewrote history on the date in 2008 and 2021.

Years from now, the world would have changed a lot. With the constant evolution of technology, circumstances in 2050 could be something we cannot even imagine. Cricket would also evolved so much, it is hard to tell how many new formats of the game would have emerged by then.

However, one thing will remain the same for sure – the game’s oldest format, test cricket, will still be considered as the pinnacle of the sport. One such instance occurred when India and Australia were taking each other on in the Gabba Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2021. For those living in 2050, it will be just India winning the game when they go through that scorecard.

However, the adversity that India were in, going into the game and the way they performed on the field was nothing short of unreal.

Rishabh Pant tapped the ball to the long-off boundary to complete a chase of 328 on 19th January 2021 to create a new chapter in history books in red-ball cricket. For Indian fans, it was the second time in 15 years that they had experienced such an inspirational performance from their test team.

Incidentally, the first such performance came on the very same date, January 19, albeit in 2008. The venue was Australia, again. The Perth test happened right after the ‘Monkey-Gate’ debacle in Sydney, where India were undone and accused of things that should never have occurred in the sport. Needless to say, emotions were flaring and both sets of fans were hoping their teams would go for the kill.

Indian test team heroics in Gabba Test

On both occasions, India were considered not only underdogs but also a team that would lose badly. One common thing that has been said for every visiting team in Australia is – you don’t play against 11 players, but an entire nation.

They not only hurt the opposition on the field, but also come at them through the press. In 2021, when India arrived in Australia it was all about the-then captain Virat Kohli. All newspapers carried headlines like ‘King Kohli arrives’ and ‘World’s best comes to conquer Australia.’

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant. (Image Source: BCCI)

There is no denying the fact that he has been one of the biggest crowd-pullers in the history of world cricket. Australia misread the situation and thought India were just a one-man team. It was further underlined after India were all-out for 36 in Adelaide in the first test match of the four-match test series. No one gave India a chance to even draw a test in that series.

Kohli had informed the board of his decision to leave Australia to be with his wife, Anushka Sharma, for the birth of their first child. Australian media were all over the Indian team and their Indian counterparts were no less.

Inspired by coach Ravi Shastri and a turn-it-around approach, the boys showed it during the Boxing Day test by winning it with ease. Then came the Sydney test, which turned out to be a battle for survival. Ravi Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari battled injuries and helped India draw the game – the duo batted for 43 overs.

The draw was a moral victory for India. However, at home, Australia were not short on confidence going into the final test. The final test was set to be played at “Gabba, The Gabbatoir“ – Australia’s fort that hadn’t been breached for the last 32 years. Australian skipper Tim Paine had challenged Ashwin in an infamous video to meet them at their fort. Going into the final test, India struggled to find players to name in the starting 11.

Two players from Tamil Nadu, Washington Sundar and T Natarajan, who had arrived in Australia to be net bowlers in that series, were handed their debut caps. The most experienced bowler in the Indian team was Mohammad Siraj, who had made his debut in the same series. India bowled the Australians out for 369, conceding a lead of 33 runs.

The heroes for India with the bat in the first innings were Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar. Some of the strokes the pair played on the third day afternoon gave goosebumps to Indian fans.

Australia then set a target of 328 on the fifth day. Most teams would take the draw as a result as it would mean India would retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. However, this team had a different plan. Their coach had famously said, giving up was not part of their vocabulary. The first push for the win on January 19, 2021, came from the sublime-looking Shubman Gill.

New ball, fifth-day pitch, No. 1 bowler in test cricket – Nothing bothered Shubman. He dealt with the red Kookaburra as if he was playing in the barren grounds of Punjab. His 91 was filled with drives that made beautiful sounds. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane followed and with a 22-ball 24, showed India’s intent to go for the kill.

All this aggression was on just one side of the crease. On the other, Cheteshwar Pujara continued taking blows but was determined not to give his wicket away. His silence rattled the usually quiet Josh Hazlewood, who swore at him after hitting his helmet with a ferocious bouncer. But Pujara, as unassuming as ever, brought his 50 up off 195 balls, the slowest in his career.

Rishabh Pant was playing at different game on the other side. While the pitch was mischievous to say the least, Paine also had the services of a left-arm pacer in Mitchell Starc. Starc could rattle the best with his angle and ability to pitch pin-point yorkers. The world’s No.1 test bowler, Pat Cummins, the ever-consistent Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon notwithstanding, Pant made the Australians dance to his tune.

The field was well spread and with no close-in fielders, Paine was expecting Pant to commit the mistake. But at 5:38 PM when the sun set up for dusk, Pant calmly tapped the ball towards long-off and pushed Navdeep Saini to run a three with his injured groin, and Australian wicket-keeper realized it was he who committed the mistake in judging the Indian wicket-keeper.

The Gabbatoir was breached. Australians were taught a lesson that their coach summarized well, “never underestimate the Indians”. It was dusk in Australia but it was noon in India and everybody was talking about this for the entire day. And for the next. And the next month. And it continues to be talked about, even today.

From the Honorable Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, everyone saw and highlighted it as another major example of India’s young brigade’s burgeoning and unbeatable self-belief.

Best of the test:

It is not the first time India proved their capability in Australia. If it was a young brigade in 2021, the famed Indian line-up sowed those seeds in 2008. On January 19, India registered one of the most historic wins in Perth.

India were 2-0 down going into the third test. More than the scoreline, what happened in the second test was the something that no one would want to see on a cricket field. Umpiring decisions went haywire which changed the end result of the game. There was a confrontation between Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, after which the latter was banned.

Indian test team of 2008 WACA test
Indian test team of 2008 WACA test. (Image Source: BCCI)

The verdict was all over before the ICC could conduct a legal investigation. India almost pulled out off the tour but changed their minds and decided to play the third test. Much like the Gabba until 2021, Perth was also a fortress for Australians till the late 2010s.

Ricky Ponting’s side was on an 11-year winning, 16-match streak at the WACA Stadium, Perth. Needless to say, Australia were confident of beating India in the third test as well.

Half-centuries from Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman took India to a respectable total. Chasing 413, Australia were still the favorites. A collective bowling effort helped India beat the Aussies. Ishant Sharma’s spell against Ricky Ponting is still regarded as one of the best on Australian soil.

Both victories emphasize the possibility of making an improbable event happen in reality. Yes, the odds may not be favoring, but the Indian team still did it.

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Siddharthan P
Siddharthan P

Like many 90s kids, Siddharth dreamt of being a cricketer but ended up studying Engineering. But his passion for sports never left him, as he started writing and talking about it. He worked as a commentator for the Tamil Nadu Premier League and has been writing about all other sports since 2017. Any day, if there is an Indian playing in any sport, Sid will be watching.

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