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Rishabh Pant unleashed a Twenty20-style batting round to lead India to an incredible three-wicket victory in the fourth decisive round as Ajinkya Rahane’s injury-ravaged tourists humiliated Australia with a 2-1 series win.
Indian batsman Rishabh Pant plays a shot on the fifth day of the fourth cricket test match between Australia and India at The Gabba.
Photo: AFP
Ranger-batsman Pant threw himself over the fences in an extraordinary 89 on 138 balls as India galloped into a record 328-run chase on the Gabba, becoming the first team since the West Indies in 1988 to beat Australia in their stronghold of Brisbane.
With regular captain Virat Kohli back home and deploying a recruits attack in Queensland, India cut 145 runs after tea to claim victory when Pant crushed Josh Hazlewood against the long fence by four with 18 balls to spare.
“This is one of the most important moments in my life now, and I am happy that all the support staff and all my teammates supported me even when I was not playing,” said left-hander Pant after being named Man of the Match. .
“It was a dream series.
“It was a pitch on the fifth day and the ball was spinning a bit. I thought I had to be disciplined with my shot selection.”
Pant’s stellar innings were just one in a series of heroic endeavors by India, with starter Subman Gill (91) and a battered Cheteshwar Pujara (56) helping them cut the total with challenging half centuries.
India retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, two years after beating Australia in the 2018-19 Down Under series.
This victory, however, was a major achievement, as the previous series saw Australia deprived of top hitters Steve Smith and David Warner due to a ball-handling scandal.
The jubilant scenes at the Gabba were a far cry from Adelaide’s opener when India was eliminated 36 and suffered a beating in three days.
However, they bounced back magnificently to win in Melbourne and held Australia to a valiant draw in the third round in Sydney.
Australia struggled hard to claim late grounds on day five in Brisbane, but questions will be raised about Tim Paine’s captaincy, and the home team proved unable to pitch India on day five for a second straight test.
“Absolutely disappointed,” Paine said.
“We came here to win the test and the series, it has been a trend that we missed in key moments and we were completely overtaken by a tough Indian team that deserves victory.”
India’s batsman Cheteshwar Pujara plays a shot on the fifth day of the fourth cricket test match between Australia and India at The Gabba.
Photo: AFP
Australia quarterback Pat Cummins was named Player of the Series in a losing cause after taking 21 wickets.
“Good hard test cricket day today, I thought Rishabh and the whole Indian team played fantastic, took the game and deserved the win,” he said.
“I would have liked the cracks to play a few more tricks, but it was pretty good ground.”
–Reuters
