In the first match of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21, India were floored by Australian bowlers in Adelaide. They were bowled out for a mere 36, the lowest for them in Test history. Cricket pundits started talking about whether the previous Test series win on Australia came because Steve Smith and David Warner their respective bans. To top it all, skipper Virat Kohli was going back due to personal reasons. The spirits were low in the dressing room when former head coach Ravi Shastri decided to motivate his troops. Years after the iconic series win, Ravichandran Ashwin recalled how Shastri arranged team dinner and lifted the mood of the team by singing.
“We weren't thinking of a series win at all, because the whole team atmosphere was down. But in the evening, Ravi bhai organised a team dinner, and he sang as well. He switched on the karaoke and started singing. Slowly, others followed too,” Ashwin told journalist Vimal Kumar on the latter’s YouTube channel.
“Virat was leaving the team. So, our intention was to be positive, go to Melbourne and win. We didn't think of series, we kept small targets, we took each match individually after that.”
India’s heroic comeback
Under Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy, the team staged a turnaround and won the next Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground by eight wickets. It was followed by the Test of patience of Hanuma Vihari and Ashwin. After Rishabh Pant's 97 and Cheteshwar Pujara's marathon 77, Vihari and Ashwin batted despite suffering their respective injuries. They held the fort and did not let Australian batters skittle through the lineup in Sydney. They survived and were able to draw the Test.
The decider was at the Gabba, Brisbane which was considered Australia's fortress. Indian pacers were injured and net bowlers were included. After Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur's gritty fifties in first innings, Pant took India home in the run chase. He had help from Shubman Gill and Pujara's fifties.
India’s dominance over Australia
India have not lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014. They would look to extend their decade-long domination when they tour Australia later this year. However, last year, Australia got the better of India in World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final on English soil.
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