Flashback : India's tour of Australia - Part 5 ( the iconic series 2020-21)

 

After the historic 1st ever  test series win on Australia soil in 2019  , India next visited Australia in 2020-21 during the covid era . Humanity was going  through a historic phase. The covid pandemic has taken over the world . Masking of faces was the common norm. Covid contacted patients had to go through isolation for several days and though the world health situation was improving there was still a long way to go for covid to be completely eradicated and it was during this phase that the Indian team embarked on another tour of Australia which turned out to be one of the most iconic one in India vs Australia cricket history albeit in half filled stadiums due to covid restrictions. 

The first test was played at Adelaide and it was a day night pink ball test . India batting first started shakily but skipper Virat Kohli 's 74 along with Pujara (43) and Rahane (42) gave the  middle order some stability for India to reach 244 . In reply Australia  looked all over the place . Only Marnus Labuschagne (47) played well amongst the top order as the hosts slumped to 111/7  but had it not been for skipper  Tim Paine's unbeaten 73  Australia would have been in deep trouble  . They reached 191 . 53 ahead India started day 3 with one down but ahead  in the game . On day 4 morning Hazlewood  & Cummins were lethal as they  made the ball move off the seam and had the  Indian batters dismissed in a heap as India were bowled out for a shocking 36 runs!!!  Hazlewood (5/8) ripped apart the Indian batting while Cummins took 4 wickets.  Australia made a short work of a measly target of 90 and won in style by 8 wickets to go one up .

Things now looked gloomy for Indian team. Apart from the scars of 36 all out , India has lost  Shami  to injury during the Adelaide test & he will now be going back to India along with Virat Kohli the skipper who is expecting child birth in family . Rohit Sharma was to reach Australia after a late joining but he will be under isolation for 3 weeks by which time the 2nd test will be over.  Experts were predicting a 4 love whitewash as a soft spoken vice captain Ajinkya Rahane prepared to take over the reins of a battered & bruised outfit in total disarray during a tough covid era .

An unsettled indian team  played the 2nd test at MCG on boxing day with Rahane the captain and  a young batter Shubman Gill making his test debut along with promising quick Mohammed Siraj  . Australia were high on confidence but day one of the second test saw the hosts throwing their wickets with some loose shots in what turned out to be a significant day of the series  . A slightly wet pitch helped the Indian spinners to get some zip and the Aussies were 195 all out in a surprising turn of events . Labuschagne (48) scratched around long but others threw their wickets and Smith was out for a duck to Ashwin who took 3 wickets while Bumrah again proved lethal at MCG taking 4 wickets .

India batted long in their 1st innings with Gill getting a fluent 45 and skipper Rahane scoring a hard fought 112 supported by Jadeja (57) as India put up 326 and led by 131 . Australia had another mediocre outing in the 2nd innings . Wade (40) & Green (45) getting 40s . Labuschagne (28) failed to convert a start and Smith (8) was bowled by Bumrah leg stump . Bumrah (2) , debutant Siraj (3) , Ashwin(2) & Jadeja (2) shared the wickets to get Australia 200 allout after another quick Umesh Yadav could not bowl in the second innings due to an injury which ruled him out for the rest of the series  and India were left to get 70 to win which they achieved by losing only 2 early  wickets with Gill (35*) & Rahane (28*) closing the match to script a sensational comeback in the series out of nowhere. 

With the series 1-1 , the 3rd test at Sydney was of mighty importance now .  Rohit Sharma after ending his isolation period was back in the XI as Australia batted first and started well . Debutant Will Pucovski (62) & Labuschagne (91) scored confidently and finally Steve Smith (133)  gets his 100 and gets back to form . However the lower order could not score enough as Australia declined from 206/2 to 338 all out with Jadeja getting 4 wickets . Indian batting struggled with no one getting big scores . Gill (50) & Pujara (50) failed to go beyond 50s as Cummins took 4 wickets and India were all out for 244 . With a handy 94 run lead Australia buoyed by Smith (81) , Labuschagne (73), Green(84) & Paine (39*) rattled up 312/6 declared . With 407 to win , India started superbly with Rohit and Gill striking the ball well .Gill (31) & Rohit (52) however could not convert their good starts . Pujara (77) fought hard but Rishabh Pant (97) raised hopes of an unlikely Indian win with an attacking knock before Lyon dismissed him to give relief to the Aussie fans . Finally India fought hard in the last session to draw the match with two injured players in Vihari (23*) and Ashwin (39*) and end the day on 334/5 as the teams head to the Gabba with series still 1-1  after two outstanding test matches for India . 

Indian dressing room by this time of the series  had taken the shape of a hospital with injuries to multiple players . Jadeja was injured during the 3rd test while batting  & was out of the series.  Vihari,  Bumrah , & Ashwin now had injuries and was out of the final test and hence reserve players Washington Sundar , T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur had to be called up in the XI  with Mayank Agarwal back too. 

The Gabba test turned out into an iconic test match in India vs Australia test history . Batting first Australia rattled up 369 in the 1st innings with Labuschagne (108) getting a 100 and Smith (36) , Green (47), Wade (45) & Paine(50) producing good contributions.  Three wickets apiece to Sundar , Shardul & Natarajan - the reserve players getting a surprise break in this crucial test .  India after some good starts by top order batters slumped to 186/6 with the series on the line . Enter Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur as they stroked their way to a brilliant 123 run stand with Shardul smacking a strokeful 69 and Sundar scoring a more sedate 62 . India reached 336 ( only a 33 run lead conceded)  as Hazlewood claimed  5 wickets .

Australia would have liked a good 2nd innings score to offer India a bigger target of 370 plus . Instead their batters again failed to convert good starts in the 2nd innings . After a 89 run opening stand , both Warner (48) & Harris (38) departed. Labuschagne (25) , Smith (55) & Green (37) threatened to go big but India kept getting timely wickets through Siraj & Shardul who claimed 5 & 4 wickets respectively to restrict Aussies to 294 and leave a 329 target to win for India . 

India lost Rohit (7) early but Gill and Pujara had a 114 run stand before Gill departed for a fabulous knock of 91 . After Rahane's quickfire 24 Pant joined a determined Pujara who was copping blows on the body from the Aussie quicks but stood like a rock till finally Cummins had him lbw for 75 . Pant was going for a win and had Sundar for company . A mighty hooked six off Cummins by Sundar gave belief to India and from there Pant took over playing a breathtaking innings . Sundar departed for 22 & Shardul went cheaply but with an injured Saini for company Pant (89*)  drove Hazlewood down the ground for a 4 and India pulled off a sensational final day chase of 328 to win by 3 wickets and snatched the series from Australia 's grasp by 2-1 to win their 2nd successive test series on Australia soil and this time against a full strength  Australia side . 

The Aussies were shell shocked after this stunning defeat in their backyard and that could be gauged from their face expressions after the test .

This was a series for the ages . The turnaround from that distant 36 all out at Adelaide was legendary despite more players getting injured or unavailable after each test . This will remain as the most iconic test series in India's cricket history as victory was attained against all odds in overseas conditions.  

As for the individual performances Marnus Labuschagne (426) scored the most runs in the series followed by Steve Smith (313) , Rishabh Pant (274) , Pujara (271) , Rahane (268) & Gill (259) . In the bowling Pat Cummins (21) & Hazlewood (17) led the way followed by Md Siraj (13) , Ashwin (12) Starc (11)  & Bumrah (11)