India Beat Australia In The Brisbane Test, Clinch Series 2-1 (Match Report)
India pulled off a record run-chase in a thrilling final session to hand Australia their first defeat at Brisbane's Gabba ground since 1988 and clinch the four-Test series 2-1 on Tuesday.
Brief scores: India 336 and 329/7 (Shubman Gill 91, Rishabh Pant 89*; Cheteshwar Pujara 56; Pat Cummins 4/55) beat Australia 369 and 294 by three wickets.
Brisbane Test: India vs Australia 4th Test, Match Report
India started the morning on four for no loss after bowling Australia out for 294 just before rain stopped play late on the fourth day.
Australia's hopes of a series-clinching victory were raised early when Cummins drew Rohit Sharma forward to a ball that caught the outside edge, Tim Paine taking a fine diving catch in front of first slip.
However, Shubhman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara then shared a brilliant 114-run partnership during the course of which both collected runs at a brisk pace. While Gill was the more aggressive batsman of the duo, Pujara batted in his usual self, coping numerous blows on his helmet and hands but not giving up.
Gill was magnificent on a fifth-day wicket, smashing the Australian bowlers to all corners of the ground. He hit eight fours and two towering sixes in his 146-ball innings before he became Nathan Lyon's 398th Test victim, edging an arm ball to first slip where Steve Smith took a sharp catch
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who came in next, looked positive right from the word go and shared a quick 35-run stand with Pujara. Rahane, after contributing with 24 off just 22 balls to India's total, however, got out caught behind against Pat Cummins.
Pujara and Rishabh Pant stitched a 61-run partnership before India's batting mainstay got out after playing a gritty, magnificent knock of 56 runs, which came off 211 balls.
Mayank Agarwal (9 off 15) then added 37 runs and once again put India in the ascendency. However, the right-handed batsman got out at the team's score of 265, with India still needing 63 runs to win.
Washington Sundar, who had scored valuable 62 runs in the first innings, then came out all guns blazing and scored quick-fire 22 runs before getting bowled by Lyon, with India still needing 10.
India looked in control through the final session and despite three wickets falling in the last hour, they cruised home with three overs to spare, Pant hitting the winning four off Hazlewood.
India had scored 336 in their first innings in reply to Australia's 369. The visitors then bowled out Australia for 294 in their second innings, thus setting themselves a target of 328.
Pant starred with a swashbuckling 89 not out as the injury-depleted visitors overhauled the 328-run target with three overs to go, winning by three wickets. He took advantage of any loose ball, but also played some outrageous strokes, showing the influence T20 cricket has had on Tests.
The series win was a remarkable achievement considering India were bowled out for their lowest Test score of 36 to lose the first Test in Adelaide, before bouncing back to win the second in Melbourne. The visitors, ravaged by injuries and captain Virat Kohli's absence for paternity leave, then batted throughout the final day to draw the third Test in Sydney.
"I think a drawn series will be worse than the loss a couple of years ago," former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said on Monday. However, the Indian team on Tuesday went one step further as they came out with one of the best Day Five batting performances to beat Australia by three wickets in the fourth and final Test at The Gabba, thereby winning the four-match Border-Gavaskar series 2-1.