Twitter Reactions: India conquer the Gabba Fortress; seal a historic series win successfully chasing the third highest total

Rishabh Pant was the man in the middle for India who fittingly scored the winning runs.

By Aditya Gajanan Kukalyekar verified

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4 Min Read

Rishabh Pant of India
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Rishabh Pant of India. (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP via Getty Images)

Wow! Absolutely Wow! This Indian team is something. Eight of their first-choice players were ruled out either due to injury or unavailability. Their best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah breaks down ahead of the final Test. They field the bowling attack with completely inexperienced. And they end up historically winning the Test, not at any ordinary venue.

They breached the GABBATOIR! Yes, they did it. Australia had never lost at the venue in the last 32 Tests and since 1988. But Yes, there is always a first time and India did it. Chasing 328 on a deteriorating pitch with cracks on the final day is an absolutely phenomenal effort and the likes of Shubman Gill, Pujara and Rishabh Pant (Yes Sundar as well), were the architects of the historic win.

324 runs. 10 wickets. 98 overs. This was the equation when the day started. India lost their opener Rohit Sharma early courtesy of Pat Cummins who went wide of the crease and then straightened the ball to take the edge of the bat. What followed then was again the repeat of Sydney with Cheteshwar Pujara again displaying his grit while Shubman Gill oozed with talent.

They blunted the Aussie bowling attack in the first session while also keeping an odd bouncing delivery out. The crack at the middle of the pitch literally troubled Pujara as he took almost every ball on his body. It was block, block and block for him with Gill pouncing on anything loose playing some glorious shots and also got to his fifty in the process. The duo kept Australia at bay for the rest of the opening session and it seemed as if India were going for a draw due to their approach.

Come the second session though both Gill and Pujara began showing intent and suddenly runs started to come fast. Again it was the former who smashed the opposition bowlers, especially Mitchell Starc, taking him for 20 runs in a single over. Gill was literally having a field day in the middle but Nathan Lyon induced a mistake out of him on 91 to pull India a little down in the chase.

The 114-run partnership was finally broken but then Ajinkya Rahane, the skipper, came out playing his shots racing to 24 at a strike-rate of more than 100. However, Cummins got him with a bouncer to break open the game yet again and at 167/3, like it happened in Sydney, walked in Rishabh Pant.

Step Aside! The man is here

The duo which gave India hope in Sydney to chase down 407 was together again and they didn’t disappoint this time either. The pitch was doing its tricks and Pujara was taking it on his body still and Pant’s arrival just brought the runs easily. The southpaw got set and then took on Lyon as expected before latching on to the other bowlers as well with disdain.

Meanwhile, Pujara took a blow on his finger and still continued to bat in pain reaching yet another slowest fifty, this time off 196 deliveries. Australia were quietly waiting for the new ball to arrive. And when it came, Australia picked up the most prized wicket of Pujara and that man again, Cummins got the important breakthrough.

By then, Pant was set and he added 37 runs with Mayank Agarwal who sort of threw away his wicket. But the debutant Washington Sundar yet again displayed nerves of steel and supported Pant well. Rather Sundar was the aggressor in the partnership with ‘balls left’ also coming down in the final hour. Pat Cummins was adamant on bowling almost every over as he was giving his 100% for his team.

However, Australia’s best speedster going for a six over fine-leg and then for a four led to the hosts dropping their shoulders. Pant, in the next over, just took on Lyon to bring the required runs to less than 30. Though Sundar and Shardul Thakur got out later, it was that man, Rishabh Pant, who stayed in the middle and fittingly, scored the winning runs to seal a historic series win for India.

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