Some places are considered unconquerable fronts and for Indian cricket it was Australia. Anytime Indian cricket would leave the Indian shores for down under there would be a sense of apprehension instead of excitement among Indian fans. But the 2018/19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy changed everything. On this day India won the first test series in Australia and it was a defining moment for Indian cricket.
It was a massive achievement for the duo of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri as they had emphasized a lot on improving as a test side. This was the first major away series victory in test cricket for India under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
Kangaroos – Not Favourites?
It has never happened in history that an Australian team would not be considered favourites for a series on their home turf but for this series, a lot of Pundits had not rated Australia as favourites. The Sandpaper Gate adversely affected Australian cricket and the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner was a big dent for the Aussies. The assertive Indian unit led by their undaunted leader, Virat Kohli, sensed a hope of scripting history on Australian soil.
The test series started in Adelaide with a thrilling battle between two major powerhouses but the Indian team took a vital lead. The Indians won the match by a small margin of 31 runs and Cheteshwar Pujara was the hero for India with his sublime batting effort.
The Kangaroos bounced back in Perth and smashed India by 146 runs to level the series. Nathan Lyon was the player of the match as he denied India a 2-0 lead even after Kohli’s batting masterclass.
The Indian team were not going to be intimidated this time around and their riposte was equally damaging as they completely annihilated Australia in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne. It was a combined effort from India which gave them a 2-1 lead in the series and they eventually held on to that decisive lead with a draw in Sydney. With this win, India left the days of suppression behind and transitioned into a new phase as a touring side.