5 great come-from-behind wins for India this decade
Come-from-behind wins are always special in Test cricket. Like many a cricket writer has said before, you cannot help but romanticise the game and never does it get more romantic than when a team defies all odds and comes from behind to win the game.
India have done exceptionally well over the last five years especially at home, given they had to deal with an exodus of greats and were in a transitional phase. While the previous decade will be remembered for wins at the Adelaide Oval, Mumbai and Kolkata, the present decade has racked up its own set of gems.
Batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli have delivered along with bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. A quality that wasn’t associated with the Indian team in the 90s is now one of its defining traits – the ability to keep coming back from the dead to pull off sensational wins.
Here are five of India’s great come-from-behind wins since 2010, showing the character this team possesses.
#1 Bengaluru, 2017 v Australia
This will go down as one of India’s greatest home wins given the context. They were drubbed in the first Test at Pune where they were dismissed in both innings for paltry totals, and in Bangalore, for the third time in a row in the series, got dismissed for under 200.
Batting first after winning the toss, India were all out for 189, with Nathan Lyon picking up figures of 8/50. Australia took command by scoring 276 and claiming a valuable 87-run lead. At one point, they were 269 for 6, but through a good bowling effort, India clawed their way back into the match, cleaning up the lower order and picking up four wickets in the space of six overs for just seven runs. Jadeja starred with 6/63.
In their second innings, India showed grit and gumption, with Rahane and Pujara putting on the first century-stand of the series. The duo stayed put at the crease to ensure the first wicket-less session of the series. It meant that despite a collapse on the fourth day when India went from 238 for 4 to 274 all out, they set Australia a tough target of 188.
The Aussies were all out for 112 in the 36th over, with Ravichandran Ashwin picking 6/41. KL Rahul picked up the Player of the Match trophy for his two half-centuries under pressure on an extremely tough pitch.