5 memorable Indian Test wins against Australia
Raising the excitement in both the countries, India’s much-awaited home Test series against Australia is now a week away. Steven Smith and co. will not face an ordinary challenge; they will be up against an unstoppable Indian side, boasting six consecutive series wins. A win against this Indian side looks highly difficult, but if Australia triumph in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2017, it will be marked as one of their greatest victories in recent times.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian team has been at its peak, and are undefeated in the last 19 Tests. The last time Australia toured India under the leadership of Michael Clarke, the visitors were whitewashed 4-0; it has been 48 years since Australia won a Test series on Indian soil.
Before Kohli and Smith lock horns in the four-Test series, starting February 23 in Pune, let’s look back at India’s five memorable Test wins against these opponents.
#1 Melbourne 1981
India toured Australia for a three-Test series and as expected, the visitors lost the opening Test before they pulled off a narrow draw in the second game. While the Australian squad had the likes of Greg Chappell, Rodney Marsh, Kim Hughes, Doug Walters and Dennis Lillee in their camp, India’s strength lay in Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath and Kapil Dev.
India batted first and managed just 237 runs on the board, courtesy of Vishwanath’s 114. In reply, Australia took a lead of 182 runs when they finished with a total of 419 runs. When India came out to bat for the second time in the game, a few controversies came along – the most famous one being Gavaskar’s threat of walking off along Chetan Chauhan and forfeit the match.
After the situation was handled by the Indian managers, the match resumed and India set a mere target of 143 for the hosts. However, what followed next was one of the biggest shocks in cricket. The Australian side that had dominated that era was bowled out for an embarrassing 83 and thereby giving India a historic 59-run victory.