5 reasons why India won the 2018-19 Test series in Australia
7th Jan 2018 will be remembered as the day India defeated Australia in their own backyard to register its first ever test series win in Australia. Despite missing 2 of its key players, S. Smith and D. Warner, Aussies were a force to reckon boosted by its world-class pace attack and led by Tim Paine. However, they were facing world’s number 1 Test side led by world’s number 1 batsman in Test and ODI (as per November ’18).
Virat Kohli and team walked into the first Test at Adelaide with a positive approach but the Aussie pace attack showed no mercy. Despite being 86/5, India bounced back courtesy Pujara’s century and a supreme bowling performance to win the test by 31 runs.
The 2nd Test at Perth gave tough time to the batsmen of both teams as the pitch cracked open from day 3. On a pitch where N. Lyon scalped 8 Indian wickets, India probably missed the trick of playing a full-time spinner. Australia walked out of this test with great pride to level the series 1-1.
With lots of on-field banters that happened during the 1st two tests, all eyes were on the Boxing Day Test at the ever so fast, bouncy, and iconic Melbourne. Having won the toss, India batted first and how! For the first time in the series, India declared with 443 runs on the board. Australia fell like 9-pins (11 pins in fact) courtesy J. Bumrah who was on fire as he bundled Australia out for a paltry score of 151.
India chose not to enforce follow-on to score hasty 106 runs in their 2nd innings to give Australia a stiff target of 399 runs. India won the 3rd Test!
With only one more Test to play, India was certain of not losing the series and retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But Kohli was here with a positive mindset of winning tests in Australia. What followed was Indian batsmen thrashing the Australian pace attack for a magnanimous 622 runs.
This total ensured that Indians have ensured themselves a historic series win against Australia which no Indian team has achieved before. Then came insult to injury for Australia as India imposed follow on with Australian totals that read 300 and 250.
Let us have a closer look at 5 reasons which turned this Border-Gavaskar 2018-19 test series in favour of India.