Australia vs India: 5 Unnoticed things from the Test series
The history beckoned Team India who were on the cusp on doing something no other Indian team had ever done before in Australia. Leading the series 2-1, Virat Kohli and co. arrived in Sydney for the last Test match.
India had already retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but wished to cap it off with a dominant performance. Australia, on the other hand, had a lot of soul searching to do as no plans were working against a dominant Indian side. Kohli won the toss and chose to bat first.
Once again KL Rahul couldn't justify his repeated chances with the bat and cut a sorry figure for himself. But, Cheteshwar Pujara having already found his love for Aussie bowlers continued his dominance with the bat. The dogged technique and playing to his strengths fetched him another well earned century for India.
With the help of two centurions in Pujara and Rishabh Pant, India coasted to a massive total of 622 on the board before declaring the innings. One can't forget the contributions made by Mayank Agarwal and Ravindra Jadeja to stitch partnerships with the centurions.
Chasing a mammoth first innings total on the board, Aussies started really well before collapsing once again. Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja spun a web around Aussie batsmen who succumbed to the relentless nature of this Indian attack.
Australia could only manage to score 300 runs in their first innings and had to follow on. Due to unavoidable factors, Team India lost the precious time to bowl the second time. Thus, the match and the successful series for India ended on a sad note with a draw.
India made history to register their first ever series victory in Australia.
Here are the five unnoticed things from the match.
#1 India became the only team to declare in three consecutive innings against Australia
Currently ranked as the No.1 side in the world, India demonstrated why they own that position in the series down under.
India thoroughly outplayed hosts Australia in batting and bowling departments and made their way to unthinkable. Winning a Test match in Australia is a tough ask for any visiting team, but India thoroughly dominated the series.
Scoring against Aussie quicks is never easy, India not only scored well but also dictated the terms in the series. Kohli had the liberty to declare the innings in every match starting from Melbourne.
As a result, India became the first team to declare in three consecutive innings against Australia and eventually won the series comfortably in the end. Team India not only won the historic series but also made a strong statement to the opposition about their strength and ability.