IND v AUS 2020: Three memorable encounters between Team India and Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Team India and Australia have produced some fascinating matched over the past few years, especially in red-ball cricket. The sheer competitiveness with which both the teams have gone head to head against each other have often given matches that have kept the fans at the edge of their seats.
It is due to such mouthwatering clashes that the Test series between the two nations, also known as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is one of the most anticipated series in a cricket calendar. Here we have a look at three such memorable encounters between Team India and Australia in the history of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Three memorable encounters between Team India and Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
1.Australia's tour of India, 2nd Test - (Kolkata - March 11-15, 2001)
Result: India won by 171 runs
In the early 2000s, Steve Waugh's Australian team was famous for dominating the opposition at their own den. But he was not quite able to win a Test series in India and it was believed that India was the 'Final Frontier' for his champion team. Having won the first of the three Tests against India in 2001, Australia marched on to the second Test at Kolkata to try and make Steve Waugh's dream of winning a Test series in India a reality.
Australia batted first and posted a huge total of 445 in their first innings, thanks to a brilliant hundred from Steve Waugh and consistent contributions from the rest of the Australian top-order batsmen. In reply, Team India were bundled out for just 171 as the Australian bowlers were just too hot to handle for the Indian batsmen. Glenn McGrath was the pick of the Australian bowlers with figures of 4-18.
Despite Harbhajan Singh's hat-trick in the first innings, team India were far behind in the game. The Aussies decided to enforce the follow-on and try and crush the Indian batting once again. Team India batted relatively well in the second innings, but were still in deep trouble at 232-4.
VVS Laxman was batting superbly at one end, but he needed support from the other end too. This was when he found an able partner in Rahul Dravid. The duo then went on to do something that completely changed the face of Indian cricket.
Not losing a wicket for an entire day, both Laxman and Dravid dominated the Australian bowlers. The duo added a mind-boggling 376 runs for the fifth wicket and saved the Indian team from a certain innings defeat. Laxman got his career-best score of 281 while Dravid scored a well-made 180. Team India declared their innings on a mammoth 657-7 and set the Aussies a target of 384 runs in the fourth innings.
The Aussies were off to a decent start and at one point looked to be in the chase. However, Harbhajan Singh once again ran through the Australian batting and picked up a six-wicket haul in the second innings. Australia were bowled out for 212 and Team India completed one of their most famous wins ever in the history of Test cricket. This win gave them the belief that they could win from virtually any position.
2. Australia's tour of India, 2nd Test - (Bengaluru - March 4-7, 2017)
Result: India won by 75 runs
Australia were touring India in early 2017 for a four-match Test series and had got off to a great start by winning the first Test at Pune. The second Test was to be played at Bengaluru and Team India had to avoid defeat in order to have any hopes of retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Batting first, Team India did not get the big first-innings score that they wanted. Despite KL Rahul's brilliant 90, 189 is all the Men in Blue could manage. Nathan Lyon got his career-best figures of 8-50 as Australia had all the advantage going into their first innings. Half centuries from Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh ensured that Australia got an important 87-run lead in the first innings before getting bowled out for 276.
India were in deep trouble in their second innings as they had lost four wickets and their lead was only 33 runs. This was when two of India's most experienced Test batsmen in Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane got together and began to score runs under immense pressure.
The duo added 118 runs for the fifth wicket as Pujara's 92 and Rahane's fine half-century ensured that India set a target of 188 for Australia to win the game. Although 188 was less than what Team India would have ideally wanted, the Men in Blue at least gave themselves a fighting chance.
Australia kept on losing wickets at regular intervals but also managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. There was a controversial incident in the chase when Steve Smith was caught asking for help from his dressing room for a DRS call. The Indian team were fired up after this and were making Australia fight for every single run.
Skipper Virat Kohli was marshalling his troops really well, but there was a point in the game where Australia needed just 87 runs to win with 6 wickets in hand. Team India needed a moment of inspiration as the series was on the line.
That moment of inspiration was provided by Ravichandran Ashwin as he dismissed Mitchell Marsh and that opened the floodgates for Team India. The remaining Australian batsmen just fell like nine pins and Team India wrapped up the game by 75 runs.
3. India's tour of Australia, 1st Test - (Adelaide - December 6-10, 2018)
Result: India won by 31 runs
India were facing a depleted Australian side as they were without the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner. This was because the duo were banned by Cricket Australia for being involved in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa. Thus, this was India's best chance to win a Test series in Australia for the first time ever.
Team India batted first and were in deep trouble straightaway as they lost 3 wickets for just 19 runs, including the prized wicket of skipper Virat Kohli. Cheteshwar Pujara was the lone warrior and keptthe scoreboard ticking, although wickets were falling regularly at the other end. He scored a brilliant hundred and it was his knock that helped India post 250 in their first innings.
The Indian pacers bowled really well and ensured that Australia were bowled out for 235, handing India a 15-run lead. Team India batted more responsibly in the second innings, and on the back of fine half-centuries from Pujara and Rahane, they were able to set a tough target of 323 for Australia to chase in the fourth innings.
The Australian batsmen couldn't quite get a big partnership going as they were struggling to stay alive in the game. At one point, they had lost 7 wickets for 187 runs. But lower-order contributions from Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc kept Australia in the game. With 64 runs required, Australia lost their ninth wicket and victory just seemed to be a formality for Team India.
However, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood began adding precious runs for the final wicket and gave team India a real scare. Just when things were getting a little too uncomfortable for the Men in Blue, Hazlewood edged one in the slips to Rahul off the bowling of Ashwin and Team India won the game by 31 runs.