India's Gabba 11 - Where are they now?
On this day, two years ago, India recorded one of its most memorable wins in Test cricket history at the Gabba in Brisbane. A depleted Indian squad led by Ajinkya Rahane defeated a full-strength Australian team at their fortress. The Indian win ended Australia's 32-year unbeaten streak in Brisbane.
All the members of the Indian playing XI from that Gabba Test match etched their names in the history books forever with a once in a lifetime performance. India won that exciting Test by three wickets and secured a 2-1 win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.
Speaking of India's win at the Gabba, here's a look at the Indian playing XI from that match, and where those 11 heroes are now.
Batters - Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant (wk)
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill opened the innings for India in that Test. Sharma scored a total of 51 runs in two innings, while Gill played a fantastic knock of 91 runs in the second innings. The duo have now become India's first-choice opening pair in Tests and ODIs. Sharma is the captain across all formats.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the unsung hero of that game. His 211-ball 56 in the second innings played a pivotal role in India's win. Pujara is still a regular member of the Indian Test squad.
Ajinkya Rahane captained India in that Gabba Test. Rahane got off to good starts in both innings but could not convert it into big scores. The then Indian vice-captain is no longer a part of the Test squad. Mayank Agarwal could not make an impact in that Test either. He was recently dropped from the Test squad.
Rishabh Pant was the architect of India's successful run-chase. The wicket-keeper batter played an excellent innings of 89 runs from 108 deliveries to seal the deal for the visiting team. He also took four catches in that game. Pant recently suffered a serious car accident and has been ruled out of cricket for the next few months.
All-rounders and Bowlers: Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj and T Natarajan
Bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur smacked a fifty each in the first innings. Their first innings ensured Australia did not take a big first innings lead. Thakur also scalped seven wickets in the match.
Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan and Navdeep Saini joined Thakur in the pace attack. Natarajan took a three-wicket haul on debut, while Siraj bagged a five-wicket haul in the second innings. Saini could not bowl much due to injury issues.
Sundar, Thakur and Siraj are regular members of the Indian squad these days. Natarajan has not played international cricket since March 2021, while Saini has been in and out of the team due to injuries.
Gabba Test 2021 summary
Australia 369 (Marnus Labuschagne 108, T Natarajan 3/78) & 294 (Steven Smith 55, Mohammed Siraj 5/73) lost to India 336 (Shardul Thakur 67, Josh Hazlewood 5/57) & 329/7 (Shubman Gill 91, Pat Cummins 4/55).