Have Team India ever won a Test at the Gabba?
India’s fighting draw in Sydney earned them rich plaudits, as many praised their outstanding effort. Their next task is to face Australia at the Gabba, which has been the hosts' fortress for ages.
Australia last lost a Test in Brisbane in 1988, winning 24 and drawing seven since then. But what about India’s record at the venue?
India have never won a Test at the Gabba. They have played a total of six Tests in Brisbane, losing five of them. The visitors last played at the venue in 2014, when they lost the match by four wickets. India’s best result at the Gabba was in December 2003, as Sourav Ganguly’s men drew the game.
How India drew the Gabba Test in 2003
Batting first in the rain-hit Gabba Test, Australia scored 323 in the first innings, as current coach Justin Langer notched up an impressive hundred.
India were stellar in their reply, as VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly's partnership took the visitors' score to 409. It was Ganguly's first Test century against Australia, with the southpaw scoring a brilliant 144.
Australia then scored 284 at a brisk pace and declared, setting India a target of 199. But the visitors batted out the remaining 16 overs, and they left the Gabba without losing a Test for the first time in their history.
What happened the last time India played in Brisbane?
Interestingly, India didn’t play a Test at the venue during their last tour Down Under in 2018-19. The last time they visited the Gabba, in December 2014, they failed to make the most of their great start.
Murali Vijay’s 144 and Ajinkya Rahane’s 81 guided India to 408 in the first innings. A Steve Smith ton, combined with unlikely half-centuries from Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson meant the Aussies ended up scoring 505 in reply.
But India failed to replicate their batting show from the first innings, as Johnson’s four wickets helped Australia bundle out the visitors for just 224 in the second. Set a paltry target of 128, the hosts chased it down with four wickets to spare, despite Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav’s best efforts.
The ongoing series is currently tied at 1-1, and a draw at the Gabba would see India retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia, on the other hand, need to win in Brisbane to clinch the series.