Revisiting India's four Test wins at the MCG ahead of BGT 2024-25 4th Test
Team India will take on Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the fourth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting Thursday, December 26. Both teams will head into the Boxing Day Test with the five-match series tied 1-1. While India won the first Test in Perth by 295 runs, Australia clinched the Adelaide Test by 10 wickets before the Gabba Test ended in a draw.
If we take a look at India's record in Test cricket at the MCG, they have played 14 Test matches at the iconic venue so far. They have won four and lost eight, while two matches have ended in a draw. The visitors' first match at the venue was in January 1948, which Australia won by 233 runs. Team India's first Test victory at the MCG was registered in December 1977.
Ahead of the upcoming India vs Australia contest in BGT 2024-25, we revisit Team India's four Test wins in Melbourne.
#1 December 1977 - 222 runs
India beat Australia by 222 runs at the MCG in the third Test of a five-match series in 1977-78. With this victory, they created history, registering their first Test triumph Down Under in what was their fourth Test match at the venue.
Batting first, India put up 256 as Mohinder Amarnath top-scored with 72. Leg-spinner Bhagwath Chandrasekhar then starred with 6-52 as the Aussies were bowled out for 213 in response.
Sunil Gavaskar then compiled a magnificent 118 off 285 balls in the second innings as India scored 343. Set a target of 387, Australia again succumbed to the guile of Chandrasekhar, who replicated his first-innings figures of 6-52, while left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi picked up the other four wickets to fall.
#2 February 1981 - 59 runs
India's second Test win at the MCG was an iconic one in many ways. It featured Gavaskar storming off the field and taking his batting partner along after being given out lbw to Dennis Lillee. Also, Kapil Dev bowled heroically despite suffering a hamstring injury.
Australia sent India into bat and held them to 237 despite Gundappa Viswanath's 114. The hosts replied with 419 as Allan Border scored 124, while Greg Chappell and Doug Walters contributed 70s. Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan (85) added 165 for the first wicket in the second innings. India's lower order, however, crumbled as the visitors were bowled out for 324.
Set to chase 143, Australia were bundled out for 83 in 48.4 overs as Kapil defied pain to register brilliant figures of 5-28, while Karsan Ghavri and Dilip Doshi picked up two wickets each. For the Aussies, only three batters reached double figures.
#3 December 2018 - 137 runs
Team India's third Test win at the MCG was registered 37 years after the famous 1981 triumph. The visitors got the better of the Aussies by 137 runs in the third Test of the four-match series in 2018-19. India went on to create history as they ended up registering a 2-1 win, their first Test series triumph Down Under.
Batting first, India declared their first innings on 443-7 as Cheteshwar Pujara scored a defiant 106, while skipper Virat Kohli contributed 82, opener Mayank Agarawal 76 and Rohit Sharma 63*. Jasprit Bumrah then ran through Australia's bowling with figures of 6-33 as the hosts were bundled out for 151.
India declared their second innings of the 2018-19 MCG Test at 106-8 as Agarwal scored 42, while Rishabh Pant contributed 33. Set a target of 399, Australia were bowled out for 261 as Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja claimed three scalps each, while Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami picked up two wickets each.
#4 December 2020 - 8 wickets
India made it two wins in two Tests at the MCG when they recovered from 36 all-out in Adelaide to thump the Aussies by eight wickets in the Boxing Day Test of the 2020-21 tour. The visitors were without regular skipper Kohli, who had flown back to India on paternity leave. Ajinkya Rahane led from the front in his absence.
Batting first, the Aussies were rolled over for 195 as Bumrah claimed 4-56 and Ravichandran Ashwin 3-35. India responded with 326 as Rahane scored a memorable 112, while Jadeja contributed 57. The duo added 121 for the sixth wicket to lift India after they had lost half their side for 173.
Mohammed Siraj then starred with 3-37, while Bumrah, Ashwin and Jadeja picked up two wickets each as India bowled out Australia for 200 at the MCG. Chasing a target of 70 runs, India got home courtesy of Rahane (27*) and Shubman Gill (35*) as the visitors pulled off a famous win.