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Australia hand India eye-opener, stage stunning comeback in Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 9-wicket win in Indore
The win also confirms Australia’s place in the final of the World Test Championship at the Oval in London from June 7-11.
Pune 2017. Chennai 2021. And now, Indore 2023. Only thrice has the Indian team lost a Test at home since 2013. That’s the magnitude of Australia’s accomplishment at the Holkar Stadium on Friday. Unlike the first two instances – Australia won the first of a four-Test series in Pune and England likewise in Chennai – this is the first time that a visiting team has won a Test while trailing in a series in that period. With India still leading 2-1 going into the final Test starting March 9, the contest in Ahmedabad promises to be a tantalising affair.
As soon as Marnus Labuschagne hit the winning runs, finishing it off in style roughly 75 minutes into Day 3 by charging down the track and lofting off-spinner R Ashwin over wide mid-on for a boundary, he let out a loud roar. At the other end was Travis Head, unbeaten on 49. Within the confines of the dressing room, Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith clapped and did a little fist pump to celebrate the visitors chasing down a target of 76 with nine wickets in hand. He was padded up and next in, but must have been relieved that his services weren’t needed.
The win confirms Australia’s place in the final of the World Test Championship at the Oval in London from June 7-11. They will now wait to find out which team joins them in the final in England. Will India bounce back? They need a victory in the final Test in Ahmedabad or hope that Sri Lanka don’t win the series in New Zealand 2-0. The Sri Lankans need the Aussies to win or draw the last Test of this series while themselves registering a series sweep over the Kiwis in New Zealand.
For now though, Smith – deputising for Pat Cummins who has flown back home to take care of his ailing mother -- and the Australian team can rejoice wholeheartedly. The 33-year-old elaborated on the significance of winning a Test in India.
“Wins are pretty hard to come by in India. For us to get on top in this game particularly after losing the toss, it shows the talent in our group and the belief we have got in ourselves,” Smith said at the post-match press conference.
After a thoroughly demoralising showing in Delhi, where they lost their last seven wickets for 28 runs, how did the Aussies manage to regroup?
“We screwed up in Delhi, but we had a good break and good preparation coming here. It was about getting our mental state right. It was about trusting ourselves and our methods. We are also pleased to have qualified for the final of the World Test Championship, which has obviously been on our radar for a little while. To tick that off is worth celebrating for this team,” he said.
The Indians had a glimmer of hope at the start of Day 3 when Ashwin dismissed Khawaja caught behind off the second ball of the Australian innings, but a glimmer is all it was. Head and Labuschagne exhibited a watertight defence in the first ten overs, settling down the nerves in the Australian camp in the process. There was still plenty in the surface for the spinners, every over comprising at least a ball or two that did something out of the ordinary. It led to Australia reaching only 13 runs for the loss of one wicket after ten overs. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowled unchanged to begin with, ensuring that the target was still a considerable distance away.
But a ball change, prompted by Ashwin, resulted in the runs suddenly flowing. Off the last 53 deliveries, the Australians plundered 65 runs. India skipper Rohit Sharma, though, did not make anything of it.
“There were only 70-odd runs to get, so you can’t put too much (focus) on the ball. Just that we needed more runs on the board. The little things that happen on the ground don’t really affect the skills and mindset of the players. We felt the ball was not right, we changed it,” Sharma said.
Another three-day Test means both teams have five days to introspect on the plusses and minuses before assembling in Ahmedabad. If we can have a smattering of the excitement that this Test has produced while moving at breakneck speed, it will be quite a climax to the series.
