Laxman-Dravid's legendary day; Gambhir's The Wall 2.0 effort: When India rose from the ashes after following-on

Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep mounted a defiant 10th wicket stand to help India avoid the follow-on on day four of the third test in Brisbane.

A strong fightback from the lower-middle order and tail helped India avoid a follow-on in the third Test against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. An unbeaten 39-run stand between Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah for the 10th wicket was enough for India to reduce Australia's lead under 200. The Indian dressing room went berserk when Akash hit a four to avoid the follow-on and then smashed a six off Pat Cummins' delivery to eat off Australia's lead. Akash was unbeaten on 27, with Bumrah on 10, as India finished the Day 4 on 252 for nine, still 193 runs behind Australia's first innings 445.

Here are the famous instances when India stood tall despite following-on in a Test match. (X Image)

Here are the famous instances when India stood tall despite following-on in a Test match.

Very Very Special effort from Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Harbhajan Singh - Eden Gardens 2001 vs Australia

It was one of the most iconic matches in Indian cricket history. Batting first, Australia posted 445 in the first innings, and then Glenn McGrath and Co. dismantled India's batting line-up for 171. The Aussies enforced the follow-on on India and not many gave them a chance to bounce back in the game. However, VVS Laxman (281) and Rahul Dravid (180) had other plans, as they embarked on an extraordinary partnership that defied all odds and expectations. The duo forged a monumental 376-run partnership, which changed the script of the match, and momentum was now in India's favour. Following their partnership, spinner Harbhajan Singh played a crucial role in India's victory by scalping a memorable six-wicket haul in the second innings. His stellar performance with the ball helped India seal a historic win by 171 runs.

Another saviour act from Laxman - Mohali 2003 vs New Zealand

Laxman stood tall once again for India when they were forced for a follow-on; this time, he helped them save the match and turn it into a draw. New Zealand scored a mammoth 630-6 d with centuries from Mark Richardson (145), Lou Vincent (106), Scott Styris (119) and Craig McMillan (100). In reply, riding on Virender Sehwag (130) and Laxman (104) centuries, India posted 424 but failed to avoid the follow-on as they were asked to bat again after their first innings. Laxman scored a gritty 67* off 180 balls to avoid a defeat. Aakash Chopra also accompanied him in the fightback with 52 off 160 balls, and India scored 136-4 to finish the match.

Gautam Gambhir emerges as The Wall 2.0 - Napier 2009 vs New Zealand

New Zealand posted 619 in their first innings and India were dismissed for 305. Having been asked to follow on by Daniel Vettori, the visitors lost Virender Sehwag rather early. However, Gautam Gambhir decided not to let his guard down as he played a marathon knock. Gambhir (137) spent almost 11 hours at the crease and faced 436 balls, hitting just 18 boundaries in close to two days in the middle. Apart from him, VVS Laxman also hit a century in the second innings - 124* off 212 balls as India saved the match finishing 476/4 in the second innings.

When India avoided follow-on with last ditch-efforts

During the 2023 WTC Final, India was in almost a similar situation as the Gabba Test when Australia posted 469 in the first innings, and incidentally, Travis Head and Steve Smith were the centurions for them. In reply, India's top-order faltered miserably, but Ajinkya Rahane held the fort in the middle order with the 89-run knock; he got support from Ravindra Jadeja (48) and Shardul Thakur (51). India managed to avoid the follow-on with 296 runs in the first innings, but they failed to avoid the defeat. Australia set a mammoth 444-run target for India in the fourth innings, and they managed only 234 to lose the match.