On this day in 2021 – Memoirs of a bunch of Indian ragtag rebels sullying the pride of Gabba

It's been three staggering years to one of the most landmark victories in the glistening antiquity of Indian cricket, a chapter that infused aggression in an avatar like never before with a bolder shade of persistence, diligence and most importantly self-belief.

Getting skittled out for a humiliating 36 in Adelaide in the opening Test that also happened to be a day and night contest bared out India's batting skeleton. Not only did Australia pick the bones out of the Indian cricket team but they left the visitors wrapped in an almost unbreakable shell of mortification. You read it right. 'Almost'.

It could have very well turned into a tightly shut case with zero routes for escape which is exactly how it looked like when majority of the Indian superstars were sidelined with something or the other. The belief remained though. India turned the tide around emphatically in the second Test and the third battle of the series remained as one of the most dogged acts of defiance from two very unlikely heroes, ensnared in two completely different roles than the ones in which they found their calling.

That warring mentality entrenched in a bunch of ragtag rebels in the whites is what kept on burning. Stepping foot into an unbreachable fortress in Gabba, the Indian cricketers were hoping for a miracle from the sky.

Well, as they say if you want something from the depth of your heart, magic happens or let's say the universe conspires for you or maybe and just maybe, and at that time, a man called Mohammed Siraj was handed his Test debut. Once again, miracle or not, Miyan or not, an Australian team, brimming with self-confidence stepping into the hellish yard where they didn't lose for the last 32 years, where the panache in the dugout was soaring through the skies, was always going to be one of the toughest teams in the world to beat.

Batting first, Australia scored 369 in the first innings, courtesy of a brilliant century from Marnus Labuschagne while cameos from Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Cameron Green and Tim Paine got the hosts into a comfortable position. T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar clinched three wickets each, keeping India afloat.

Rohit Sharma did get off to a fiery start but things went haywire for the Indians as they started losing wickets at regular intervals. Teetering at 186/6, it was Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur who got the Indian ship back on track. Sundar fired 62 while Thakur added 67 runs, allowing India to pile up 336 on the board. Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the lot with figures of 5/57.

With the contest fairly in balance, Australia needed some formidable display from their batters in order to make the task a herculean one for the visitors. They did get off to a rambunctious start, riding high on Marcus Harris and David Warner as the duo posted a crucial 89 runs stand for the opening partnership. 

However, it was the fall of Harris that opened up the floodgates and the Indian bowlers stormed through without a delay, claiming four crucial wickets in a heartbeat. But then as fate would have it, Australia’s most seasoned warrior guarded the gates again and the Indian bowlers found it hard to steer clear of an imminent danger called Steve Smith.

They say when the going gets tough, the tough gets going, similarly, one rising sensation hailing all the way from the Land of Nizams, from the Royal Challengers Bangalore called Mohammed Siraj stepped up in the finest way possible. With the scalps of Labuschagne and Wade in his pocket, it was Steve Smith who was taken aback by the snaking zingers from Miyan and eventually nicked one to Rahane departing for 55. 

Following Smith’s departure, the Indian bowlers started bowling with renewed vim and vigour. While Mohammed Siraj spearheaded the bowling unit, the other bowlers were quick to get into the groove as they gatecrashed Australia’s shindig in their strongest citadel.

By the time India was done with the Australian batting unit, they had managed to pile up 294, eventually posting a target of 328 for India. Mohammed Siraj finished things off with a fifer, a feat that would just be the herald of something extremely special to arrive. With daunting numbers looming large in the form of ghostly apparitions that would scare even the grittiest of war generals, India needed something extremely special to get the job done.

Despite the fall of Rohit Sharma for a paltry seven, Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara took matters into their own hands. Navigating the cross-currents of precariousness intertwined with a volley of bullets and fireballs alike from the gruesome pace trio of Australia, the duo added 114 runs for the second wicket, instilling hopes of what would be a historic moment for the Indians.

Gill (91) and Rahane (24) fell in quick succession, yet, Pujara continued to battle the most unnerving forces on the glacial shores of Australia. Enduring unspeakable acts of horror and agony, Pujji was not willing to capitulate without a battle. Being a patron-saint of resilience or the Rocky Balboa of Indian cricket, call him whatever you like, the diminutive magician knew his assignment extremely well until tragedy struck through the hands of Cummins.

With 100 runs still needed and six wickets in hand, the entire responsibility shifted to the broad shoulders of Rishabh Pant. The man who shocked the world with a 150-plus in England was trying to brave almost insurmountable odds. With wickets toppling at regular intervals at the other end, Pant fought with every last breath left in his body.

Thankfully for the southpaw, Washington Sundar came up with a crucial partnership of 53 runs that made Indians believe that the job was almost done. However, coming off as a late twist, the fall of Sundar and Shardul Thakur in no time whatsoever changed the complexion of the game as Australia could sniff a turnaround.

Knowing the Australian pace triptych, they started unloading a volley of neck-breakers and sandshoe crushers combined that left Rishabh Pant gasping for breath. But as Rocky Balboa said, “It’s about how much you can take and keep moving forward, that’s how winning is done”, Pant did the unthinkable.

With three needed to win, Pant shimmied down the track slightly in a bid to reach to the pitch of the ball and drove Josh Hazlewood majestically through mid-off as the ball crackled through the fabric of space, time and history, kissing the boundary ropes of Gabbatoir, clinching one of the most memorable victories for Team India. As Gabba’s pride was sullied, Rishabh Pant was lifted up on the shoulders of his teammates where the sight would rekindle the imaginations of a hero taking his pedestal in the pantheon of the immortals.