BGT 2024-25: Rohit as opener, Siraj five-for and Pant 89 not out - How India breached Fortress Gabba in 2021
India ta Gabba 2021
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) stands equal at 1-1 and the series now moves to Brisbane where India breached the Fortress Gabba last time they played Australia. With their series-winning three-wicket Test victory on the tour of 2020/21, India became the first team in 32 years to beat Australia in a Test at the Gabba.
The visitors would be taking a lot of inspiration going into the Test, in-fact they need the inspiration after their 10-wicket drubbing in the second Test in Adelaide. The loss came despite being 1-0 ahead in the series after their 295-run win in the first Test of the series at Perth.
Coming back to the Gabba - here's how the Test went down last time India played Australia in Brisbane
Australia won the toss and elected to bat first against an Indian bowling side with no Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja.
Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur bowled 115 overs along with Washington Sundar as the lone spinner and conceded 369 runs in the first innings. Marnus Labuschagne scored a brilliant 108 while skipper Tim Paine scored a fifty. For India, Natarajan, Shardul and Sundar took three wickets apiece while Shardul chipped in with one.
While batting, Rohit Sharma opened the innings for India and scored 44 – the third-highest individual score in the innings. India were in deep trouble at 186/6 before Sundar (62) and Thakur (67) added 123 runs for the seventh wicket. India eventually managed 336 runs in the first innings but conceded a decent 33-run lead.
In the second innings, Siraj took 5/73 and Thakur took 4/61 as Australia managed 294 with Steve Smith's 55 being the highest score of the innings. Needing 328 runs to win the match and the series, India finished day 4 at 4/0 in a ball less than two overs.
On the final day, India lost Rohit's wicket early but kept the charge going with Gill scoring 91, Pujara hitting 56, and Rahane's 22-ball 24 before Pant arrived.
The wicketkeeper-batter added 53 crucial runs with Sundar (22) for the sixth wicket before taking India home with a four in dying light and just like that fortress Gabba was breached and Pant, for his belligerent89 not out in the second innings, was adjudged Player of the Match.
