&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Meet the ONLY team to beat Australia twice in Boxing Day Tests post 2010")
Australia and England are battling it out in the fourth Ashes Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, a venue that has long been a stronghold for the hosts. Australia have already sealed the Ashes with an unassailable 3–0 lead after dominant wins in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, but Melbourne has a habit of telling its own stories.
Day 1 (Dec 26) of the Boxing Day Test was pure chaos. A total of 20 wickets fell as both teams were bowled out in their first innings. By stumps, Australia had stretched their lead by 46 runs with a steady 4 without loss in their second innings. The match is finely poised, but history suggests Australia know how to win games here and numbers back that up.
Also read | 5 players with most catches in Tests in 2025: Boxing Day Test could decide 'Fielder of the Year'
Since 2010, Australia have played 14 Tests at the MCG. They have won 10, drawn two and lost only twice. For a venue often called a fortress, that record says everything. But here’s the twist.
Both defeats came against the same team
Any guesses? Well, it’s not England. It’s not South Africa. Rather, it’s India.
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What makes it even more interesting is that those two wins, in 2018 and 2020, came under the same head coach. Ravi Shastri was in charge on both occasions, overseeing two of India’s most memorable Boxing Day Test victories in Australia.
2018: Bumrah and Pujara Break the Fortress
India’s first breakthrough at the MCG came in December 2018. Batting first, India piled up 443 for 7 declared, with Cheteshwar Pujara’s gritty 106 setting the tone. Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal added crucial runs, taking down the Australian attack.
Australia never truly recovered. Jasprit Bumrah ran riot among the hosts with a match-winning nine-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 6 for 33 and 3 for 53. India won by 137 runs, handing Australia a rare Boxing Day Test defeat on home soil.
2020: Rahane Leads a Statement Win
Two years later, India did it again, and in style. After being bowled out cheaply in the first Test of the series, India arrived in Melbourne under pressure. What followed was a calm, controlled response.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane led from the front with a superb 112. India dominated the match from there, bowling Australia out twice and chasing down a modest target of 72 to win by eight wickets. It was another reminder that even fortresses can be breached.
Well, it would be interesting to see if England join the party and becomes the third team to defeat Australia in the Boxing Day Test post 2010.
