New Delhi: India chased 328 to win the 4th Test on the final day of the match and series on Tuesday. Gill fell nine runs short of his maiden Test hundred but made sure India was right on track to win the series decider.
The highest successful 4th innings chase at the Gabba before this match was 276.
Rishabh ‘nerves of steel’ Pant will be forgiven for all the mistakes he has made through the series with wicket-keeping gloves in hand as each of the 89 runs that he scored in the final hour on Tuesday was worth its weight in gold. It was only poetic justice that he hit a boundary to win India a thriller.
The last time a visiting team came out triumphant from the Brisbane Cricket Ground was back in November 1988 when the mighty West Indian outfit under the leadership of Viv Richards thrashed Allan Border’s team by 9 wickets. What makes the feat even more commendable is how the Indians fought multiple injuries and mental fatigue – due to the bio-bubble restrictions — to register a historic win.
But it all started with a 21-year-old Shubman Gill and a gritty Cheteshwar Pujara standing ground and stitching a slow yet steady 114-run partnership off 240 balls after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 7 in the seventh over of the final morning. The wicket of the experienced campaigner was just the impetus the Australian bowlers needed to begin the day. But the duo of Gill and Pujara had other ideas.
Pujara was more than happy to take blows on his hand, head and body, but refused to budge. Gill on the other hand kept picking the gaps off the bad balls and showed class and elegance as he moved towards a well-deserved fifty before lunch. With 245 runs still needed, Gill and Pujara started off from just where they had left before lunch to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Brief Scores: Australia 369 and 294 (Steven Smith 55; Mohammed Siraj 5/73); India 336 and 329/7 (Shubman Gill 91; Rishabh Pant 89*; Pat Cummins 4/55).
