AUS VS IND - 4th Test, India tour of Australia, 2020-21

Test cricket, how do you do it? How have you won over the most diabolical of nemeses in the cricketing realm: the weather gods, rather like the somewhat lascivious stadium security guard has been tempted by the most testing seductress of them all - Test cricket. Such was the script that the gods of destiny had penned down, that the dreamers would gladly take a decade of one-sided Tests - the Adonis, the creme-de-la-creme of Test series. On that note, it's Rishi Roy, with the honour of bringing the coverage to a close, alongside Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Ramakrishnan MS, Kumar Abhisekh Das, Siva, and our concussion substitutes Mukesh, Sriram, Abhinand and Raju who contributed on other days of the Test. That's that. *Curtains Down*

Anyone still in favour of four-day Tests? Didn't think so. A scorecard entry of 6* off 60, doesn't show flying stem-guards, broken fingers, and wincing warriors. Fours, sixes and strike-rates don't stand a chance in the face of the grit and clarity required in the five-day game. The romanticism of Test cricket, the contrast of sheer panache and grit, the coexistence and codependence of the Pujaras and the Pants of the world is what we live for - the euphoria, the heartbreak, the "umpire's call" bruises that hurt more if you lose, but don't hurt if you win. For Australia, it was their first choice, whereas India had their last eleven men standing - and they emerged victorious. They complained about the bubble alright, but when they were let out of it, they cut loose and gave it their all, didn't they?

Australia's streaks that have been ended by India:
- 16 consecutive Test wins - 2001 in Kolkata & 2008 in Perth
- First and only Asian side to win at WACA in 2008
- 19 consecutive ODI wins at home - 2016 in Sydney
- 32 years unbeaten at Gabba bw 1989 & 2020

And Rahane receives the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Welcome to the new India. They have not only retained the trophy, they've won the series. And, I'm going to say it, they've breached Gabbatoir - Australia's pride no longer. Fittingly, Natarajan has been handed the trophy. And India rejoice this evening at the Woolloongabba, as the sun smiles on the way down, having narrowly defeated the rains and the shadows.

A tribute to one of the greatest series in modern times, by Ramakrishnan MS:

Defying the odds - one of the greatest series ever? They saw an hour of Adelaide and said this is surely 0-4. They said no chance without Kohli. They said no chance at MCG after Australia opted to bat. They said no chance after a collapse at the SCG. They said no chance of survival on the final day with battered bodies. They said no chance without Bumrah, Shami, Jadeja, Ashwin. They said no chance at the Gabba against an ominous bowling attack. And they said no chance of getting 328 on a Day 5 Gabba pitch with cracks. But here they are making history by winning back-to-back series on Australian soil - a series that's at least at par with the 2005 Ashes and they have done this without their regulars.

"We didn't discuss Adelaide at all and just wanted to focus on the character and attitude in the remaining games without worrying about the results. - paraphrasing the words of Ajinkya Rahane: We've all been cribbing, knowing what to do, but failing to act, just looking back and struggling to get out of that negative bubble and here are a few spirited determined young men showing us the way. But are we as willing as they are? It comes down to that. And that's why there's a lot more to cricket than just bat and ball. A salute to the entire Indian contingent for giving us a reason to wake up early, look forward to something with belief and make us smile in these tough times.

Ravi Shastri: The boys have performed so well that I am lost for words. The character of this team is amazing especially after the 36 all out at Adelaide. This team wasn't built over night. Virat has been with us despite not being here. His intensity rubbed on to everyone else. Rahane might look calm but he is a strong man from inside. A tough character. We play Pant abroad because he is a match winner. When he doesn't keep well, people criticize him. But he can help you win matches like these. Had he stuck around for some time in Sydney, he could have won us that game as well. He has been brilliant and that's why we back him. Washington Sundar was a net bowler, Natarajan was a net bowler. But they have played so well. Sundar batted as if he had already played 20 Tests. Same with Shardul who has played a lot of first class cricket but did well at the top level. This is a big series win. I don't think the cricketing world will forget this. Some of us were in a lock down for some 6 months where as cricket had started in some other part of the world. To come here and play the way we have despite having our main bowlers injured, is phenomenal. The players know when they cross the boundary line, they are playing for India.

Rahane calls Nathan Lyon on to handover a signed Indian jersey to him on the occasion of his 100th Test.

Presentation ceremony:

Ajinkya Rahane | Indian captain: It means a lot to us. I don't know how to describe this, but our boys showed a lot of character and determination after the Adelaide Test. I'm really proud of each individual. The conversation between Pujara and me was that he would bat normal, and I would take it on. It was all about intent. Credit to Pujara, the way he handled the pressure was magnificent. Rishabh and Washington were very good at the end. Taking 20 wickets was the key, so we opted for 5 bowlers. Sundar brought the balance in place of Jadeja. The intention was clear to play five bowlers. Siraj played two Tests, Saini just one, so it was inexperienced but the character shown by the bowlers and everyone else was incredible. We didn't discuss anything about Adelaide. Just played wanted to play the remaining games with good attitude and character without worrying about the result.

Tim Paine | Australia captain: We were here to win the series, but we have just been outplayed by a disciplined and tough Indian side who fully deserve the series win. We have to look back over a lot of things, and we'll go through it as a group, and we have been outplayed by a better side this series. There are many areas of improvement honestly. We wanted to set a bit over 300, and dangle a carrot for them to win the series. I thought India turned up today, wore balls on the head arm and chest, put their body in the line, so credit to them, they deserve the win. Keeping is a part of my job, and I have to get them right. Our bowlers did really well as well, it's just credit to the Indian side for this terrific series.

Pat Cummins | Player of the Series: Good hard day of Test cricket today. Rishabh and the rest of India took the game on and deserved to win. I wanted the cracks to do a bit more. If we bowled well I think we could have picked up wickets. In Sydney the game was there to win on Day 5, we just didn't go for it, so yes, overall, quite happy.

Rishabh Pant | Player of the Match: This is one of my biggest days in life. The support the team has given me even when I was not playing has been incredible. It's a dream come true. We've been practicing hard after the first Test. The team management always backs me and tells me you are match-winner and you have to go out there and win and I am happy I did it today. It was a fifth day pitch and the ball was turning.

A series to remember: It had everything: Heroes standing up, getting the KO, and then resurrecting themselves, apprentices turning master, boys becoming men, underdog stories, and some nastiness from beyond the boundary in Sydney that only managed to make Siraj's retaliation all the more romantic in Brisbane.

After the trough of 2020 (a year aptly named, say the cricket purists), Test cricket needed a redemption, a vaccine for the cricketing soul, and it got a series that was written in the stars, untouched by marketing gimmicks and conspiracy theories. Like Ben Stokes' dive of destiny in that final, this was as the scriptwriter had intended it. It was written. Yes, Mr. Jamal Malik, it was written.

It's easy to forget that the God of coins, and the God of fitness had deserted India. Three coin tosses lost by the stand-in captain, their best batsman back in India, and the team swam against the tide. Battered, bruised, barely alive.

The day: It was all set to be a breathtaking finale - and for the chase, history backed Rohit Sharma, whereas recency bias backed Rishabh Pant. No one thought about Shubman Gill - the man who replaced his U-19 captain after a horror show, and the composure he's shown on Day 5 of a deciding Test at Australia's fort has been incredible. 91 - more valuable than any hundred he's made, and perhaps most hearteningly, he didn't look distraught that he hadn't got the hundred. And to think he took on Mitchell Starc short-ball barrage for 6 - 4 - 4, it's scarcely believable. Pujara took close to ten hits, one that took off his stem guard and one that nearly broke his finger. But Pujara did what Pujara always does. He batted. And he batted. And he'd still be batting if he could, but it needed a seed from Cummins and a dicey decision to get him out. And then Pant turned on his T20 mode, and it was all over. The Australian shoulders dropped, and that was that - a day of boundless glory for India, and a black day in Australian cricket...

Most consecutive Tests unbeaten at a venue
34 Pakistan at National Stadium, Karachi (1955-00)
31 Australia at Gabba (1989-19) *
27 West Indies at Kensington Oval (1948-93)
25 England at Old Trafford (1905-54)
19 West India at Sabina Park (1958-89)

Highest successful run chases by India
406 vs WI Port of Spain 1975/76
387 vs Eng Chennai 2008/09
328 vs Aus Brisbane 2020/21 *
276 vs WI Delhi 2011/12
264 vs SL Kandy 2001

Highest successful run chases vs Australia in Australia
414 SA Perth 2008/09
332 Eng Melbourne 1928/29
329 Ind Brisbane 2020/21

India winning a series after losing the first Test
2-1 vs Eng in India 1972/73
2-1 vs Aus in India 2000/01
2-1 vs SL in Sri Lanka 2015
2-1 vs Aus in India 2016/17
2-1 vs Aus in Australia in 2020/21

Most runs scored on Day 5 to win a Test
404 Aus v Eng Leeds 1948
344 WI v Eng Lord's 1984
325 Ind v Aus Brisbane 2020/21 *
317 Aus v Ind Perth 1977/78
317 WI v Eng Leeds 2017

The moment of truth: It was a full-toss, and it was a straight drive that took Rishabh Pant to 89. Into the shadows went the ball, and disappeared into the boundary at long-off. Rishabh Pant knew where it was headed, and just nonchalantly raised his arms in jubilation. Years from now, he will tell his grandkids about this moment, and hence the lack of wild celebrations - just walks off the field, as Siraj, all padded up, jumps on top of him, perhaps thanking him for not making him come in for a bat. Team-mates all elated congratulating each other and then the bear hug to Pant from a beaming Ravi Shaz. And India will now take a victory lap, with Rishabh Pant fittingly leading the pack with India's tricolour. The entire Indian contingent on its feet, including Ravi Shastri - we're in for one heck of a cryptic press conference - takes a lap of honour around the ground, proudly wearing the badge of "Breachers of the Gabbatoir"...

17:40 Local Time | 13:10 IST - When the Gabba fortress was breached: Rarely does a series finale deliver on the inevitable anticipation. And we never learn. We expect, everytime, hoping for magic that lives up to every expectation. The realists never understand, but the dreamers do. And the scores of wins for the realists is a small price to pay for one moment of magic for the dreamers and the romantics. This is that moment - Once upon a time, a bunch of rookies, with no expectations on them, were given a free reign, weaved magic, achieved the unthinkable, and etched their names into cricketing folklore...

Hazlewood to Pant, FOUR, Rishabh Pant crunches the cannon-ball to long-off that at last, at long last, breaches the Gabba fortress! 32 years, and the mighty Australians have been dismantled, destroyed, at their beloved fortress. The Indians couldn't wait to see Paine (and the rest) at the Gabba. The end of an extraordinary fairytale - perhaps cricket's greatest underdog story of all time has reached it's picturesque culmination...