India achieved a historic first in the four Test series against Australia in 2018-19. Touring the country for the 12th time since gaining independence, it was the first time India emerged on top.
India took a 1-0 lead in the series after winning the closely-contested first Test match at Adelaide by 31 runs. Australia drew level in the very next match, winning the second Test at Perth by a margin of 146 runs.
India registered a comprehensive victory in the third Test at Melbourne, winning by 137 runs to take a 2-1 lead into the final match of the series. That game in Sydney in January 2019 ended in a rainy draw, with India on top after having enforced a follow-on on the hosts. The draw didn’t change the result of the series, however, as India completed their first-ever Test series victory Down Under.
Did you know?
Since India began touring Australia in 1947-48, no Indian team ever managed to win a series until Kohli’s men finally did it. 71 years on. India repeated the feat in 202-21. On the 11 occasions India had toured before the 2018-19 series, they had managed to draw the series three times, while losing it in the remaining eight occasions.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the rock in India’s batting line-up. He top-scored in the series with 521 nuns and was followed by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant (350 runs) and captain Kohli (282 runs).
Jasprit Bumrah led the wicket-takers chart with 21 dismissals at an average of 17 through the series. Australia’s Nathan Lyon came in second, also with 21 dismissals at an average of 30.42, and India’s Mohammed Shami came in third with 16 wickets.
Picture Credit : Google
