Australia vs India 2020-21: The epic series in pictures
Australia versus India, Test series 2020-21: Story of India's fightback from an all-time low in Adelaide to winning the series in Brisbane in pictures.
They say pictures speak louder than words. The old scoreboard at the end of India's second innings on day three of the first Test match in Adelaide did so much more than just speak. 36/9, with Mohammed Shami retired hurt, is India's lowest-ever Test score.
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Josh Hazlewood was the wrecker-in-chief with the pink ball, having finished with figures of 5-3-8-5, as India succumbed to a crushing eight-wicket loss.
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Australia skipper Tim Paine could be seen consoling his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli after the heartbreaking loss in the first Test.
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Virat Kohli's paternity leave saw Ajinkya Rahane take up the captaincy. The 32-year-old led from the front, scoring 112 (223), to help India put up a solid lead of 131 runs by the end of the first two innings of the second Test. His 121-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja during day two helped put the pressure back on the host.
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India pacer Mohammed Siraj shone on debut to pick up five wickets in Melbourne. While Australia's batting mainstay Marnus Labuschagne was his first wicket, the 26-year-old also snapped up the prized scalps of Travis Head and Nathan Lyon. He cleaned up Cameron Green in both innings.
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Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane became the first recipient of the Mullagh Medal after being named 'Player of the Match' in the Boxing Day Test. The Johnny Mullagh Medal is a tribute to honour the leader of the 1868 Aboriginal tour to the United Kingdom.
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Former Australia captain Steve Smith roared back to form at his home ground in Sydney with a hundred - the first by an Australian in the Border-Gavaskar series 2020-21. With that, he ended up equaling Virat Kohli's Test centuries tally of 27.
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Racism reared its ugly head as some Indian players were subjected to discriminatory behaviour. At least six home fans at the SCG were escorted out by the police after Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Siraj complained about the matter to the match officials on day four of the third Test match on January 10.
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A resilient show saw a bruised and abused Indian team salvage a draw right from the very jaws of defeat. Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin, both in need of medical care, stood like a wall between the stumps and the bowlers to bat out for almost four hours on the final day of the Pink Test. Rishabh Pant (97) and Cheteshwar Pujara (77) also stitched together a crucial 148-run stand.
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With constant additions being made to an ever-growing injury list, India's chances, with an inexperienced pace attack, looked bleak as the final Test got underway in Brisbane. Marnus Labuschagne's century only added to the woes.
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After Rishabh Pant's wicket fell (186/6) in the second innings, a revival looked highly improbable. However, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar's record seventh-wicket partnership worth 123 runs made India believe again.
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Fortress Gabba breached! India, thanks to invaluable knocks from Shubman Gill (91), Cheteshwar Pujara (56) and Rishabh Pant (89*), stunned Australia to script a historical three-wicket victory on day five. The visitor retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a series scoreline of 2-1.
