Rishabh Pant’s impressive knock of 89 helped India assert its dominance on Australian soil as the visitors won the fourth and final Test in Brisbane by three wickets on Tuesday and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
With the win, India ended Australia's 32-year unbeaten streak at the Gabba. Australia had won the pink-ball Adelaide Test while India struck back with victory in Melbourne. The third Test in Sydney had ended in a draw. India had won a historic Test series Down Under two years back and now the team is cherishing back-to-back series victory.
Pant's brilliant show with the bat helped India reach the target of 328 with the loss of seven wickets with 18 balls to spare.
Pant pulled off some breathtaking cover drives off Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in the final session though he benefitted from missed stumping chance.
Opener Shubman Gill build up the momentum for India with a sublime 91 along with Cheteshwar Pujara who scored a crucial half-century to keep India in sight of victory. However, Gill missed out on his hundred that was very well-deserved.
The two teams kept viewers on the edge in an engrossing, high-quality Test match, but India had the last laugh.
In the first two sessions, Gill and Pujara showed different schools of batsmanship. If Pujara was ready to duck, sway and cop body blows off Hazlewood and Cummins, showing the art of survival, young Gill, on his first tour of Australia was ready to take the intimidatory tactic head on by bringing the pull shot out of his repertoire.
The duo, during a 114-run stand, showed that very contrasting styles can co-exist without conflict even as fans of both genres can have a field day on social media arguing which is the more appropriate approach.
Gill was finally caught on the wrong foot when Nathan Lyon changed his line to a one wide of off-stump and the result was an edge to the first slip.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane looked good before falling prey to a Pat Cummins delivery.
The fifth day pitch at the Gabba seemed to be pretty flat with not much help for the Australia pacers as Gill played a few cut shots and comfortably drove on the up. The placid nature of the track also didn't help the Australians who kept a attacking field for the better part of the session.
(With PTI inputs)
