3 reasons why India saving the follow-on at The Gabba could be the defining moment of BGT 2024-25

Having avoided the follow-on on Day 4, Team India managed to draw the third Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at The Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday, December 18. India resumed their first innings on Day 5 at 252-9 and were all-out for 260 as last man Akash Deep was dismissed for 31.

Australia came out all guns blazing in their second innings and declared on 89-7 after 18 overs. Set a challenging target of 275, India were 8-0 after 2-1 overs when rain had the final say in a match that saw several weather interruptions and frustratingly long delays.

While a draw was an expected result at The Gabba, India would be pleased that they managed to save the follow-on in a game that was dominated by the Australians until their lower-order fightback. On that note, we analyze three reasons why India saving the follow-on in Brisbane could be the defining moment of BGT 2024-25.

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#1 Australia's inability to run through India's tail would boost the visitors' confidence

Barring the second innings in Perth, when they posted 487-6 declared, India's batting has been below par, to say the least. They were bowled out for 150 in the first innings of the opening Test. The visitors then failed to reach 200 in both the innings of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.

At The Gabba, responding to Australia's first innings total of 445, India were in big trouble, having lost half their side for 74. Despite defiant half-centuries from KL Rahul (84) and Ravindra Jadeja (77), India were staring at the prospect of having to follow on at 213-9. It almost seemed inevitable.

Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah, however, put together a resilient stand to ensure the follow-on was averted. Apart from the fact that the visitors managed to save the follow-on, what stood out about the last wicket stand was how Bumrah and Akash Deep defied the Aussie bowlers. Both hit a six each and suddenly Australia's attack did not look as menacing.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, former India keeper-batter Parthiv Patel hailed the visitors' fightback and opined:

"By avoiding the follow-on, India have given a new twist to the series. There is a belief that India can save the Test from here. The good thing is that the energy (in the Indian team) could change from here. They were in a near-hopeless situation. But, because they managed to save the follow-on, there will be a new kind of energy in the team."

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#2 Australia could have scarred India in a big way by enforcing the follow-on

Akash Deep frustrated the Aussies with his knock of 31. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

The weather could have saved India from a defeat at The Gabba even if they had failed to avoid the follow-on. However, Australia would have had an opportunity to scar India's batters, who were already down on confidence. Had the follow-on been enforced, India would have been batting on Day 5 and might as well have been five or six down for very little on the board.

In the above scenario, even though the Test would still have ended in a draw, Australia would have further dented the psyche of India's struggling batters. They would also have believed that they had the upper hand going into the Boxing Day Test despite the scoreline reading 1-1. The fact that the Aussies looked ragged in the field during the Akash Deep-Bumrah stand doesn't augur well for the hosts.

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#3 India will now believe they can go on to win the series

The last-wicket partnership between Akash Deep and Bumrah doesn't change the fact that India have been abysmal with the bat in BGT 2024-25. However, with their stand, the lower-order batters demonstrated that Australia's bowlers are not unplayable if one shows the desired application.

Bizarre as it may sound, India's frontline batters can take a cue from how Bumrah and Akash Deep kept the Australian bowlers at bay - more with regard to the mental aspect than technical. What has been most disappointing about India's top-order in the series has been the fact that they have not shown the desire to fight.

Having said that, the manner in which the visitors reacted after the follow-on was averted demonstrated the significance of the moment in relation to the overall scenario in BGT 2024-25. As far-fetched as it may sound, Rohit Sharma and co. will now have greater belief about winning the Test series than they had when they floundering at 213-9 on Day 4 at The Gabba.