5 reasons why India won the 2018-19 Test series in Australia

7th Jan 2018 will be remembered as the day India defeated Australia in their own backyard to register its first ever test series win in Australia. Despite missing 2 of its key players, S. Smith and D. Warner, Aussies were a force to reckon boosted by its world-class pace attack and led by Tim Paine. However, they were facing world’s number 1 Test side led by world’s number 1 batsman in Test and ODI (as per November ’18).

Virat Kohli and team walked into the first Test at Adelaide with a positive approach but the Aussie pace attack showed no mercy. Despite being 86/5, India bounced back courtesy Pujara’s century and a supreme bowling performance to win the test by 31 runs.

The 2nd Test at Perth gave tough time to the batsmen of both teams as the pitch cracked open from day 3. On a pitch where N. Lyon scalped 8 Indian wickets, India probably missed the trick of playing a full-time spinner. Australia walked out of this test with great pride to level the series 1-1.

With lots of on-field banters that happened during the 1st two tests, all eyes were on the Boxing Day Test at the ever so fast, bouncy, and iconic Melbourne. Having won the toss, India batted first and how! For the first time in the series, India declared with 443 runs on the board. Australia fell like 9-pins (11 pins in fact) courtesy J. Bumrah who was on fire as he bundled Australia out for a paltry score of 151.

India chose not to enforce follow-on to score hasty 106 runs in their 2nd innings to give Australia a stiff target of 399 runs. India won the 3rd Test!

With only one more Test to play, India was certain of not losing the series and retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. But Kohli was here with a positive mindset of winning tests in Australia. What followed was Indian batsmen thrashing the Australian pace attack for a magnanimous 622 runs.

This total ensured that Indians have ensured themselves a historic series win against Australia which no Indian team has achieved before. Then came insult to injury for Australia as India imposed follow on with Australian totals that read 300 and 250.

Let us have a closer look at 5 reasons which turned this Border-Gavaskar 2018-19 test series in favour of India.

#1 Persistent Pujara stamps his authority

The New Wall

In this Border-Gavaskar 2018-19 Test Series, C. Pujara (1258 balls) wore the Australians down as he surpassed R. Dravid’s record of playing the highest number of deliveries faced by an Indian batsman in a series in Australia. His marathon innings at the crease took the shine off the red Kookaburra cherry which made it relatively easy for other batsmen.

Australians did everything they could to break through Pujara’s defence, be it short ball treatment or sledging. Pujara stood as calm as the ocean to pile up 714 runs in the series against the fiery Australian bowling line-up. His best knock of this series came in the 1st test at Adelaide when he amassed 123 runs while nobody else could even cross the 25 run mark in that innings.

If asked, 9 out of 10 people will comment Pujara was the difference between the top 2 Test playing nations of this era.

#2 Pace trio reign supreme

India's Best Bowling Attack Ever?

How often do you hear Australian captain recognise India’s bowling line-up as the best pace attack in the world? The Pace Trio of I. Sharma, J. Bumrah, and M. Shami tamed the kangaroos with impeccable bowling performances throughout the series. Apart from Bumrah’s brilliance with his unique arm action and pace, Ishant and Shami kept Australian batsmen on their toes with a consistent line, length, and pace without any sign of fatigue.

It did not matter how new or old was the Kookaburra ball, India’s ravaging pace trio continued to assault the Australian batting line-up as it accounted for 50 wickets in the series India. A team cannot win tests unless its bowling line-up can take 20 wickets. India’s mighty pace attack bulldozed through those 20 Australian wickets match after match in this test series.

Let’s put it this way, Australia was literally swung, bounced, and yorked out of the series!

#3 Rishabh Pant: The Prodigy

Loves to Stump-Catch-Bat-Sledge

Cometh the hour, cometh the man! India’s young prodigy pouched the opportunity with both hands in every sense. At 21, this chirpy keeper gave Aussies an earful every time they took the crease, especially captain Tim Paine. Pant will be remembered for his raw sledging skills, a record 11 dismissals (equalising AB de Villiers' 11), and aggressive strokeplay down the batting order including his career-best 159. The Australian captain might have won the banter against Pant but failed to score like his Indian counterpart.

Pant's innate confidence was the secret to his successful tour of Australia. His energy behind the stumps was quite contagious which kept the close-in fielders charged through those long gruelling test sessions. While the Australians pondered if Pant is actually a good babysitter, he went on to prove that he is a world-class boundary-hitter.

This Australian series is probably only a glimpse of the kind of potential Pant has!

#4 Kohli’s attacking captaincy

Aggression is the name of his game!

Let's face it, the Indian captain struggled to score runs throughout the entire tour of Australia 2018-19. Apart from a 123 at Perth and 82 at Melbourne, he was unable to find his timing with the bat. However, he was excelling in his primary role as a captain of the number 1 test side as his timely quick decisions by rotating his bowlers well, placing an attacking field, and shuffling the playing 11 did the trick for Team India.

He led Team India from the front and looked every bit of the captain he is when he stepped onto the field in each session. Despite the slow nature of the game, he was quite proactive and willing to take risks that no other captain would take for a result that no other captain has got.

What was the outcome? The Kohli-led team became the first Indian team in the history to win a Test series by defeating Australia fair and square. It also became the first visitors in the past 31 years to enforce follow-on in Australia.

#5 Bold decisions by team management

Timely calls - India's secret to success

A team can win a game based on a solo performance but if a team wants to win many games, the team has to fire on all cylinders. In short, team management needs to function like a well-oiled machine. Off the field, battles were won by India's team management as they made bold and gutsy changes to the team with captain Kohli by trusting in Hanuma Vihari's talent.

They also replaced the under-performing opening pair of M. Vijay-KL Rahul with Mayank Agarwal (debuted this series) and H. Vihari who did a good job negotiating the new Kookaburra for India. Even all-rounder R. Jadeja's inclusion strengthened India's batting and bowling. Last but not least, the left arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav delivered a 5-fer in the last Test.

While both teams had their weak links, India made the necessary adjustments while Australia continued to struggle to find the right combination till the last ball of the series.