4 reasons why India achieved the unthinkable Down Under

If the 1983 World Cup win inspired the young kids in India to take up cricket as a sport, the historic Test series win that ended at the Gabba will do the same for young kids of this generation.

India won at a venue where Australia have not lost a Test match in 31 years. Under Ajinkya Rahane's leadership, an inexperienced Indian side breached the Gabbatoir fortress.

Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rishab Pant starred with the bat to seal the best overseas series win in the history of Indian cricket. It all went down to the 12th over of the mandatory last hour at the end of the day.

The match which started as a Test ended up as a T20 game. And when the left-handed Pant drove the ball through mid-off, all of India would've been on its feet.

India didn't just look good on day 5 of the final Test. Throughout the series, the visitors looked a better side than the home team. In hindsight, apart from the mad one hour at Adelaide, India held the upper hand right through the entire series.

Nobody gave India a chance in the beginning, especially after what transpired in the pink-ball Test. It was grimmer after the captain and best batsman Virat Kohli made himself unavailable.

So how did the unthinkable happen down under?

#4. Team combination and smart leadership

Ravindra Jadeja provided India with great balance

Once Ajinkya Rahane took over captaincy from Kohli, he was keen on playing five full-time bowlers, even at the expense of one extra specialist batsman.

Ravindra Jadeja filled the role of an all-rounder to perfection. His batting has improved to the level that he ca find a place as a specialist batsman in most international sides now. The move enabled India to play two specialist spinners and three quicks.

Ravindra Jadeja was immediately impactful in the second Test at MCG with both bat and ball, which helped India bounce back into the series. Though he was injured and not available for the last Test, Rahane ensured the combination remained the same. He picked off-spinner Washington Sundar to play a similar role. And even that move worked wonders at the Gabba.

#3. Perfect bowling plans

R Ashwin made life difficult for Australia's batsmen

Over the years, Australia has been successful at home because of the number of runs they put on the board. The scoreboard pressure makes their bowlers even more dangerous.

India had good plans for each batsman. More importantly, the execution was top-notch. It is alright to have ideas but implementation often goes awry. But not with India. Not this time.

India decided to break the usual norm of attacking the line outside off stump, especially against Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. They set intelligent on-side fields and attacked the middle and leg stump. This meant the two feared batsmen couldn’t score freely.

The most important aspect of that tactic was to stick to it. In the past, teams have tried a tactic but lost patience and switched to plan B too soon, and paid the price. But this attack, albeit less experienced, was clear about the plans and stuck to it like gum to a shoe.

Earlier in the series, Ashwin outsmarted Smith more than once. He induced an outside edge in the first innings at Adelaide, and then challenged his inside edge of the bat as well. So, here was a batsman with an incredible record, finding it difficult to get going in his own backyard.

#2. Lower order contributions

Washington Sundar showed his batting prowess with a crucial fifty

Historically, India’s Achilles heel during overseas tours is the contribution from lower-order batsmen. Once the team is 5 or 6 wickets down, the last few batsmen throw in the towel. More often than not, those few runs make the difference.

But this series saw a marked improvement from India. In the second Test at the MCG, India was in a spot of bother at 173-5 after in the first innings. A significant first inning was crucial but a collapse looked imminent.

Ravindra Jadeja joined his skipper Ajinkya Rahane and initiated the fightback. The 121-run stand for the 6th wicket was the turning point for India. Once the visitors got a healthy 131-run lead, it became an uphill task for Paine’s side.

The 121-run partnership for the 7th wicket between debutant Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur revived the Indian first innings in the fourth Test. The partnership didn't just India closer to Australia's total, it also made Australia bat for more time.

#1. A tours and the IPL come handy

Shardul Thakur's experience came in handy

The efforts to arrange A tours by the BCCI came in handy during the series. Injuries were staggeringly the norm. As a result, India had only two players from the playing XI in the first Test available for the Gabba Test.

Along with A tours, the IPL has helped Indian cricket bridge the gap between first-class and international cricket. These young players rub shoulders with the best in the business and don't get overawed by the situation or magnitude of Test cricket.

Even though Washington Sundar and T Natarajan haven't played many first-class games, the comfort with which they played their debut game proved that the IPL has a lot of a positives.